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      10-17-2020, 01:11 PM   #1
Saejin
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Roof Crossbars

I did a search and found some answers, but the one question I had wasn't very clear.

I'm thinking of getting either Thule Aeroblade or Yakima Railbar since they are low profile...need clearance for my garage.
Saw a pic posted of the Railbar and it looked great.

My question is can the sunroof be opened still with those bars and a roofbox on.
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      10-17-2020, 06:28 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Saejin View Post
I did a search and found some answers, but the one question I had wasn't very clear.

I'm thinking of getting either Thule Aeroblade or Yakima Railbar since they are low profile...need clearance for my garage.
Saw a pic posted of the Railbar and it looked great.

My question is can the sunroof be opened still with those bars and a roofbox on.
Our sunroof can still open with the OEM crossbars.
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      10-17-2020, 07:26 PM   #3
jsmonet
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the aeroblades give a little more clearance and they definitely don't impede the sunroof. an older thread on here mentioned the clearance being too close for comfort with the railbars
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      10-17-2020, 09:17 PM   #4
Saejin
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Thanks. Aero blades it is. Just need to find them now.
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      10-19-2020, 02:35 PM   #5
ryanpzlcc
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Saejin View Post
Thanks. Aero blades it is. Just need to find them now.
Were you able to find the aeroblades in stock somewhere? If so can you please share a link? thanks a lot!
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      10-19-2020, 04:47 PM   #6
malba2366
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Looks like the oem bmw ones are the cheapest option...is there a reason you guys don’t want those?



https://www.bmwpartswholesale.com/oe...4aAoBEEALw_wcB
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      10-19-2020, 09:27 PM   #7
Saejin
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Sits way too high. About 3in more added to height of vehicle when you add a topper. Some garages may not fit the X7 with a topper and OEM bars.
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      10-23-2020, 10:00 PM   #8
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Update with some assumptions...anyone who has this installed please chime in.

The decision for bars is between the below:
Aeroblade
- low profile, but looks to be higher than the railbar giving some clearance to the sunroof
- has wrap around strap that some may not like
- strap is pretty secure, but can weaken possible if you run these bars 365 days a year...could be cut as well

Railbar
- lowest flush mount bar
- does not require strap
- owner on here reports that it still allows the sunroof to be open, yet it does rub a bit
- looks to be the most secure as in even if you don't tighten it down 100% it's not moving

OEM
- most clearance
- hooks into the rails on the X7, so if you forget to tighten one foot down it could fly off, but highly unlikely

Now here's the unknown. When you run the two lower profile bars, you might get enough clearance to open the sunroof, but if you're going to run a Thule Motion XT box on top the mounting feet for that box is claw-like and hooks around and underneath the crossbars. Hard to explain, so YouTube links are below.

One shows the rooftop box on an X7, so not only do you get to see how it mounts, but also the size relative to an X7.

Second shows a MB GL with the aeroblades on and the sunroof open...clearance is tight.

So, you can run any of the bars, but if you want to run the low profile bars and an XT box, you can't even open the sunroof to vent...it will hit the mounting feet of the box and definitely scratch your glass as they are made of metal.



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      10-23-2020, 10:12 PM   #9
Saejin
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Since the sunroof opens up and back, there's no way for it to clear the mounting feet of the Thule motion box...but then again who really opens their sunroof fully open when running a box on top.
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      10-23-2020, 11:39 PM   #10
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the strap on the foot kit for the wingbar evo (sorry, that's what I actually have) is a metal cable wrapped in rubber. If you see it breaking through the rubber, scream at thule and make them replace it.

I'll throw mine back on this weekend after I wash the hippo again and grab a picture.
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      10-24-2020, 02:14 AM   #11
Saejin
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In case anyone is looking for the aero blades, REI has them in stock along with matching dividends this weekend if you're a co-op member.

https://www.rei.com/product/892316/t...sku=8923160001
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      10-25-2020, 07:11 AM   #12
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OEM crossbars for me, no problems for garage clearance and no worries about safety as they were specifically designed for the car.

As far as appearance goes, the low profile thing only matters in photographs. In actual use the car is so tall that no one can see the extra inch in height.
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      11-03-2020, 02:02 PM   #13
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Was about to pull the trigger on the thule aero bars and noticed this on their website. I also see people on here who say they have them no issues. Quite odd, anyone know the reason for the statement on their website?
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