Anyone knows of an alternative to buying the 450$ (+ taxes!) roof rack from the dealer? Thule doesn't have one that fits... The one for audi is apparantly made by Mont Blanc but no one has it in stock so I can't confirm if it's really the same thing.

 

Looks like Yakima makes one.

 

Thanks for the info!

Anyone knows if the thule racks (square bars) can be adapted to fit on the yakima (round bars) ?

 

What do you mean? The bars themselves won't be interchangeable between the two brands, but there is compatibility between a lot of attachments (bikes, skis, etc.) Most of the newer Yakima and Thule attachments are made to fit round and square bars.

 

ah, I've got "old" attachments. I guess that's why they seem to fit only on square bars. Would you happen to know if the round yakima bars are quieter than the square thule? They are really loud on the highway once you're above 100km/h.

 

Before they started making inter-compatible attachments, both companies used to make adapters to make their older products work with the other company's load bars. You might check with Yakima to see if they still offer such a product. If not, maybe eBay?

When I used to sell roof racks, neither seemed quieter than the other. To reduce noise and increase aerodynamics, you can always add a fairing to the front. It's actually the attachments that make most of the noise anyhow. You probably already know this, but you really aren't supposed to drive faster than 100 km/h with an aftermarket roof rack installed.

Personally I wouldn't leave the rack on the roof except when you plan to haul your bikes or whatever else around. It's noisy, creates extra drag and is sitting on your roof and in your door frame all of the time. Granted the fit has gotten better and better, it still puts unnecessary pressure on your door trim and paint.

 

I only left the one om my other car (subaru impreza wagon that has the rails) so it wasn't damaging the paint. Only the bars were left and they were LOUD! I couldn't leave it on this car, it's only to carry a roof cargo box for extended trips and bikes at some point when the kids are older.

As for that 100km/h, why is that? Does anyone really follow that rule?

Proper fit on the door frame and paint is one of the reason I *may* go with the OEM rack.. I'll be sure that it fits like a "glove".

 

The "OEM" racks fit well, but not any better than that Thule or Yakima and they always seem to cost a lot more. Thule and Yakima have always based they roof rack designs on the shape of the roof and doors of individual cars. As you already know, the "OEM" rack isn't made by Audi anyhow.

The tolerances to which roof racks and their attachments are built are all based around the speed limits. Going faster than 100 km/h creates more wind and drag and therefore pressure and stress on the rack, it's attachments and your vehicle. (Not to mention decreasing your gas mileage significantly.) I'm sure plenty of people have driven faster than 100 km/h and had no problems, but I've seen roof rack systems that have ripped off of vehicles due to wind and driving too fast. For the extra noise and stress it puts on the system, the extra drag and reduced gas mileage you will get, it's just not worth it in my opinion to drive faster to save a few minutes.

It's not I don't like to drive fast, just not with a roof rack on the vehicle.

 

Time for an update..

Thule still doesn't have anything and my local thule / yakima rack told me that if I care about the paint on the car that I should avoid yakima so I bought the audi rack today.

It's noisy on the highway and gets annoying at 125 but nowhere near as worse as the thule bars. The bars fit great and seem really sturdy, way better than the thule I had on my impreza with the factory rack.


As for the 100km/h, does it mean that in europe (france for example), when you've got the audi rack you still have to drive 100km/h when the speed limit on the highway is 130?

 

How's the roof rack working out? What attachments did you end up going with? Audi/VW as well?

The 100 km/h thing is likely just to cover their butts for liability's sake, but it makes sense wherever you are.