Need4S

Any suggestions or comments about the AeroEdge bars vs. OEM? The Thule ones look more aerodynamic and come in black. They are also more expensive.

Need4S

Well, having received no replies, I went ahead and evaluated these on my own. The advantages to the Thule aero bars is that they are more aerodynamic with less wind noise and "universal" in the sense that you can move them to a different car later provided the width of the rails on the new car are similar. They also come in silver or black.

The downside is cost. You need to buy the bars and a mounting kit specific to your car. If you want some degree of theft deterrence, you also need to get a lock kit else anyone with a set of Allen wrenches can just unscrew the bars and take off with the bars and anything strapped to them. Total cost will run you about $350 for the bars and $80 for the mounting kit. Locks are extra.

The OEM bars are only $250 a pair at Suncoast and the ad says they're lockable, but I don't know if that means locks are included or not. I've included a pic of the OEM bars.

I went with the Thule bars in black, to match the black rails and other black trim accents on the car. The instructions say how far apart the bars should be from each other (around 28" give or take) but not how far forward or back relative to the car. I found the pic below of a similar maker's bars (I can't tell if they are Thule) showing approximately where I mounted mine.

In the absence of any instructions, I did find what look like small reference or mounting holes on the inside edges of the rails, and mounted my bars centered with respect to the holes. This results in the bars being about 29" apart, center to center, and the front bar being just in front of the B pillar. This is also consistent with the pic below.

edwjmcgrath

I agree with the thule bars being more aerodynamic/better looking. It comes down to cost vs looks. But it's only a couple hundred different.

I worry about the way they are mounted in the picture above though. The front is higher than the rear. This means that anything flat mounted on the top will "lift" rather than press down. Picture a piece of plywood strapped to that. Or a carrier box.

Need4S

That thought crossed my mind, too. But that's the result if you use the locating holes in the rails. I did note that by using those locations, you put the weight of the load just about where the strongest points of the roof are (above the B and C pillars).

Maybe the OEM bars are non-identical so the rear bar is taller than the front one? Or maybe it doesn't matter so long as you stay below the recommended speed limit with the carrier installed? The roof and rails are slanted so they're higher in front, and thus this is an inherent issue with any bars that are the same height front and rear.

Need4S

Update. I've now driven the car at highway speeds and while I don't have the OEM bars for comparison, can report no additional wind noise with the Thule bars. From inside the car, unless I look up through the pano roof, I don't even know they are there. Of course they are quite distinctive when approaching the car from the outside.