Thule Evo SquareBars package - 7105, 7124, 5123

Yakima's Whispbar roof bars are surely the most stylish, best designed, best engineered and arguably best value quality roof bars on the worldwide market. They are certainly the quietest. The big deal is the cross bar, an aluminium wing-shaped blade which removes almost all the irritating whistle normally associated with exposed roof bars. Not only are Yakima Whispbar roof racks whisper quiet but they create so little drag that they can be left in place without any apparent effect on fuel consumption. This is a serious benefit, especially if you use roof bars frequently and can't always be bothered to remove them when not in use - modern roof bar fixings are very safe but can be fiddly to fit and remove. And if you also agree with us that these bars are likely to enhance the looks of your car, then the point is made.

These aren’t cheap bars, so what’s the “best value” claim? Part of the genius of these roof bars is that the same 'Smartfoot' is used for every type of roof type, including raised roof rails, flush mounted roof rails, T-tracks, Fixpoints, clamp on systems, even cars with gutters – it’s just a question of which adapter kit you use, and kits only cost £29.95. Unless you move e.g. from a wide vehicle to a narrow one you'll only need to buy a new adapter kit when you change car. No other roof bar system provides such flexibility. You pay a bit more to start with, but the ongoing costs should be considerably less.

Other features and specifications:

• These bars look good and sound good, but they also feel good. They're beautifully made, are supplied fully assembled, and are relatively quick to fit.
• They have a maximum loading limit of 75kg - but please check your vehicle's load limit as it may be less than this.
• You do lose some load carrying space because the bars don’t stick out beyond the feet. The usable loading space on these bars varies between 89 - 100 cm, depending on how far apart the fixings are on your car roof. The feet take up approximately 10cm on each side of the bar; your total usable space will be approximately 20cm less than the distance between your rails or fixing points.
• All roof boxes, and all accessories that can be fitted to Atera, CRUZ or Thule T-track aluminium bars, can be fitted to Yakima Whispbar roof bars.
• Other manufacturers supply a rubber strip that you need to cut and press into the bar between the accessory fixings. But not Whispbar – the Smartfill rubber is already in place, within the slot. Another first for Yakima!
• When in due course you want to fit your roof bars to a different vehicle you may need to adjust the position of the Smartfeet on the bars. If there isn't sufficient adjustment on your existing Yakima Whispbars you'll need to buy a pair of longer or shorter bars - these options are available as spare parts. But you can always re-use the Smartfeet - this is yet another first for Yakima.
• You want to switch from the flush bar look to the through bar look? No problem. You just need another pair of bars (usually a longer pair). The Smartfoot system really is this smart!
• Locks are supplied as standard.
• Please note that because Whispbars are 85mm wide you will need T-track adapters to fit almost all products except a limited range of roof boxes. If you are buying Yakima Whispbars on their own, check your roof box fittings to see if they are wide enough and be sure to order what you need!

Yakima is (along with Thule) one of the two largest brands in the global car rack systems sector. Their Whispbar profile was the culmination of many years of design and innovation by Hubco Automotive, whose chief designer transferred his aeronautical design experience and know how to the roof rack sector, working closely with the engineering school at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

The Whispbar aerodynamic profile was launched at the Frankfurt Automechanika trade fair in 2008, since when many other roof bar manufacturers have launched low drag / low noise roof bars. But none of these is as efficient, as low drag, as the Whispbar profile, partly because Hubco Automotive (now owned by Yakima), who created the whole concept and underpinned the designs with serious science, also patented crucial aspects of their design!

To summarise, Yakima Whispbar is the bells and whistles system, without the whistles!

Yakima's Whispbar roof bars are surely the most stylish, best designed, best engineered and arguably best value quality roof bars on the worldwide market. They are certainly the quietest. The big deal is the cross bar, an aluminium wing-shaped blade which removes almost all the irritating whistle normally associated with exposed roof bars. Not only are Yakima Whispbar roof racks whisper quiet but they create so little drag that they can be left in place without any apparent effect on fuel consumption. This is a serious benefit, especially if you use roof bars frequently and can't always be bothered to remove them when not in use - modern roof bar fixings are very safe but can be fiddly to fit and remove. And if you also agree with us that these bars are likely to enhance the looks of your car, then the point is made.

These aren’t cheap bars, so what’s the “best value” claim? Part of the genius of these roof bars is that the same 'Smartfoot' is used for every type of roof type, including raised roof rails, flush mounted roof rails, T-tracks, Fixpoints, clamp on systems, even cars with gutters – it’s just a question of which adapter kit you use, and kits only cost £29.95. Unless you move e.g. from a wide vehicle to a narrow one you'll only need to buy a new adapter kit when you change car. No other roof bar system provides such flexibility. You pay a bit more to start with, but the ongoing costs should be considerably less.

Other features and specifications:

• These bars look good and sound good, but they also feel good. They're beautifully made, are supplied fully assembled, and are relatively quick to fit.
• They have a maximum loading limit of 75kg - but please check your vehicle's load limit as it may be less than this.
• You do lose some load carrying space because the bars don’t stick out beyond the feet. The usable loading space on these bars varies between 89 - 100 cm, depending on how far apart the fixings are on your car roof. The feet take up approximately 10cm on each side of the bar; your total usable space will be approximately 20cm less than the distance between the door frame, your rails or fixing points.
• All roof boxes, and all accessories that can be fitted to Atera, CRUZ or Thule T-track aluminium bars, can be fitted to Yakima Whispbar roof bars.
• Other manufacturers supply a rubber strip that you need to cut and press into the bar between the accessory fixings. But not Whispbar – the Smartfill rubber is already in place, within the slot. Another first for Yakima!
• When in due course you want to fit your roof bars to a different vehicle you may need to adjust the position of the Smartfeet on the bars. If there isn't sufficient adjustment on your existing Yakima Whispbars you'll need to buy a pair of longer or shorter bars - these options are available as spare parts. But you can always re-use the Smartfeet - this is yet another first for Yakima.
• You want to switch from the flush bar look to the through bar look? No problem. You just need another pair of bars (usually a longer pair). The Smartfoot system really is this smart!
• Locks are supplied as standard.
• Please note that because Whispbars are 85mm wide you will need T-track adapters to fit almost all products except a limited range of roof boxes. If you are buying Yakima Whispbars on their own, check your roof box fittings to see if they are wide enough and be sure to order what you need!

Yakima is (along with Thule) one of the two largest brands in the global car rack systems sector. Their Whispbar profile was the culmination of many years of design and innovation by Hubco Automotive, whose chief designer transferred his aeronautical design experience and know how to the roof rack sector, working closely with the engineering school at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

The Whispbar aerodynamic profile was launched at the Frankfurt Automechanika trade fair in 2008, since when many other roof bar manufacturers have launched low drag / low noise roof bars. But none of these is as efficient, as low drag, as the Whispbar profile, partly because Hubco Automotive (now owned by Yakima), who created the whole concept and underpinned the designs with serious science, also patented crucial aspects of their design!

To summarise, Yakima Whispbar is the bells and whistles system, without the whistles!

Yakima's Whispbar roof bars are surely the most stylish, best designed, best engineered and arguably best value quality roof bars on the worldwide market. They are certainly the quietest. The big deal is the cross bar, an aluminium wing-shaped blade which removes almost all the irritating whistle normally associated with exposed roof bars. Not only are Yakima Whispbar roof racks whisper quiet but they create so little drag that they can be left in place without any apparent effect on fuel consumption. This is a serious benefit, especially if you use roof bars frequently and can't always be bothered to remove them when not in use - modern roof bar fixings are very safe but can be fiddly to fit and remove. And if you also agree with us that these bars are likely to enhance the looks of your car, then the point is made.

These aren’t cheap bars, so what’s the “best value” claim? Part of the genius of these roof bars is that the same 'SmartFoot' is used for every type of roof type, including raised roof rails, flush mounted roof rails, T-tracks, fixpoints, clamp on systems, even cars with gutters – it’s just a question of which adapter kit you use, and kits only cost £29.95. Unless you move e.g. from a wide vehicle to a narrow one you'll only need to buy a new adapter kit when you change car; there's 420mm of length adjustment on each through bar. No other roof bar system provides such flexibility, and it's unlikely that any other other premium roof bar system will prove to be such good long term value.

Other features and specifications:

• These bars look good and sound good, but they also feel good. They're beautifully made, are supplied fully assembled, and are relatively quick to fit.
• They have a maximum loading limit of 75kg - but please check your vehicle's load limit as it may be less than this.
• All roof boxes, and all accessories that can be fitted to Atera, CRUZ or Thule T-track aluminium bars, can be fitted to Yakima Whispbar roof bars.
• Other manufacturers supply a rubber strip that you need to cut and press into the bar between the accessory fixings. But not Whispbar – the SmartFill rubber is already in place, within the slot. Another first for Yakima!
• When in due course you want to fit your roof bars to a different vehicle you may need to adjust the position of the SmartFeet on the bars. If there isn't sufficient adjustment on your existing Yakima Whispbars you'll need to buy a pair of longer or shorter bars - these options are available as spare parts. But you can always re-use the SmartFeet - this is yet another first for Yakima.
• You want to switch from the through bar look to the flush bar look? No problem. You just need another pair of bars (usually a shorter pair). The SmartFoot system really is this smart!
• Locks are supplied as standard.
• Please note that because Whispbars are 85mm wide you will need T-track adapters to fit almost all products except for roof boxes with 'claw style' roof bar grippers. If you are buying Yakima Whispbars on their own, check your roof box fittings to see if they are wide enough and be sure to order what you need!

Yakima is (along with Thule) one of the two largest brands in the global car rack systems sector. Their Whispbar profile was the culmination of many years of design and innovation by Hubco Automotive, whose chief designer transferred his aeronautical design experience and know how to the roof rack sector, working closely with the engineering school at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

The Whispbar aerodynamic profile was launched at the Frankfurt Automechanika trade fair in 2008, since when many other roof bar manufacturers have launched low drag / low noise roof bars. But none of these is as efficient, as low drag, as the Whispbar profile, partly because Hubco Automotive (now owned by Yakima), who created the whole concept and underpinned the designs with serious science, also patented crucial aspects of their design!

To summarise, Yakima Whispbar is the bells and whistles system, without the whistles!

Yakima's Whispbar roof bars are surely the most stylish, best designed, best engineered and arguably best value quality roof bars on the worldwide market. They are certainly the quietest. The big deal is the cross bar, an aluminium wing-shaped blade which removes almost all the irritating whistle normally associated with exposed roof bars. Not only are Yakima Whispbar roof racks whisper quiet but they create so little drag that they can be left in place without any apparent effect on fuel consumption. This is a serious benefit, especially if you use roof bars frequently and can't always be bothered to remove them when not in use - modern roof bar fixings are very safe but can be fiddly to fit and remove. And if you also agree with us that these bars are likely to enhance the looks of your car, then the point is made.

These aren’t cheap bars, so what’s the “best value” claim? Part of the genius of these roof bars is that the same 'SmartFoot' is used for every type of roof type, including raised roof rails, flush mounted roof rails, T-tracks, fixpoints, clamp on systems, even cars with gutters – it’s just a question of which adapter kit you use, and kits only cost £29.95. Unless you move e.g. from a wide vehicle to a narrow one you'll only need to buy a new adapter kit when you change car; there's 420mm of length adjustment on each through bar. No other roof bar system provides such flexibility, and it's unlikely that any other other premium roof bar system will prove to be such good long term value.

Other features and specifications:

• These bars look good and sound good, but they also feel good. They're beautifully made, are supplied fully assembled, and are relatively quick to fit.
• They have a maximum loading limit of 75kg - but please check your vehicle's load limit as it may be less than this.
• All roof boxes, and all accessories that can be fitted to Atera, CRUZ or Thule T-track aluminium bars, can be fitted to Yakima Whispbar roof bars.
• Other manufacturers supply a rubber strip that you need to cut and press into the bar between the accessory fixings. But not Whispbar – the SmartFill rubber is already in place, within the slot. Another first for Yakima!
• When in due course you want to fit your roof bars to a different vehicle you may need to adjust the position of the SmartFeet on the bars. If there isn't sufficient adjustment on your existing Yakima Whispbars you'll need to buy a pair of longer or shorter bars - these options are available as spare parts. But you can always re-use the SmartFeet - this is yet another first for Yakima.
• You want to switch from the through bar look to the flush bar look? No problem. You just need another pair of bars (usually a shorter pair). The SmartFoot system really is this smart!
• Locks are supplied as standard.
• Please note that because Whispbars are 85mm wide you will need T-track adapters to fit almost all products except for roof boxes with 'claw style' roof bar grippers. If you are buying Yakima Whispbars on their own, check your roof box fittings to see if they are wide enough and be sure to order what you need!

Yakima is (along with Thule) one of the two largest brands in the global car rack systems sector. Their Whispbar profile was the culmination of many years of design and innovation by Hubco Automotive, whose chief designer transferred his aeronautical design experience and know how to the roof rack sector, working closely with the engineering school at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

The Whispbar aerodynamic profile was launched at the Frankfurt Automechanika trade fair in 2008, since when many other roof bar manufacturers have launched low drag / low noise roof bars. But none of these is as efficient, as low drag, as the Whispbar profile, partly because Hubco Automotive (now owned by Yakima), who created the whole concept and underpinned the designs with serious science, also patented crucial aspects of their design!

To summarise, Yakima Whispbar is the bells and whistles system, without the whistles!

Foot Pack: The Thule Evo Foot Pack 7105 is designed for use on vehicles that do not have any obvious roof fixings. These roof bars clamp around the bodywork, where available using any locating holes or lugs behind the door seals. This Foot Pack has a maximum load limit of 75kg, so this is the load limit for the whole system. Many vehicles have a lower roof-loading limit than this, so it is always important to check your vehicle handbook, and to think about the weight of the roof bars - approximately 7kg for this whole 2 bar system - the weight of what you fix to them (e.g. bike carriers or a roof box) and the weight of what you are carrying.

SquareBars: Steel SquareBars are in fact rectangular - they are 32mm wide by 22mm high - but have rounded square edges, which explains the name.

These bars are well galvanized to prevent rusting, and the thick plastic outer sleeve is applied while the steel is hot, so there's a tight bond around the whole bar and therefore minimum risk of water getting in between the steel and the plastic. As well as softening the look of the bar, the polymer coating provides a degree of anti-slip, for safer load-carrying.

Adapter Kit: The Adapter Kit contains the essential components required to fix the roof bars to the vehicle, and contains 4 rubber pads and 4 metal clamps (coated in Pebax, a special hard rubber solution). It will be specific to this vehicle; you can see how it fits by looking at the Fitting instructions tab. Note that the picture just shows a typical Adapter Kit, to give you an idea of what to expect.

Locks: One Key System locks are included. We have a free lock matching scheme for all your Thule gear which, as a customer, you may continue to use any time you want. This means that you can use the same key for most of your Thule products. In practice, only having one key for all roof mounted bike carriers is the most useful part of a 'one key system', a system which is offered by all the major brands we sell.

This is a modular system, which means that you may be able to use some of these components on a different vehicle or (for example) change these silver aluminium Evo WingBars for a set of black aluminium Evo WingBars. The Foot Pack contains four feet which are clamped onto the roof with a vehicle-specific Adapter Kit.

Foot Pack: The Thule Evo Foot Pack 7105 is designed for use on vehicles that do not have any obvious roof fixings. These roof bars clamp around the bodywork, where available using any locating holes or lugs behind the door seals. This Foot Pack has a maximum load limit of 75kg, so this is the load limit for the whole system. Many vehicles have a lower roof-loading limit than this, so it is always important to check your vehicle handbook, and to think about the weight of the roof bars - approximately 7kg for this whole 2 bar system - the weight of what you fix to them (e.g. bike carriers or a roof box) and the weight of what you are carrying.

Evo WingBars: These are 80mm wide by 32mm high, including the rubber strip which fits into the T-track channel that runs along the top of each bar.

There are three good reasons for choosing Evo WingBars:

• They're designed to reduce wind noise and drag, thanks to 'WindDiffuser' ridges in the rubber strip that's fitted to the front of the T-tracks, and the 'TrailEdge' shape of each bar's trailing edge.
• They allow you to use the full length of your roof bars, which means you can carry more, and/or allow more space between accessories. This is because the accessories (e.g. bike carriers) fit into the slot in the top of each bar, well away from the roof bar feet which fit into a slot in the bottom of the bar. Steel bars are not so adaptable, because accessory fittings - which wrap around the bars - have to be positioned to avoid the roof bar feet.
• They look smart.

Adapter Kit: The Adapter Kit contains the essential components required to fix the roof bars to the vehicle, and contains 4 rubber pads and 4 metal clamps (coated in Pebax, a special hard rubber solution). It will be specific to this vehicle; you can see how it fits by looking at the Fitting instructions tab. Note that the picture just shows a typical Adapter Kit, to give you an idea of what to expect.

Locks: One Key System locks are included. We have a free lock matching scheme for all your Thule gear which, as a customer, you may continue to use any time you want. This means that you can use the same key for most of your Thule products. In practice, only having one key for all roof mounted bike carriers is the most useful part of a 'one key system', a system which is offered by all the major brands we sell.

Foot Pack: The Thule Evo Foot Pack 7105 is designed for use on vehicles that do not have any obvious roof fixings. These roof bars clamp around the bodywork, where available using any locating holes or lugs behind the door seals. This Foot Pack has a maximum load limit of 75kg, so this is the load limit for the whole system. Many vehicles have a lower roof-loading limit than this, so it is always important to check your vehicle handbook, and to think about the weight of the roof bars - approximately 7kg for this whole 2 bar system - the weight of what you fix to them (e.g. bike carriers or a roof box) and the weight of what you are carrying.

ProBars: ProBars are 50mm wide by 50mm high - 47mm before the rubber strip is pushed into the top channel.

Thule ProBars are available in the following lengths, available via Search:

• TU390 = 120cm
• TU391 = 135cm
• TU392 = 150cm
• TU393 = 175cm
• TU394 = 200cm
• TU395 = 220cm

People may choose to have longer bars because the standard bars don't quite give them the space they want, perhaps for example for carrying two kayaks and a narrow roof box.

The reason for this flexibility is that the feet can attach to the underside of the bar at any point – unlike Thule’s SteelBars and WingBars where the fixing positions are limited by the length of the slots in the base of the bars. If you go for longer bars you must be sure that the bar or load does not stick out any further than the vehicle bodywork at its widest point, excluding the wing mirrors.

Professional bars have a rounded leading edge but, uniquely, have a T-track slot set into their trailing edge, allowing for a range of innovative commercial load carrying accessories. Of these, the 17cm high folding load stops TU315 are perhaps the cleverest. These fit into this rear slot, slide easily when clicked to 45°, but are locked solid when vertical or horizontal.

Adapter Kit: The Adapter Kit contains the essential components required to fix the roof bars to the vehicle, and contains 4 rubber pads and 4 metal clamps (coated in Pebax, a special hard rubber solution). It will be specific to this vehicle; you can see how it fits by looking at the Fitting instructions tab. Note that the picture just shows a typical Adapter Kit, to give you an idea of what to expect

Locks: One Key System locks are included. We have a free lock matching scheme for all your Thule gear which, as a customer, you may continue to use any time you want. This means that you can use the same key for most of your Thule products. In practice, only having one key for all roof mounted bike carriers is the most useful part of a 'one key system', a system which is offered by all the major brands we sell.

Foot Pack: The Thule Evo Foot Pack 7105 is designed for use on vehicles that do not have any obvious roof fixings. These roof bars clamp around the bodywork, where available using any locating holes or lugs behind the door seals. This Foot Pack has a maximum load limit of 75kg, so 75kg is the loading limit for the whole system, even though the SlideBars have a loading limit of 90kg. Many vehicles have a lower roof-loading limit than this, so it's always important to check your vehicle handbook, and to think about the weight of the roof bars - 12kg to 14kg for this whole 2 bar system, depending on bar length - the weight of what you fix to them (e.g. bike carriers or kayaks) and the weight of what you are carrying.

SlideBars: SlideBars include a standard T-track slot in the top of each bar, which must be used otherwise of course the bar cannot slide and the benefit of the whole system is lost! Please also note that many Yakima accessories do not have T-track fixing options so, especially for boat carriers, it makes sense to choose a Thule system if using SlideBars.

Other really good features:

• Once unlocked, the bars can be released and slid out single-handed, 60cm on either side of the vehicle, leaving your other hand to grip the vehicle; the rubberised grip panels make this easy, even in the wet
• the bars click back into their closed position with a reassuring 'snap-lock' clunk; a red indicator disappears when they are properly closed

Thule's SlideBars won a Red Dot product design award in 2011.

An example of how we used SlideBars and relatively simple Thule accessories to carry 4 kayaks on a van is shown in the product popup - click on the SlideBar in the product list below.

Adapter Kit: The Adapter Kit contains the essential components required to fix the roof bars to the vehicle. It may well be specific to this vehicle; you can see how it fits by looking at the Fitting instructions tab. Note that the picture just shows a typical Adapter Kit, to give you an idea of what to expect

Locks: One Key System locks are included. We have a free lock matching scheme for all your Thule gear which, as a customer, you may continue to use any time you want. This means that you can use the same key for most of your Thule products. In practice, only having one key for all roof mounted bike carriers is the most useful part of a 'one key system', a system which is offered by all the major brands we sell.

Foot Pack: The Thule Evo Foot Pack 7105 is designed for use on vehicles that do not have any obvious roof fixings. These roof bars clamp around the bodywork, where available using any locating holes or lugs behind the door seals. This Foot Pack has a maximum load limit of 75kg, so this is the load limit for the whole system. Many vehicles have a lower roof-loading limit than this, so it is always important to check your vehicle handbook, and to think about the weight of the roof bars - approximately 7kg for this whole 2 bar system - the weight of what you fix to them (e.g. bike carriers or a roof box) and the weight of what you are carrying.

Evo WingBars: These are 80mm wide by 32mm high, including the rubber strip which fits into the T-track channel that runs along the top of each bar.

There are three good reasons for choosing Evo WingBars:

• They're designed to reduce wind noise and drag, thanks to 'WindDiffuser' ridges in the rubber strip that's fitted to the front of the T-tracks, and the 'TrailEdge' shape of each bar's trailing edge.
• They allow you to use the full length of your roof bars, which means you can carry more, and/or allow more space between accessories. This is because the accessories (e.g. bike carriers) fit into the slot in the top of each bar, well away from the roof bar feet which fit into a slot in the bottom of the bar. Steel bars are not so adaptable, because accessory fittings - which wrap around the bars - have to be positioned to avoid the roof bar feet.
• They look smart

Adapter Kit: The Adapter Kit contains the essential components required to fix the roof bars to the vehicle, and contains 4 rubber pads and 4 metal clamps (coated in Pebax, a special hard rubber solution). It will be specific to this vehicle; you can see how it fits by looking at the Fitting instructions tab. Note that the picture just shows a typical Adapter Kit, to give you an idea of what to expect.

Locks: One Key System locks are included. We have a free lock matching scheme for all your Thule gear which, as a customer, you may continue to use any time you want. This means that you can use the same key for most of your Thule products. In practice, only having one key for all roof mounted bike carriers is the most useful part of a 'one key system', a system which is offered by all the major brands we sell.

The Thule Edge is a good looking, smart system, but the downside for many of our customers is that these bars may not be long enough to carry what you want, so some careful planning should be done before purchase. They'll probably be OK if you just want to carry a roof box, or up to 3 bike carriers, but they're likely to be too short for a box and a bike carrier, or for 4 bike carriers.

This is because they are flush bars, sometimes called closed end bars, or OEM-style bars; only the bar length between the feet can be used for load carrying. If you need longer bars, to carry more, then please have a look at the Thule Evo WingBars which stick out beyond the roof bar feet, and the whole length of the bar can be used for load carrying.

The usable roof bar length will depend on the width between the flush rails for specific vehicles. We will provide information about precise measurements for specific vehicles as and when we get information from our own tests and from our customers. We realise that careful planning may be difficult without this detailed information.

This is a modular system, consisting of

• a Foot Pack 7205 - four feet which are clamped onto the flush mounted roof rails via a vehicle-specific Adapter Kit
• two Bars, supplied as two single units because many cars are significantly wider at the front than the back, so the rear bar is usually shorter than the front bar
• a vehicle specific Adapter Kit to join the whole assembly to the roof

All these items have been pre-ticked in the list below.

Foot Pack: The Edge 7205 Foot Pack may only be used on vehicles which use Thule's 5000 series 'clamp-on' adapter kits. It has a maximum load limit of 75kg, so this is the load limit for the whole system. Some vehicles have a lower roof-loading limit than this, so it's always important to check your vehicle handbook, and to think about the weight of the roof bars - approximately 5.5kg for this whole 2 bar system - the weight of what you fix to them (e.g. bike carriers or a roof box) and the weight of what you are carrying.

Edge WingBars: These Edge WingBars may only be used with Thule Edge Foot Packs. They are 80mm wide by 32mm high, including the rubber strip which fits into the T-track channel that runs along the top of each bar. They're designed to reduce wind noise and drag, thanks to 'WindDiffuser' ridges in the rubber strip that's fitted to the front of the T-tracks, and the 'TrailEdge' shape of each bar's trailing edge.

Adapter Kit: The Adapter Kit contains the essential components required to fix the roof bars to the vehicle. It may well be specific to this vehicle; you can see how it fits by looking at the Fitting instructions tab. Note that the picture just shows a typical flush rails Adapter Kit, to give you an idea of what to expect.

Locks: One Key System locks are included. We have a free lock matching scheme for all your Thule gear which, as a customer, you may continue to use any time you want. This means that you can use the same key for most of your Thule products. In practice, only having one key for all roof mounted bike carriers is the most useful part of a 'one key system', a system which is offered by all the major brands we sell.

The Thule Edge is a good looking, smart system, but the downside for many of our customers is that these bars may not be long enough to carry what you want, so some careful planning should be done before purchase. They'll probably be OK if you just want to carry a roof box, or up to 3 bike carriers, but they're likely to be too short for a box and a bike carrier, or for 4 bike carriers.

This is because they are flush bars, sometimes called closed end bars, or OEM-style bars; only the bar length between the feet can be used for load carrying. If you need longer bars, to carry more, then please have a look at the Thule Evo WingBars which stick out beyond the roof bar feet, and the whole length of the bar can be used for load carrying.

The usable roof bar length will depend on the width between the flush rails for specific vehicles. We will provide information about precise measurements for specific vehicles as and when we get information from our own tests and from our customers. We realise that careful planning may be difficult without this detailed information.

This is a modular system, consisting of

• a Foot Pack 7205 - four feet which are clamped onto the flush mounted roof rails via a vehicle-specific Adapter Kit
• two Bars, supplied as two single units because many cars are significantly wider at the front than the back, so the rear bar is usually shorter than the front bar
• a vehicle specific Adapter Kit to join the whole assembly to the roof

All these items have been pre-ticked in the list below.

Foot Pack: The Edge 7205 Foot Pack may only be used on vehicles which use Thule's 5000 series 'clamp-on' adapter kits. It has a maximum load limit of 75kg, so this is the load limit for the whole system. Some vehicles have a lower roof-loading limit than this, so it's always important to check your vehicle handbook, and to think about the weight of the roof bars - approximately 5.5kg for this whole 2 bar system - the weight of what you fix to them (e.g. bike carriers or a roof box) and the weight of what you are carrying.

Edge WingBars: These Edge WingBars may only be used with Thule Edge Foot Packs. They are 80mm wide by 32mm high, including the rubber strip which fits into the T-track channel that runs along the top of each bar. They're designed to reduce wind noise and drag, thanks to 'WindDiffuser' ridges in the rubber strip that's fitted to the front of the T-tracks, and the 'TrailEdge' shape of each bar's trailing edge.

Adapter Kit: The Adapter Kit contains the essential components required to fix the roof bars to the vehicle. It may well be specific to this vehicle; you can see how it fits by looking at the Fitting instructions tab. Note that the picture just shows a typical flush rails Adapter Kit, to give you an idea of what to expect.

Locks: One Key System locks are included. We have a free lock matching scheme for all your Thule gear which, as a customer, you may continue to use any time you want. This means that you can use the same key for most of your Thule products. In practice, only having one key for all roof mounted bike carriers is the most useful part of a 'one key system', a system which is offered by all the major brands we sell.

This page is a Work in Progress.

Features include:

• The HD leg kit includes SmartFoot technology for easy installation and maximum vehicle fit compatibility
• Loading capacity of up to 100kg (always check your vehicle handbook and the Smartfoot fitting kit instructions, as the maximum roof load for your vehicle may be less than this)
• Attaches by clamping round the door frames (alternative fitting kits available for vehicles with other roof types)
• Incorporates a 20mm T-track channel allowing you to secure gear using T-track fittings
• Protective rubber load strip limits noise and protects your gear
• Tie-down point integrated into end cap for extra securing location
• SKS locks are included with the P3 legs

Dropracks, designed and developed in Trondheim by an enthusiastic team of Norwegian engineers, is the sort of truly innovative but also truly useful product that only very occasionally comes to market in the car racks sector. It's a brilliant piece of kit, a roof rack that's lowered, under complete control, from a vehicle roof to approximately waist height, leaving a horizontal loading platform.

Dropracks allows you to load the car roof at waist or chest height, with reduced strain on your back. It's much safer for you, and the car's bodywork, and sometimes it makes the almost impossible not only possible but easy!

We've seen a number of sliding and tilting racks and accessories, over the years, that hang off the roof at about 45° to make it easier to load kayaks, or ladders, but the angle makes them useless for loading bikes onto bike carriers, or loading a roof box, or loading or preparing a roof top tent. Dropracks is innovative in so many ways.

Typical uses

• Carrying kayaks: It's not just getting kayaks onto the roof of tall vehicles that's a challenge; strapping them down properly always takes longer than it should when access is difficult. Let Dropracks solve the whole problem!
• Carrying bikes: The difficulty depends on your height, strength, vehicle height, and the type of bike carrier; the effort is much greater if the bike carrier isn't close to the edge of the roof, in other words if you're carrying more than 2 bikes. Let Dropracks solve the whole problem!
• Roof tents: Getting them on and off the roof of any pickup, 4x4 or mid-sized van is hard work; you probably need a set of folding steps to pack them tightly, fix the travel clips, and replace the travel cover. Again, Dropracks not only makes it possible, but easy.
• Trades people use Dropracks for loading anything which won't easily fit inside the vehicle - safely, quickly, and easily.

How it works

After releasing the load lock catches and sliding the load away from the car roof, you use a crank system to lower the rack. An automatic brake, developed together with the Japanese company TOK, a world leader in rotary dampers and braking systems, will stop the load from moving unless the crank is being turned. When you are ready to move the load back to the roof, crank the handle again - there's a longer setting which provides more leverage, if required. As before, the failsafe braking system holds the load, wherever it is on its journey back to the roof. And, when the Dropracks has been slid back to the locked position, it's rock solid, no vibration at all. It really is the business!

Have a look at the video below, where Pål, the Engineering and Design Manager, shows you how it works. You surely cannot fail to be impressed!

The parts you need for a Dropracks system

There are two Dropracks versions, the Dropracks Regular (formerly called Dropracks Sport, shown on this page), and the Dropracks XL (which has a 150cm loading surface, an 80kg loading limit, and a lowering height of 80cm). The XL is most suitable for pickups and mid-sized vans, but may also be appropriate for larger 4x4s and SUVs. If you have a larger 4x4 or SUV (taller, wider) it's up to you to decide which size will be best for you; we'll provide more guidance as we gain experience of selling the product and getting customer feedback.

You need a system to join the Dropracks to the roof of your vehicle; the options are shown below - always a Thule option, sometimes also an Atera option. If you choose the Thule option, and an Adapter Kit is also listed, you'll always need to buy both the Foot Pack and the Adapter Kit.

You slide two feet into the full length slot on the bottom of each Dropracks main bar (two feet into the front main bar, two feet into the rear main bar) and connect these feet to your vehicle.

The Dropracks Regular - specifications

• Loading capacity: 75kg
• Product weight: 27kg
• Length (width across vehicle): 140cm
• Loading surface: 130cm
• Lowering distance: 70cm
• Standard distance between front and rear units, centre to centre: 85cm
• At 85cm the maximum distance from the front of the front bar to the rear of the rear bar is 103cm; each bar is 18cm wide

Dropracks are only suitable for vehicles which have a sufficient roof loading weight. They are also only suitable for vehicles with raised roof rails, flush mounted roof rails, T-track roof fittings, gutters, or fixpoint fittings. Vehicles with fixpoint centres that are more or less than 85cm will need adapted parts - options for these vehicles will be listed when available.

About Dropracks

Dropracks is a registered brand name, owned and developed by the Norwegian company HPG AS, a company that was formed by The Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. Dropracks has been tested and approved by the German TÜV SÜD, also by Volkswagen, and is manufactured by the German company Hettich, one of the world's largest manufacturers of sliding fittings and hinges (mostly used in furniture and kitchen fittings) with over 6,700 employees; they are precision manufacturers.

You need to order two components: (1) a pair of steel bars and (2) a vehicle specific fitting kit to join the bars to the roof. The CRUZ standard size 32mm x 22mm plastic-covered rustproofed steel bars and the fitting kit have been pre-ticked in the list below.

Locks are available as an accessory; they are also very well priced.

All CRUZ roof bar systems are fully TÜV approved and have a 2 year guarantee.

Please note that CRUZ adapter kits will only work with CRUZ roof bars.

Cruzber is Spain’s largest roof bar and roof rack manufacturer, founded in 1963. It sells most of its products under the CRUZ brand label, operating from over 50,000 square feet of modern premises and using state of the art manufacturing machinery. Cruzber is highly regarded in the European market in particular and is also Thule's Spanish distributor. We have no doubt that CRUZ branded roof bars are the best made and overall best value in the mid market.

You need to order two components: (1) a pair of aluminium bars and (2) a vehicle specific fitting kit to join the bars to the roof. The CRUZ standard length Airo aluminium bars, and the fitting kit, have been pre-ticked in the list below.

So far as we are aware, the CRUZ Airo low noise, low drag aerofoil-shaped aluminium bars are the only low noise bars available in this price range. Aerofoil shaped roof bars were developed by Whispbar and are now also used by Thule, increasingly by Atera, and now also by CRUZ! The reduced drag means that fuel consumption will also be lower. Features:

• 80mm wide x 28mm deep
• The T-track adapters used in the slots in the tops of the bars are the standard 20mm x 20mm ones - all the products we sell use this size
• There are black rubber strips to push back into the T-track slots when there's nothing fitted to them
• These fully anodized bars even have aluminium coloured rubber infill for the slot in the bottom of the bar - a really nice touch!

Locks are available as an accessory and are listed below; they are also very well priced.

All CRUZ roof bar systems are fully TÜV approved and have a 2 year guarantee.

Please note that CRUZ adapter kits will only work with CRUZ roof bars.

Cruzber is Spain’s largest roof bar and roof rack manufacturer, founded in 1963. It sells most of its products under the CRUZ brand label, operating from over 50,000 square feet of modern premises and using state of the art manufacturing machinery. Cruzber is highly regarded in the European market in particular. We have no doubt that CRUZ branded roof bars are the best made and overall best value in the mid market.

You need to order two components: (1) a pair of aluminium bars and (2) a vehicle specific fitting kit to join the bars to the roof. The CRUZ standard length Airo aluminium bars, and the fitting kit, have been pre-ticked in the list below.

So far as we are aware, the CRUZ Airo low noise, low drag aerofoil-shaped aluminium bars are the only low noise bars available in this price range. Aerofoil shaped roof bars were developed by Whispbar and are now also used by Thule, increasingly by Atera, and now also by CRUZ! The reduced drag means that fuel consumption will also be lower. Features:

• 80mm wide x 28mm deep
• The T-track adapters used in the slots in the tops of the bars are the standard 20mm x 20mm ones - all the products we sell use this size
• There are black rubber strips to push back into the T-track slots when there's nothing fitted to them
• These fully anodized bars even have aluminium coloured rubber infill for the slot in the bottom of the bar - a really nice touch!

Locks are available as an accessory and are listed below; they are also very well priced.

All CRUZ roof bar systems are fully TÜV approved and have a 2 year guarantee.

Please note that CRUZ adapter kits will only work with CRUZ roof bars.

Cruzber is Spain’s largest roof bar and roof rack manufacturer, founded in 1963. It sells most of its products under the CRUZ brand label, operating from over 50,000 square feet of modern premises and using state of the art manufacturing machinery. Cruzber is highly regarded in the European market in particular. We have no doubt that CRUZ branded roof bars are the best made and overall best value in the mid market.

The aim of this note is to persuade you that kayaks should always be tied to the carrying vehicle at both bow and stern.

Untied kayaks have, in our experience, the greatest potential for a roof bar or kayak carrier failure. The massive forces that untied kayaks can generate have even been known to snap roof bar fixing bolts with the result that a complete assembly of roof bars and kayaks has ended up on the road. We know that this has happened with almost every brand of roof bar, and regardless of whether the kayaks are on a special carrier or just strapped to the bars.

You need to fix bow and stern lines, probably using the front and rear screw-in towing eyes to get strong and accessible fixing points on the vehicle. Kayak shops should be able to provide suitable 'paracord' for this purpose. Alternatively, we have sets of straps available that are perfect for the job and are really easy to use. Yakima make some excellent Bow/Stern tie down straps and Thule makes the QuickDraw 838 which we have listed together with every kayak carrier we sell.

Please note that kayaks should be strapped to the roof bars, or to kayak carriers, using straps that are suitable for the purpose, e.g. 25mm polypropylene straps with strong buckles. Bungee cords must never be used.

Please also note that all roof bar instructions point out the dangers of carrying unsecured long items, as of course do all kayak carrier instructions.

If you tie down your kayaks properly you almost certainly won't experience a product failure. If you don't you may or may not get away with it. If there is a disaster and the kayaks end up on the road, separated from the vehicle, then you were not using tie downs and you have subjected the roof bars to forces for which they were not designed. The costs of sorting this out are yours, not ours, and you may also have difficulties with your insurers.

We're sorry to be so firm about this, but "things coming off the tops of cars" is the stuff of nightmares, and we want to do all we can to prevent accidents of this sort from happening.

Delivery charges and arrangements:

We charge a contribution towards delivery costs, depending on what you order, where you live, and how quickly you want the goods.

These are our standard charges; there are usually surcharges for all offshore destinations and some remote postcodes - for details please see our delivery information page.

Delivery of other items

Delivery times

Delivery times are calculated in working days (Monday to Friday, excluding Bank holidays).

Cut-off times for Express Delivery orders
Express Delivery orders placed before before the cut-off times shown below will usually be desptached on the date of order. Express Delivery orders placed after these cut-off times will be despatched the next working day.

Delivery FAQs

When will my order arrive?
There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays, except for postable items where Royal Mail has a Saturday delivery. Express Delivery orders placed on a Friday (before 1pm) should be delivered on the Monday or Tuesday, Express Delivery orders placed on a Saturday or Sunday should be delivered on the Tuesday or Wednesday. The arrangements for Very Heavy Items are different and are shown above.

What about Next Working Day delivery?
Most Express delivery orders will arrive on the next working day, if the order is placed before the cut-off time (see above). Some will arrive on the second working day if there has been a "split-delivery". So-called “split deliveries” happen when the couriers do not have enough trailer space for everything that should be moved around the UK, so they will load what they can and leave the rest for the next trailer.

Is my delivery day guaranteed?
No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. As well as split deliveries, all courier companies occasionally have the same transport problems as can happen to everyone else, including snow blocked roads, closed roads, traffic jams, mechanical breakdown, an inability to find the delivery address, or to gain access to it if, for example, it's in a block of flats. We work with some of the best couriers in the business, and overall they provide an outstanding service.

Do I need to be at home?
We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver to an address which suits you – this does not need to be your home address. Goods can usually be left without signature - we prefer this with roof boxes. There's a "Special Delivery Instructions" box in the checkout area where we'll ask you to choose a typical instruction and then amend it to suit your particular requirements.

Payment options:

We take the following cards, and also PayPal. Please note that the entry on your card statement will be from "The Roof Box Company".

Secure payments

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Roof Tents should NOT be fitted to vehicles with clamp-mount roof bars

Roof top tents are becoming increasingly popular, but we advise they should not be carried on vehicles that use clamp-mount roof bars. There is too much risk of damage to the roof, which would also be a massive safety issue because the roof bar clamps would not work correctly.

Clamp-mount roof bars

If you are reading these notes then your vehicle has a plain roof and uses clamp-mount roof bars.

Our advice is that plain roof vehicles are not suitable for carrying roof top tents; we only recommend fitting roof tents to vehicles with roof rails, fix points, T-tracks or gutters, because here the roof bars and the roof load sit on the roof welds, where the sides of the vehicle are welded to the roof part; these are strong points. Clamp-mount systems for modern cars often sit outside these roof welds, on the ordinary unreinforced roof steel towards the edges of the vehicle roof.

The danger is that a plain roof may well not be strong enough to cope with the static weight of a roof tent and the occupants. This weight can cause the roof bar feet to make dents in the roof, which not only damages the vehicle but means that the clamping plates can no longer work as designed, so the safety of the whole roof bar system is compromised.

The weight of a tent can easily be 65kg (hard top tents can be over 75kg) plus roof bars at 8kg and two adults at let’s say 90kg each, that’s a total 253kg, well over 3 times the typical 75kg dynamic loading limit. If there are three occupants at let’s say 80kg each then we get to 313kg.

We supply tents made by Thule and by Yakima, respectively the world’s biggest and second biggest car rack manufacturers. Their tent instructions state that clamp-mount roof bars are not suitable for plain roof bars - ‘DO NOT use’. These brands would not turn away business if this matter is not important.

Thule's guidelines or instructions should be available via the Fitting instructions and videos tab.

We realise that this advice is confusing because these specific instructions are part of Thule’s and Yakima’s roof tent instructions, but are not included in their roof bar fitting instructions. We also supply CRUZ and Atera roof bars; again, no mention is made of roof tents in their roof bar instructions.

It is the roof bar feet that can make dents in vehicle roofs, even though it is a roof tent plus human(s) that caused the overloading; where we have supplied the roof bars, customers may look to us for repairs to their vehicles. The safety implications are a much bigger worry for us than the vehicle damage implications, which is why the safe option is to advise that no roof tents should be fitted to clamp-mount roof bars – all roof tents are very heavy, and many or indeed most of them are heavier than Thule or Yakima tents.

We can only advise you; we can’t stop you from carrying inappropriate loads. But if you do purchase clamp-mount roof bars from us, and use them for carrying roof tents, even where you have informed us that you wish to carry a tent, it is reasonable that we will accept no liability for damage to the vehicle, to the roof tent, or to third parties. If in doubt, we suggest that you obtain a written statement from the roof tent supplier to the effect that their tent may be carried on clamp-mount roof bars; this should provide you with some ‘cover’ in the event of any need for a claim.

Roof top platforms

Full size platforms such as the Thule Caprock and the Yakima LockNLoad platform should also not be used on clamp-mount roof bars; they tend to be heavily loaded, and to be walked on.