Hi all, my first post. I've been a lurker for about a year since I decided to get an A4 Avant. That turned into the Allroad, and I couldn't be happier with the car. It seems the Allroad section is more geared toward the "classic" allroad crowd, so I am posting here. Now to my question...

Since the car is so new, there is not a lot of information out there on racks. I'm very interested in the low profile Yakima Whispbar or the Thule AeroBlade. I think the Whispbar would be ideal, but since it just clamps onto the side rails, I'm afraid it might be TOO low. I plan on using the rack for cargo box (not a problem), bikes (not sure if attachments would inconveniently interfere), and snowboard/skis (very possibly interfere without lifts). Any low profile rack users have experience with these attachments, 2013 allroad owners especially? I know they will all technically work, but I am more interested in knowing if they become so inconvenient or potentially damaging to the roof area that they are a pain to use.

Great community of enthusiasts here. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

OK. Looks like not a lot of info out there. I have whispbars on backorder. I will report when I receive them.

 

Whispbars are awesome. They're the way to go.

 

I just received the Whispbar S53 ( per yakima fit guide ) unfortunately at max width, both the front and read bar are not long enough to span between the raised roof rails at the recommended mounting points. The front is close the rear is a total miss.

Sent a note off to Yakima support lets see if they recommend a larger size as I would like to stick with this solution.

 

That's funny (not really). I just discovered that two days ago, and I was just about to post that. With some research on the sizes, it looks like the S54 will fit the allroad. It's very disappointing considering that I waited 6 weeks to get my S53's delivered. I wasn't backing out of my promise to report, it actually took this long to get my rack!

However, I came across a bigger problem with the Railbar. The sunroof does not open without making contact with the bar. While that is OK if you plan on taking your rack off with each use (less than 5 minute job), I don't feel comfortable risking it if I forgot for some reason. There is also very little clearance between the bar and the roof. I don't want to risk scratching the sweet roof either with gear hanging off the basket or while mounting an attachment.

So I ordered the Flushbar S5. Although it is not listed on the Yakima fit guide (which doesn't seem to be very accurate anyway), all indications are that it should fit since it has the same base as the T16 Through. I will report on how that works when I receive that in a week. It requires the K328 fit kit for the raised bar. I happen to already have it because the Yakima fit guide said I needed it with the Railbar 6 weeks ago. I didn't get around to returning it because I thought I might need it for an alternate Whispbar rack if the Railbar didn't work out.

The Flushbar is not as ideal as the sleek looking or aerodynamic as the Railbar, but it will sit a couple inches higher. I'm not thrilled by the look of the posts, but it will be more practical for me. I was initially concerned that it would sit just as high as it does on the B8 Avant rails, but with the raised rails on the allroad, it actually uses a different fit kit that straddles the rail as opposed to mounting on top of it. This is all theory until I get the racks so we'll see.

 

I too was disappointed after the long backorder time. I was about to pull the trigger on the S54 and decided to check this post one more time. Thanks for the info on the sunroof.

Prior to the Whispbar S53, I had tried the Thule support recommended Thule ARB43 Aeroblade and 450R Rapid Crossroad. Ironically the ARB43 was also not wide enough for the new Allroad.

On the fence about what to do next - the S54 had the look I wanted. Hopefully all works out well with the railbar.

 

Hello,

I put on the yakima round bars. They guy at REI said that the whispbars actually mad more noise than the round bars. Once I put on the windfaring, almost all of the noise is gone. With just the rack on, I can open my roof, but once I put on raptor bike mount, I cant. The screws that hold the bike rack to the bar are about 1 mm too. It'll open, but it will scratch so I'm going to run to home depot and fix it up. See the pics of my mounting.

 

Your rack setup looks sweet. Definitely a different look than the whispbars. I considered round bars as well. However the guy at REI cannot be correct about the noise. Just intuitively, the shape has to cut down on noise and drag. The whispbars have downsides for sure but I don't think I believe they make more noise. I have heard people often put them on backwards which makes them very loud. It is hit or miss with retail sales guys (internet opinions as well), but I'll let you know how the whispbars sound when they arrive. I just went with basic scientific principles over people's opinions on this one.

Thanks for the info, especially on the height. I don't plan on driving longterm with rack attachments, but it could happen. Thats what ruled out the railbars that look the best IMO. I'm curious how all of the attachments will fit with the flush option

 

The saga continues... The first S5 flushbar I received was missing keys and manual. They sent me a second one and I discovered it is too short. The S6 should fit but out of stock at all REI's. I don't have to buy there but I'm still rolling over a 20% coupon from my initial order 2 months ago!

This experience has given me further insight on pros and cons of different racks. The Thule Aeroblade is growing on me because the mount seems more aerodynamic and the attach points use more metal. The Whispbar has the advantage of the t slot cover. If you plan on using the t slot direct attachments like I do, it is huge to just slide the attachments in without covering or cutting the rubber cover like on the Aeroblade. This is a bigger deal to me since I don't know how loud either mounts are. The apparent more secure attachment on the Thule is just that, apparent and not a hard evidence fact.

Since the S6 is out of stock, I will have yet more time to think about options. I am working on my 4th rack since I embarked on this 2 months ago and as always will report how it goes.

 

I feel your pain.

Per advice from Thule support I ordered:

Thule 450R Rapid Cross Road
Thule Aeroblade ARB47

Unfortunately these were not wide enough for the front. It was close but not quite wide enough to close the caps on the side of the aeroblades.

I have since found measurements that the max width for this combo is 40 3/4 inches. I measured 40 7/8 inches between the raised rails on the front mounting point on my car.

It did fit on the rear so I got a sense for how it would look. Not as nice as the Whispbars, but still looked good.

I am contemplating getting the ARB53 and cutting them down if they are too wide, but have not pulled the trigger...