Which roof bars?

I’m collecting a new car today and I’m thinking about treating myself to some new roof bars – I need new foot packs anyway. I’ve currently got Thule Aerobars, which are fine, but can be noisy.

They’ll be used for a couple of Thule 591s, kayak and ski carrying duties.

I like the look of the wing bars, or maybe whispbars (non-thule).

Any suggestions / recommendations?

Oh and it’s a 3 series tourer if that makes any difference.

Can recommend the Whispbars, I’ve the ones that fit between the roof rails (no sunroof) so super low profile and don’t make a sound at any speed even with a Thule 561 attached.

Ive got the aero wing bars and as long as you fit the rubber strips into the channel properly and stay under 80 they are practically silent.

Another vote for Whispbars, and with the recessed rubber in the T-bar channel, there’s no faff with cutting the rubber like with the Thule aerobars.

with the recessed rubber in the T-bar channel, there’s no faff with cutting the rubber

Is it not a faff fixing the carrier to the bars – does the rubber compress easily enough to slide them on?

highly recommend the Thule slidebars if your carrying kayaks or want to make full use of the width of the Bars.

(not for you if the bars stay on your car all the time)

Geoffj,

Is it not a faff fixing the carrier to the bars – does the rubber compress easily enough to slide them on?

Not a faff, no – the rubber compresses as you slide in the T-bars – trick is (with something like a Thule 591) to slide in the T-Bars first, then place the carrier over them – don’t try and slide the carrier on with all 3 T-Bars fitted as that *is* faff! 😀

I’ve had Whispbars for ~4 years. The design is great (very quiet, until you put a bike rack on it), but the execution and quality can’t quite match Thule. Mine still work fine, but look pretty thrashed, despite light usage. I’ll be going back to Thule when they need replacing.

Not a faff, no – the rubber compresses as you slide in the T-bars – trick is (with something like a Thule 591) to slide in the T-Bars first, then place the carrier over them – don’t try and slide the carrier on with all 3 T-Bars fitted as that *is* faff!

I’ve also found that the rubber strip has lost it’s elasticity/suppleness over time which makes fitting and removing T-bars more difficult than when new. Certainly enough to be a ‘faff’ when in a hurry imo. I’ve not checked if spares are easy to source.

wing bars with 3 Thule 591’s here. No faff, fitted them when I got the car March 13, never been off 🙂 ….although I do annually loosen them off and grease the bolts etc.

Thule squarebars, looked at the aero versions when I bought these a couple of months ago but can’t see the point, they all make some noise and to get them quiet you need to use the rubber bits inside the t track slots, which means you have to cut them to fit 1 roof layout.

By the time you’ve chucked a couple of bike racks up there they’re noisy anyway. I liked the idea of the quick fixing t slot things but I’m constantly adjusting what’s on the roof so would make the rubber strips useless.

Annoyingly though the Thule bars are supposed to be modular so you just by a different fitting kit for each car. I’m on my third set now and everyone has been totally different, costing a fortune!

thule wing bars for me. quieter than their aerobars with out racks on. having said that i can never be bothered to take the bike racks off so a bit of a moot point!

Thanks all. I think I’m going to get a foot back and see how I get on with the existing aero bars. I can always buy the wing bars later.

How durable are the black Thule bars? I quite fancy some black wing bars, but if they are going to scratch easily I’ll stick with the silver.

I like my Whispbars on our Corolla Verso, easy to mount bike carriers/etc with a light spray of silicone lube or washing up liquid.
Only thing I don’t like is the “lockable” covers don’t stay on very well.

Recently got the aero bars for my 3 series tourer in black, well impressed by the finish and how they are holding up!

cheers cubby – that sounds promising.

Have Whispbars on my car and they are great, virtually no noise, very low profile and dead easy to use.

Thule aero bars on the wife’s car seem just as effective but aren’t as aesthetically pleasing as they sit quite a bit higher.

Given the choice I would go Whispbars if they will fit your car.