Thule Aeroblade length

[brick]

Hi - I am wondering if anyone out has used Thule's new crossbars and what length you've used.

I have been using 58" Thule square profile crossbars for carrying cargo box, kayaks, etc. I needed the bars to past the rails for when I have a lot going on the top, but felt 58" was a little longer than I needed. The square bars/feet recently got damaged, so I need to purchase new crossbars & feet, and I'm looking at the Aeroblades.

I'm debating between 53" and 60" Aeroblade bars. 53" is the recommended length, and looking at the stock pictures, they seem long enough to go past the rails, but might be on the short side for me. Has anyone used 60" length and/or got a pic to post? Does it make it look ridiculous due to length? 53" seem on the short side, 60" seems too long, and with probably more damange to the mpg.

TIA.

[sjonnie]

Does it make it look ridiculous due to length? 53" seem on the short side, 60" seems too long, and with probably more damange to the mpg.
76" Yakima bars reinforced with electrical conduit [thumbup] Just watch your head when you get out! Length of bars isn't going to do anything to mpg. Get the bar length that fits your load best, 60" isn't going to be an issue.

4296

[brick]

76! I bet that makes 60" look like a child's play. :eek:

I always left the bars up there even with no attachments for boats, and when I took the bars down I started getting over 30mpg on the highway. With the bars left on, I don't think I got 25mpg. Not a scientific experiment, but now I'm getting more conscious of the gas mileage. A few inches probably doesn't make that much difference.

Another question (Thule specific) - I have an Evolution 1800 cargo box from several years ago. Does anyone know if the U-bolt that was used for the box can be used on the Aeroblade? - spacing of the U-bolt vs. the width of the Aeroblade bar, and also whether it will clamp down securely. It looks like if the Aeroblade is wrapped around with some type of rubber kit, it would work. Because if not... I'm looking at buying another box, don't want to go back to the square bars.

[bbbuzzy]

I think it's very unlikely that the drag produced by the cross-sectional area of the bars and feet could cause a 5 MPG loss. Imagine what the predicted loss would be when you add a cargo box, canoe, or bike. If you already use 58" square blades and are happy, going to 60" in the lower profile Aeroblades aren't likely to change your cars gas mileage. My vote is for the 60" set.

[Art]

Hi brick,

I recently inquired about the new Aeroblades and was told that the U-bolts on my Evo 1600 cargo box would accommodate these new load bars. I knew for a fact that the bolts did fit the 1st gen aero bars. Also, check to make sure that all of your original rack accessories are compatible with the aero bars. The rubber strip on top can be removed and t-bolt adapters inserted to attach accessories to.

If it were me, I would likely get the longer set of bars if you tend to haul multiple toys. Along with a pair of square 48’s I also have an older a set of 58’s that I use for situations such as when car topping my Evo box, a seakayak and a Greenland paddle tube. When not in use I simply remove the load bars.

[brick]

I ended up getting 60" Aeroblades and they 'just' fit - some retailers will say you cannot use anything other than 53", but 60" did fit mine - MY 2005. The only way I could be sure was to slide the feet under the blades and rest them on the rails to see if they could be secured as intended by the design. If other models have same or more distance between the rails, 60" should fit just fine.

Unlike the square load bars, you are constrained by the notch underside of the blades. The notch from either side only goes so far toward the center of the blade so there is a limit as to how far you can slide the 450R 'feet'. If the root rails were a couple of inches closer together or the notches weren't as deep, the 60" blades would not have fit.

The wind noise is significantly reduced, or practically unnoticeable. With the radio off on the highway (60-65mph), I couldn't hear any high pitch whistle that some people were complaining about. At one point, I had to check to make sure that they were still up there because it was so much quieter compared to the noise I had with the square bars. Gas mileage difference was not measurable, but it was only based on one way commute on one day so far.

Length -
Evolution box - got a response from Thule customer service that the box attachment will not fit the blades, also by a fairly well known local 3rd party store. I guess I'll just have to try and see for myself this weekend.

Kayak carrier - Thule website and other on-line store websites do say that mine (Glide and Set) will fit both square and Aeroblades. I heard that bike carriers need additional fit kit.

I sure hope the box and Kayak carriers fit because this will get expensive otherwise!

[Art]

Length -
Evolution box - got a response from Thule customer service that the box attachment will not fit the blades, also by a fairly well known local 3rd party store. I guess I'll just have to try and see for myself this weekend.

Kayak carrier - Thule website and other on-line store websites do say that mine (Glide and Set) will fit both square and Aeroblades. I heard that bike carriers need additional fit kit.

I sure hope the box and Kayak carriers fit because this will get expensive otherwise!

The Evo U-bolts will definitely fit + some wiggle room to spare. Not absolutely certain about your saddles though but I would think they would too.