Is a 90" Thule cargo box too long for the AR?
 

Hello All,

Haven't posted in a while. I have an opportunity to pickup a Thule cargo box second hand and I am wondering if at 90" length it may be too long. I measured on my car and it seems it would be about 8" forward of the top of the windshield. It may be a bit less if the back is tapered and can go a bit beyond the antenna.

I don't know the model name but it's 90"x24"x12" and is a year and a half old according to the seller. It seems to be the Atlantis 1200's predecessor accept it's 82" long. This would really come in handy for a camping trip next week.

I have the Atlantis 1800 which is 84" long.I don't think I would go longer than that.

I have a Yakima box that's 89" & it's perfect. 90" would be just fine. Depending on the width of the box your antenna may have to be removed when the box is on, unless you have a shark fin or stubby.

That's a good point. I have two bike carriers and I was going to put the box in the middle and the bikes on either side, but since it's 24" wide it can go on the side and clear the antenna and the bikes can go on the other side. I'd only have it on for trips so I think it should be ok. I hope it's still available.

I will take a look at what Thule's recomendation is in terms of how far it should protrude on the front. I'm just concerned about the wind getting below it. I'm not sure if enough force can be generated to rip the box off at highway speeds.

I use a sunroof deflector and it makes a huge difference

Interesting, I would have thought one of those fairing deals would work better. The deflector would be useful even when the box is off though. I will keep it in mind.


The Tule installation PDF is not clear but it looks like the front of the box can come as far forward as the base of the windshield or part of the front whee. Allthough it does say it should be as far back as possible. For occasional use it should be ok then. Thanks.

I have the Yakima Sky-Box 12 IIRC, and have had it up to 80 mph passing cars with no troubles. It overhangs the front of the windshield just barely. If I look out the window I can't see it. And it doesn't hang so far out the back as to make contact with the rear hatch when fully up.

I'm pretty sure Thule recommends NOT using a fairing when you have a box mounted. I have the Atlantis 1800 that fits the car very well, athough the antenna would be a problem if I didn't have the sharkfin. I haven't had any problems with stability even at 90+...athough mpg suffers greatly. I only use my fairing in summer mode with bike racks...

I didn't end up getting it. It turned out to be a mountineer 91"x28"x16.5 model with the old make shift mounting hardware. I want the new quick grip h/w. I can't believe Thule sold such primitive mounting equipment as recently as last year. When I called a shop to find out the difference between it and the new models I was told the new ones are more rigid, aero dynamic and make less noise. Well, those brackets must whistle like crazy.

I think I'm going to pick up an Atlantis 1200. It's a perfect size to fit with two bikes and just the right length. Thanks for all your advice.

I picked up a Yakima Skybox 21 today from craigslist. I couldn't believe it but I managed to fit it nicely with one bike rack on either side. Once the bike is removed I get easy access to the box. It only hangs over the top of the windshield by a couple of inches with the tail just touching the antenna. At 21 cubic feet volume it's probably close to the ar's trunk space if not more. I'm really looking forward to using it on my trip on Saturday.