jlydell

I'm planning a big road trip this summer, and it will be a full car. We have three kids, and for sanity's sake we will probably use the 3rd row for one of them, which is going to cut down on our storage space.

With all our stuff, we are going to need extra storage space. I've looked at Audi's accessories and tried comparing them to 3rd party solutions and I have a few questions.

• Are Thule brand boxes generally better than the Audi accessories? They seem to be a little more expensive for roof racks, and a little cheaper for the box itself when comparing the same size.
• Can the Audi roof bars be used with any 3rd party boxes? They seem to be a better price.
• Are there other third-party brands I should be looking at?
• Is one brand better from a build quality or wind noise PoV?
• Is there a retailer known for having the best prices on roof accessories?

I'm located in the west-coast of Canada, but can easily get to the US if there are good options close to the border.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

SFBayQ7

I recommend the Thule Aeroblades. They look great and should be quieter (but certainly not silent). I'll try to post a photo later. I purchased the following from e-trailer. They were the best price (with open box specials too) and very knowledgeable and helpful. Here was my order including mounts for my Tesla, etc.:
1 Thule Aeroblade Load Bars - Aluminum - 53" - Qty 2 1 0
1 Thule Rapid Podium Foot Pack 1 0
1 Thule Fit Kit For Podium Style Foot Pack #3145 1 0
1 Thule Roof Rack Fit Kit For Podium Style Foot Pack - 3153 1 0
1 One-key System Lock Cylinders - Qty 6 1 0

PeteDin206

Aeroblade rack and what Thule box meets your capacity needs. I went with the flow box because I'm only using it in the winter for snowboarding.

lapi

I have AeroBlade with THULE HYPER XL 612, exactly like the one in this video.


Looks great!

SFBayQ7

Hello here is a little more detail about my experience.

I did a little research a purchase the Thule Aero bars as racks. I am very happy with them and they look great. However, even though they are touted as low wind noise, they did increase wind noise noticeably which I'm disappointed about. However, they are still probably quieter than standard bars. I think it is just that the Q7 is so quiet and aerodynamic that you will easily notice wind noise from roof racks. E-trailer gave me the best deal as well as some open box specials. Here is my purchase mixed in with mounts for my Tesla. I mounted an old Thule roof box on top that fit just right. I will add photos in a subsequent message. The aero blades are limited to about 175 lbs so if you need more capacity you may need to look at something else. However, the weak link maybe also be the small bolts that attach to the car which will be the same on all racks.

SFBayQ7

Here are some photos of:

Thule Aeroblade Load Bars - Aluminum - 53"

erwheezy

Those look different from the Thule bars I was looking at. I'm looking at the aeroblade edge which is similar to the white q7 pictured in the thread. I wonder if it will have less noise since the bar edges aren't exposed.

SFBayQ7

Not sure about that but if you ever need to tie things onto the rack it is pretty tough not having the ends of the rails sticking out.

erwheezy

Wouldn't be looking to tie anything down. Need the bars for my cargo box.

PeteDin206

Yeah I meant the Aeroblade Edge. That is what I have on my car. Installed them today because my wife wanted the boxes out of a spare bedroom. Drove around for 45 minutes and only noticed a faint whistle at some speeds. I'm not sure what everyone is saying that they are noisy as I could barely tell the difference, even at highway speeds. Didn't put the box (Thule Flow) on today but I may test that out next weekend.