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I saw different threads of various ages regarding roof rack options, and with Thule offering a great sale leading up to Memorial Day I took a leap on getting my rack and roof box finally (Saved near $500 versus MSRP on everything). I went with the Thule Wingbar Evo system for my factory raised rails over the more low profile Aeroblade Edge I'd had in my previous life as a BMW X5 owner. With how low profile the Aeroblade Edge system is, I've read that it can contact the panoramic roof when opened. Since the Wingbar Evo is taller, I figured it should resolve that issue. When installing however, I noticed the pedestals themselves still stick a tad over the panoramic glass so I worried they might be too close to the glass still when open. Not the case! I have about a pinky finger off room between the glass and lowest part of the pedestal, so that's great to me!
My second worry was noise, since I'm particularly sensitive to noises while driving--especially whistling on the highway like some racks can do. My Thule Aeroblade Edge did whistle on the highway on my X5 with the panoramic roof closed and sunshade open, which was an annoyance to me. But the X5 had a real internal sunshade that had enough substance to completely block out the whistling noise on the highway, so it was less of an issue that it could have been. Our Cayennes are stuck with the near translucent fabric shade which does near nothing in the realm of blocking out noise. To my pleasant surprise, I do not notice any additional noise on the highway so far. I'm guessing this has more to do with how far up from the roof they sit compared to the lower profile ones, but whatever the reason I'm all for it. Looks are subjective to everyone, but I like the look of them as well. I think the lower profile ones look great too, but the lack of noise and clearance make this the winning combination for me.
As another note, the default bar size that Thule selects for the 958 Cayennes is the 135cm (53in) set, but also read on another thread that you can step down one size but not two. I took that advice and went with the 127cm bars (50in) and I think they have the perfect amount of overhang for my taste. Some folks might need extra real estate beyond the pedestals so it's nice that you can go wider with this system, but for now I just need to carry the new Thule Motion XT L roof box which will sit entirely between the pedestals. Very happy with the purchases, and if any of y'all are also wanting Thule roof racks and accessories they're 20-25% off until Memorial Day. The sales prices seem to also be extended to all vendors so I got the box from REI locally and the rack system from Amazon, didn't even need to order through Thule. Pics of the rack system below, and eventually I'll mount the box and take some pictures of that as well. Hope this helps someone else!
Wow, the timing on this is great. I'm looking at the same setup on my 958.1 - though probably yakima since I already have some of their aero bars.
Could you please measure the height from the closed pano roof to the top of the bar? I have an extremely vertically challenged underground garage and I am wondering if I can get beneath the lowest spots with the rack in place.
Secondly, what bar width did you go with?
Thanks!
Wow, the timing on this is great. I'm looking at the same setup on my 958.1 - though probably yakima since I already have some of their aero bars.
Could you please measure the height from the closed pano roof to the top of the bar? I have an extremely vertically challenged underground garage and I am wondering if I can get beneath the lowest spots with the rack in place.
Secondly, what bar width did you go with?
Thanks!
To the top of the bar measures approx. 4.25 inches from the side of the closed panoramic glass and approximately 3.75 inches from the center of the panoramic glass. The roof bars are slightly less contoured than the Cayenne's roof it seems. My bars are the 127cm or 50 inch wide option.
Yakima bars might be on sale at REI for their Anniversary sale this week, could be worth a look!
Also adding to the post, I did get up to higher speeds and start to notice a little bit of added noise from the rack, but it is purely a white noise like wind noise and only noticeably present above 75-80mph without music on. Worth noting though that it has also been kind of windy the past couple of days which could also be adding to the noise. Zero whistling still, and only the slight white noise at higher speeds so I'm quite happy with it.
I have a couple of different sets of the aero bars, including the "Pro" bars, which have top and side channels for mounting. I think the Pros are about 14' wide. (Mostly bought them for use on my Sylvan Sport utility trailer...but they really are too wide!
Thanks @RhinoComp good details. Looks great on your Cayenne.
Garage in the basement of a 100 year old factory building. The ceiling height at a little under 7 feet was decent for a 1920's commercial basement in the 1920's but sprinklers needed to be added to the building sometime in the 1950s or 1960s and that dropped down certain spots to 73 inches.
Maybe I'll just get cut a 5 foot 2x3 or a 2x4 and rest it on top of the rails, measure and see if I hit anything. That should put me 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 inches above the rails which seems about the same as yours?
Thanks @RhinoComp good details. Looks great on your Cayenne.
Garage in the basement of a 100 year old factory building. The ceiling height at a little under 7 feet was decent for a 1920's commercial basement in the 1920's but sprinklers needed to be added to the building sometime in the 1950s or 1960s and that dropped down certain spots to 73 inches.
Maybe I'll just get cut a 5 foot 2x3 or a 2x4 and rest it on top of the rails, measure and see if I hit anything. That should put me 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 inches above the rails which seems about the same as yours?
Always loving an REI sale.
Even a 4x4 if you'd like some breathing room, that may actually be closer to the true added height from the rails since the rails mount lower in height than the middle of the glass due to the roof's lateral curvature. Certainly not a bad test though!
I passed the 2x4 on the roof rail test and just received the Yakima mounts today. Hopefully the test with the aero bars will turn out well when I can get to it in a day or two.
I have the Thule Evo for a roof without factory rack. Instructions are pretty lame but the youtube video helps. I haven't put them on yet but have assembled them.
I find it weird how you have panoramic roof and roof rails - perhaps it's a 958.2 thing and not .1. I was under impression that one negates a possibility of having another. I sure wish my .1 turbo with pano roof came with rails.
I find it weird how you have panoramic roof and roof rails - perhaps it's a 958.2 thing and not .1. I was under impression that one negates a possibility of having another. I sure wish my .1 turbo with pano roof came with rails.
Roof rails just seemed to be a surprisingly rare equipped option on all 958s. Potentially a little more prevalent on later years. It was a must-have option for me though, and it certainly made finding the right vehicle a little tougher.
Roof rails just seemed to be a surprisingly rare equipped option on all 958s. Potentially a little more prevalent on later years. It was a must-have option for me though, and it certainly made finding the right vehicle a little tougher.
Same here. I *needed* roof rails, 14 (or 18 way) seats and air. I figured it would take a *long* time to find the right Cayenne...but it only took six months, and when it showed up on porsche.com, I had to have a quick "emergency" conversation with my wife.
I wanted to make a post-Road trip update on everything! Roof rack and Thule Motion XT L box was fantastic. I want to say the fuel mileage hit was probably only in the 10% realm without wind, though probably a bit more affect when winds picked up. First stretch of the trip was about a 21mpg average at 75-80mph. The roof box actually doesn't make much noticeable noise until you get up above 70mph. It's surprisingly quiet at lower speeds, and even above 70mph the noise really only sounds like you're driving on a much windier day. No annoying whistles or anything of that sort.
Mac Donald Pass, Montana
I did discover that my post about the roof rack not interfering with the panoramic roof is actually not technically true. The panoramic roof does actually get stopped by the rear pedestal since the rails sit a little bit further in. The reason I did not notice this is because where the rear pedestal is positioned for my roof box it does open up probably 90% of the full track. It wasn't until I looked from outside the car that I noticed the sunroof was against the rear pedestal. So I'll still chalk that up as a win for the Thule rack. Most importantly, it opened up without interference with the roof box on, which was nice to let some fresh, cool air in when the doggo had to stay in the car around Yellowstone.
Happy pup
All in all, still an excellent cargo solution and made road tripping with a mid sized SUV a lot more manageable. Especially since the trunk was filled by a large Rtic cooler, two large suitcases, and a few large backpacks for camera gear and dog needs. All of our towels, hiking equipment, and other miscellaneous items were perfectly at home with plenty of space to spare in the roof box.
05-22-2023, 05:45 PM
958.2 Thule Roof Rack - Clears Pano Roof
(Mostly bought them for use on my Sylvan Sport utility trailer...but they really are too wide!
