Whistling Thule bike carriers

Anyone get a whistle from theirs at around 50mph?  Anyone managed to pinpoint what it is?  Sounds to me like it’s coming from one spot, some uncovered hole or something, but I cannot see it.

Yep, 50mph too. No, haven’t worked out specifically but I don’t think you’ll stop it – expect it’s just part of the way air flows round the shape.

Have you tried lying on it while someone else drives and see if you can locate it then? I’d recommend goggles and maybe some sort of mesh over mouth and nose to prevent from bug ingress.

Occasionally get whistle from mine but usually dependant on wind direction as much as speed.

I have two facing ‘forwards’ and one facing backwards – sounds like it might be the backwards one that is doing it.

My forward facing ones do it 🙂

I take it we’re talking about roof racks? Are you sure it’s the carriers and not the bars them selves? I’ve tried a few different Thule racks without any noise.

A friend had similar noise, found that part of the rubber was missing that sits in the track that run along the top of the bar. Replaced the rubber and all was silent again.

my Thule Aerobars whistle terribly without a bike rack on them. As above they are missing some of the rubber from the hole under the bars where the footpack sits. I assumed it was this causing it

I’ve got the non-whistling ones and now feel somehow cheated.

As above – sure it’s not the bars? BMW bars come with little stick on deflectors that you can use to break up the air flow and prevent whistle.

My Aerobars whistle when there’s no rubber insert ie. when the bike carrier is fitted.

I’ve found that driving erratically across all 3 or 4 lanes of the motorway – whilst varying speed:

a) Plays quite a nice tune, especially with practice

b) Makes you no worse a driver than a BMW owner

They are going to by noisy anyway, sticking a load of mechano on your nice smooth roofline.  I have a 4 bike carrier, and whilst it doesn’t whistle, there is certainly more wind noise at speed (bikes off).

My thule racks have whistled on two different sets of roof bars and on their own neither set of bars whistled (more of a dull white noise)

Got the same on BMW bars (with the deflectors mentioned above) One 598 forwards, one 591 forwards, one 591 backwards.

And no difference when one of the wheel mount/ strap thingies fell off either.

It’s not the bars.  If I remove the carriers, the bars don’t whistle. It’s not the bikes either cos it still does it without bikes.  I did once remove the rubber strip (these are Whispbar ones not Thule) to make it easy to fit the carriers, and they did whistle like a bastard.  So there’s a chance it’s the depressions in the rubber where the bars have fitted that are causing it.

run a line of sealant along where the carriers meet the bars and see if it stops it?

Mine it is the uprights, not the bars. I have taped the (square) bars gaps, it still squeals…

The whistle seems to fade out at 130mph.

Try duct tape around the slots on the bars, the T slots on the top & end caps all there?

I don’t know it, but you start and I’ll join in.

I had some that did this, it was the grooved sections that should have rubber inserts in.

I found out they were whistling the day before a trip to the Alps, that god I had some extra rubber strips!