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anyone here uses the Thule vector box?
Been debating about it
If you don't mind a slightly (ok, not slightly) more involved installation, and not being able to remove it easily, the skiguard 'touring' has it beat by a mile.
I have the 830 touring and just installed it on my new-to-me 2014 CD. Fit it great, the box is fiberglass and bomber, and the 'tunnel' design where the rails run through the box means there is zero chance of it ever coming off (and it sits a bit lower as a result - which matters if you ever use city garages...).
I never take the box off my car so it works great for me. If you like to only put the box on when you need it, not a good choice.
I recently bought a 2011 958 Turbo, and one of the few options missing on the one I got was the factory-fitted roof rails. So, as I do a little bit of grade 4 whitewater kayaking, I knew I'd have to get a decent set of roof bars to suit my needs. The Thule Wingbar Evo with the 958-specific foot pack appeared to be the correct ones to have, so I purchased, and I have installed. No issues with the panoramic roof fouling on these bars at least. The kits I got were the Thule Wingbar Evo 135 black bars (pair of in the box), Thule Clamp Evo kit (four pieces in the kit), and the 958 rail-free specific foot Kit 145147. Under 300CHF for me which I was really surprised about. I can't fit a roof box as the parking garage for the apartment has a 2.05m height limit (6' 8 1/2") but I have to think about the kayaks.
One thing I see from the pics above, is that some of you have mounted the non-factory bars much further apart than the Thule specifications state. It's 400mm from the top of the windscreen to the front of the front bar's foot, and 700mm back from that point to the front of the rear bar's foot. That is definitely forward of the rear point on the top of the rear door. Those that already have the factory rails (or have managed to retrofit the factory rails, something I'm looking at if ever a rooflining has to be taken out) definitely have more scope for location choices.
It may be appropriate to measure and move as appropriate, as it would affect an insurance claim if something happened.
Last edited by cathalferris; 11-01-2021 at 06:07 PM.
One thing I see from the pics above, is that some of you have mounted the non-factory bars much further apart than the Thule specifications state.
Porsche makes it easy to locate the cross bars in the correct location. There's a small indent on the inboard side of the rail at each location, fore and aft. Mount the cross bar directly over this indent and you're good to go.
I *believe* that one or more of the safety systems senses the presence of the load on the roof and adjusts accordingly.
In my case, I found that the low Thule Aero bar edge feet interfere with the sliding back of the pano roof and moved the *front* bar forward a couple of inches. I haven't checked to see if that makes a difference...and I'm not worried about heavy loads. One kayak or one or two bikes is about all that setup will take...or maybe a couple of 4x8 sheets of plywood. I'm building garage cabinets and will have them ripped down to width at Lowes.
If I fill the roof box, it will probably be on the Q7 anyway, or I'll use a separate set of slightly higher mounting Thule bars/feet.
Porsche makes it easy to locate the cross bars in the correct location. There's a small indent on the inboard side of the rail at each location, fore and aft. Mount the cross bar directly over this indent and you're good to go.
I *believe* that one or more of the safety systems senses the presence of the load on the roof and adjusts accordingly.
In my case, I found that the low Thule Aero bar edge feet interfere with the sliding back of the pano roof and moved the *front* bar forward a couple of inches. I haven't checked to see if that makes a difference...and I'm not worried about heavy loads. One kayak or one or two bikes is about all that setup will take...or maybe a couple of 4x8 sheets of plywood. I'm building garage cabinets and will have them ripped down to width at Lowes.
If I fill the roof box, it will probably be on the Q7 anyway, or I'll use a separate set of slightly higher mounting Thule bars/feet.
Thanks for the response. The Q7 also had little indents on the factory rails to point out where the crossbars would go, and that's a lovely little easter-egg that isn't obvious unless you know it. I don't see how any of the safety systems could know specifically about a raised CoG due to roofload, but it would work as if there were more heavy people in the car as those would also raise the CoG.
I was noting that there are those *without* the factory-fitted rails with the specific Thule 958 kit for cars without rails, with the feet in the incorrect positions of being much too far apart - cf. MrBoom's white 958 with the >30yo fibreglass roofbox. I would be incredibly wary of going outside the spec for roof loading.
Maybe I have been lucky with the footpack I have as I had zero interference between roof and feet when trying it out. I must verify exactly how much space I *do* have between the feet or bar, and the lip of the glass, as I know the bit behind the cockpit on one of my kayaks will sit slightly below the bar when strapped in the appropriate position for that boat (cockpit down and tail forwards)
My instructions for the Thule kits state max speed of 130kph and a max total roof load of 75 kg, means it's three normal WW kayaks at most (~65kg) and that's generally one more boat than than I'd be usually carrying anyway. Plus, if I have kayaks on the roof I won't be trying for 200+kph on the autobahns if only to keep fuel economy somewhat sane...
I was noting that there are those *without* the factory-fitted rails with the specific Thule 958 kit for cars without rails, with the feet in the incorrect positions of being much too far apart - cf. MrBoom's white 958 with the >30yo fibreglass roofbox. I would be incredibly wary of going outside the spec for roof loading.
Agreed. I would *guess* that there may be something more than just sheetmetal in the prescribed locations.
Maybe I have been lucky with the footpack I have as I had zero interference between roof and feet when trying it out. I must verify exactly how much space I *do* have between the feet or bar, and the lip of the glass, as I know the bit behind the cockpit on one of my kayaks will sit slightly below the bar when strapped in the appropriate position for that boat (cockpit down and tail forwards)
Upside down? I find it much easier to load kayaks when they're right side up, and generally, that's how I see them. Canoes, no, but kayaks, right side up. I'll meet you over at paddling.com to discuss further.
That's what I like about the Thule aero bars...the t-tracks...all the (bike, kayak, ski) mounts are fully above the bars, so there's no clearance issues, no ***** hanging down, etc...
Side note, if you don't use the box regularly. it helps to put a mark on the center of the rails, or on the bracket points, to aid lining it up in the future.
I don't keep the box or rails on the roof of my 17 GTS. A strip of tape on the center of the rails helps me line up the box. Do this once the cross-members are installed, as there's some side-to-side adjustability. Measure while the cross-members are installed on the roof. That and the front and back cross-members are different lengths. Longer front, shorter rear.
Yes, the factory setup has little nubs on the inside of the clamping bracket. But, honestly, it's a bit if a hassle trying to get those bumps lined up. One sheared off completely. I've resorted to having made a mark with a Sharpie on the inside of the roof side rails to note when it's in position. Not elegant, but it works.
It's not pretty, but this inexpensive Thule SideKick has served us well for many trips. Including a stop at Rennline in Vermont.
Last edited by wkearney99; 11-05-2021 at 10:19 AM.
10-21-2021, 06:55 PM
