Spartan335i

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone has used a Prorack Whispbar roof rails for their E61?

I don't think it's a viable option as our panoramic sunroofs would most likely not clear the low clearance of these roof rails but I would love to get these instead of the Thule 450 model. For a sleeker more aerodynamic look.

Cheers

yeewiz

looking at their site, the bar for the e61 doesn't look like your picture, but mounts over the rails so it will work with the panorama roof. couldn't find the option to get one like your picture for e61. $400 but sure looks nice

constant

Even though none of the North American sites list it as a fit, I can guarantee you the S44 low-profile bars fit. The S44 bars are listed as Option 2 on Prorack's European site, not sure why the discrepancy between continents? I installed mine over the Christmas holiday, and they fit great and amazingly quiet as advertised. There are no clearance issues with the panoramic roof. (Actually, if you watch how the pano roof retracts, it slides down and then inside the roof liner).

I also have a Yakima Skybox Pro S16 cargo box that I use with the Whispbars. My only complaint with the setup is that with the low-profile S44 bars, the Yakima cargo feet/clamps rest only a few mm above the roof. I may need to either shave the Yakima clamps down or put "rub pads" on the roof, just in case I go over a large bump and the feet do contact the roof.

I attached a couple pics of the Whispbar S44 bars and Skybox mounted.

yeewiz

man that looks slick. love the fit and the Skybox look. but I don't know about that clearance with the moonroof though. A few mm's doesn't sound quite enough given that the Whispbars are skinnier in the vertical dimension so there would be conceivably more flex in the up-and-down direction? Hard contact with the roof can't be good for the glass and mechanism I wouldn't think. can you measure how many actual mm's? and let us know how much flex and bumping there is.

Spartan335i

Hi,

Thanks for the pics and the info. I'm guessing the reason why they don?t list the S44 as an option is due to the fact that the panoramic sunroof isn't an option here instead it comes standard on the car. Therefore most likely interferes with the tilt function and etc, etc?.

I finally ordered the Thule Atlantis in metallic black with the 450 Thule Crossroad bars from ORS in Vermont (nice dealing with them, will see end result tomorrow!), will be picking up everything tomorrow afternoon just in time for the ski weekend! BTW thanks to richietherocket as this member helped me with my final decision with the pics he sent me!

If I don?t like the 450 Crossroads well I can sell them and get the S44 for a sleeker look if I?m not pleased depending on the catual clearance. Can you tilt the sunroof no problem? Adn as Yeewiz posted what is the actual clearance?

Will post pics when I get a chance!

constant

I've actually never tried tilting the panoramic roof until today. The tilt function works fine as long as the Whispbars are positioned in front of the 1st half of each roof section (if that makes sense). In other words, if the crossbar is directly over the "tilted up" half of the pano roof, then it could hit the bar. However, with the spacing of my cargo box this is a non-issue. The front bar is approx 6" back from the front of the roof rail, and the rear bar is not over the pano roof at all.

I received a response back from Yakima regarding alternate/slimmer mounting feet, but unfortunately they do not make such a thing. Yakima claims the Whispbars are so rigid that they do not think flexing is an issue. I did see that if you go with a Thule box, Thule makes a T-slot mounting kit that will fit the Whispbar channels. I guess I'll have to do my own experimentation...

yeewiz

so are you going to put 120 lbs in the Skybox and see if the mounting feet will bump? can you measure the distance from mounting feet to roof please? I have a Skybox 16 too on Yakima crossbars with the Lowrider mounts now and am sure thinking about the Whispbar. thanks

Kell

I have to be honest, in that I can't see how the bars would flex enough to bump the car. Roofboxes are attached at the ends and for that part of the bar to flex, means the middle must be actually bending a 'lot'.

Spartan335i

Good point!

Spartan335i

I bought the 450 Crossroads in the end with the Black Thule Atlantis 1600 box. The 1800 would have been a pretty good purchase also but in the end I didn't need a longer box so I'm happy with it.

I will post pics once I get the car washed. It's been in the -20 to -30 degrees these past couple of days so washing the car is not the best idea!!!