Looking for ski racks

[audifella]

Guys... I've given in to being unoriginal. I saw staticuxo's car and I fell in love with his ride. I have a white 2014 b8.5, lowered on H&R OE Sports and I have 19" peelers. I would have asked staticuxo directly, but I have a 2014, and Im assuming that the styles and fitments will be different. Anyone have some suggestions? Preferably under $200, if that's even possible. If not, I'm okay with spending a little more. Also, if anyone has mounted the racks on their 8.5, please share!

Thanks

[phillips2024]

I have the same rack as he does. Whispbars. Hands down the best available. Then you can throw on a fatcat and be done

The roof line should all be the same. Here is my summer setup:



Sent from my iPod shuffle

[audibmi]

I really like the Thule Aero Blades for my B8.5, and when I decide to switch cars, all I need is new clips and fit kit, while reusing the foot packs and bars. Easier to resell as well, if needed.

Very thick and wide rubber feet that fit perfectly to the roofline and distributes load evenly.



Each rubber coated metal clip has a pin that aligns to the factory hole on the door sills.



Full clearance for moonroof tilt.



Aeroblade profile reduces need for mileage sapping fairing. It's the quietest bar I've used from Thule to date (including their OEM Audi versions)

[phillips2024]

[audifella]

Man. the Whispbars look awesome but it says they are about $400, which seems a bit pricey. I'll have to shop around.

[audifella]

The Aero Blades are apparently called "Edges". On the website, they look a bit different than yours. But I like the estimated pricing. Could you please show us some full pics of your car? I'd like to see how the ride looks. thanks

[AWDLover]

Here's a video with the Aeroblades on an S4. You're going to be spending $400-500 for either whispbars or aeroblades unless you go used....



This is a close up of my aeroblades with rockymounts euro bike cariers and yakima ski rack

[audibmi]

The Aero Blades are apparently called "Edges". On the website, they look a bit different than yours. But I like the estimated pricing. Could you please show us some full pics of your car? I'd like to see how the ride looks. thanks

Edges are only for vehicles with factory roof rails (e.g. Avants) and not for the sedan. They are sometimes on sale at places such as REI with 20 percent off coupons.

Here is a side shot:

[Toecutter]

Whispbars on mine. I doubt you'll be able to find anything at $200 unless it is either used or sketchy.

There are suction cup mounted racks but I'm not that brave:
http://www.amazon.com/Eton-Magnetic-.../dp/B00369LIMG

[schirm]

Yeah, any decent rack unless used will be 400-500 easily. I have been hoping for a used one to come up before I buy a new one.

[staticuxo]

whispbar FTW! i've tried other mounts, including OEM and all were noisy and sat way too high, IMHO.. which ruins aesthetics.



with bike:

[schirm]

^^^ That's a sick pic.

[b6bydesign04]

Have had the same rack since my B6 and carried it through my B7 and now B8 just modifying the Q-towers each time, so it's a bit dated. If I upgrade again I'll definitely go with the Yakima Whispbars, but the Fatcats have cut the noise down quite a bit compared to my old Yakima Powder Hounds. It does sit a bit high though. Like others have said, good luck finding a decent setup for under $400:

[staticuxo]

^^^ That's a sick pic.

thanks man!

Like others have said, good luck finding a decent setup for under $400:

agreed. the main bars alone were ~$400.. then you add in your attachments, locks, etc. and it's easily another $350+

[squashman]

Aeroblade profile reduces need for mileage sapping fairing. It's the quietest bar I've used from Thule to date (including their OEM Audi versions)

See bold - fairings reduce mileage? I thought they improved mileage by reducing drag and also had the added benefit of reducing wind noise.

[audibmi]

See bold - fairings reduce mileage? I thought they improved mileage by reducing drag and also had the added benefit of reducing wind noise.

The real benefit of a fairing is to reduce wind noise. Quote from clean mpg forums which best describes result of fairings on fuel savings...

"They may improve noise by reducing turbulence, but that doesn't necessarily amount to fuel savings. The fairing adds several square feet to the frontal area of your vehicle. Increasing frontal area will increase air drag in exact proportion, since air drag equals frontal area * coefficient of drag (Cd) * the cube of speed. And the empty space behind the fairing/crossbar may very well create a vacuum that does no help to your Cd either."

[jpbadonk]

I have the Whispbars and they are very quiet (have used both Thule and Yakima regular bars as a comparison). I like the pin-locator for the clamps, but the upright bike carriers I'm using (http://yakima.com/shop/bike/roof/highroller) try to pull the bars flat instead of letting them match the contour of the roof. Not an issues for skis/boards, but something I'm not happy with for the bike mount. I'm considering adding a hidden hitch (invisihitch?) and only using the rack in the winter for boards.

[riseabv]

Where is the best place to buy whispers?8

[b6bydesign04]

Where is the best place to buy whispers?8

FWIW, when I was shopping for new Q-towers, I found the best prices to be on Amazon.

[Toecutter]

Where is the best place to buy whispers?8

REI. They often have a 20% off sale but even if you pay full price a $20 lifetime membership will pay for itself on your rack purchase by giving you about a 10% dividend payment.

[Deckdout2]

I really like the Thule Aero Blades for my B8.5, and when I decide to switch cars, all I need is new clips and fit kit, while reusing the foot packs and bars. Easier to resell as well, if needed.

Really nice Cannondale man! I was looking at the Lefty's a couple weeks ago. Sweet bikes!

[NeedQuattro]

After reading this thread now I ended up ordering the Whispbar S5 base racks, K390 fit kit, and WB300 snowboard carrier.
I had the Thule Aero bars (not the blades) on my 11' STI and it looked very OEM. I bought new Thule legs to fit the S4 last season and it just sat too high for my taste. I used them for the season but knew I wanted something different, especially after seeing the whisbars on staticuxo's car.

On a side note, I now have the Thule Aero Bars, S4 fitkit, Fairing and snowboard carrier if anyone is interested.

[schirm]

After reading this thread now I ended up ordering the Whispbar S5 base racks, K390 fit kit, and WB300 snowboard carrier.
I had the Thule Aero bars (not the blades) on my 11' STI and it looked very OEM. I bought new Thule legs to fit the S4 last season and it just sat too high for my taste. I used them for the season but knew I wanted something different, especially after seeing the whisbars on staticuxo's car.

On a side note, I now have the Thule Aero Bars, S4 fitkit, Fairing and snowboard carrier if anyone is interested.

PM me with pics and price def interested.

[Jimminez]

Where is the best place to buy whispers?8

There was a set for sale in the B8A4 section but they've sold...to me

[jpbadonk]

REI. They often have a 20% off sale but even if you pay full price a $20 lifetime membership will pay for itself on your rack purchase by giving you about a 10% dividend payment.

+1. That's what I did.

[C14 Rider]

So the S5 flush kit is what you recommend over the other listings on the Yakima site ?

http://www.yakima.com/fit/baseracks/

[Toecutter]

So the S5 flush kit is what you recommend over the other listings on the Yakima site ?

http://www.yakima.com/fit/baseracks/

S5 for the cleanest look. S16 for more crossbar width if you expect to have a lot of carriers up top.

[C14 Rider]

S5 for the cleanest look. S16 for more crossbar width if you expect to have a lot of carriers up top.

Thank you for the quick reply, S5 it shall be..

[VeeDubbinJetta]

I love the look of the OEM bars however those whispbars look nice. Question for those that own them or know about them, I have my Thule accessories left over from my previous car that I use the T-bolt setup to mount. Will these accept the t-bolts or no? I can not tell from the picture it looks like they will but I want to be sure before I order some up.
Thanks

Edit: I found out the information, REI's website says they accept t-bolt attachemnts

Edit Edit: Could someone that has the whispbars installed get a closeup of where the feet are installed? I like how the thule aeroblades are mounted closer to the door but the whispbars may be like this as well.

[utah_s5]

After reading this thread now I ended up ordering the Whispbar S5 base racks, K390 fit kit, and WB300 snowboard carrier.
I had the Thule Aero bars (not the blades) on my 11' STI and it looked very OEM. I bought new Thule legs to fit the S4 last season and it just sat too high for my taste. I used them for the season but knew I wanted something different, especially after seeing the whisbars on staticuxo's car.

On a side note, I now have the Thule Aero Bars, S4 fitkit, Fairing and snowboard carrier if anyone is interested.

do you have any pics of them set up right now ?

[djshaunmichael]

beware I have the aerobars and after taking them off this past summer sand and salt got under all four feet in the winter and the paint was almost rubbed off completely and I really torqued them down and cleaned properly before. this year I will be using some autobahn underneath.

[firstars]

+1 For whispbars - My only complaint is the rubber feet don't look as clean as the Thules. Hate the window clips, but no choice being Audi doesn't have any factory rails or holes.

[SteveYem]

Semi off-topic question here: For you guys who consistently transport your skis/snowboards on roof racks, do you find signs of advanced corrosion on ski/snowboard edges and/or hardware, or any other accelerated wear? My wife refuses to use a roof rack because she thinks that our boards will take too much abuse from salt, road grime etc. mounted on the roof at 70-80 mph. I don't really have solid ground to argue against her, but I would love to get a rack so I can discontinue folding the rear seats down to fit our boards in. Plus, it kills our back seat area preventing us from taking friends along with us.

[priceprince]

^ I've transported countless boards on the roof through big storms, and there is nothing that happens on the roof that your board doesn't see while you're riding it on the snow. A little bit if rust might build up on your metal edges, but that gets scraped right off when you get your board tuned anyway. Tell her not to worry about it, you're more likely to cut your interior of your S4 with the sharp edges than anything if you keep carrying your boards in the car. :)

[NeedQuattro]

Semi off-topic question here: For you guys who consistently transport your skis/snowboards on roof racks, do you find signs of advanced corrosion on ski/snowboard edges and/or hardware, or any other accelerated wear? My wife refuses to use a roof rack because she thinks that our boards will take too much abuse from salt, road grime etc. mounted on the roof at 70-80 mph. I don't really have solid ground to argue against her, but I would love to get a rack so I can discontinue folding the rear seats down to fit our boards in. Plus, it kills our back seat area preventing us from taking friends along with us.

Your boards/skis take a bigger beating on the slopes than from road debris. I just wipe my down when I take them off to avoid rust.

[SteveYem]

Thanks for the input guys. I think her primary concern is that white crusty salt/road brine residue that gets all over the car would also get on the boards (which is not something that would occur on the mountain). To me, the solution is to quickly hose off the boards when we get home. I'll have to propose that approach again and see if I can't get her to budge.

[1MORLAP]

I have Thule Aero Blades with the same cross bars as audibmi and I hate them! I have hit my head on them multiple times. Unless you absolutely need the space, go with flush mounted cross bars like the pictures from Toecutter. Both Thule and Yakima offer them. BTW, I am happy to sell my Thule Aero Blades entire set at a discount.

[AWDLover]

I have Thule Aero Blades with the same cross bars as audibmi and I hate them! I have hit my head on them multiple times. Unless you absolutely need the space, go with flush mounted cross bars like the pictures from Toecutter. Both Thule and Yakima offer them. BTW, I am happy to sell my Thule Aero Blades entire set at a discount.

You can cut them (which I plan to eventually do) or audi0321 in the B8 A4 forum confirmed that the 47s fit even though Thule says you need the 53s. I do like the flush look of the whispbars though.

[firstars]

Semi off-topic question here: For you guys who consistently transport your skis/snowboards on roof racks, do you find signs of advanced corrosion on ski/snowboard edges and/or hardware, or any other accelerated wear? My wife refuses to use a roof rack because she thinks that our boards will take too much abuse from salt, road grime etc. mounted on the roof at 70-80 mph. I don't really have solid ground to argue against her, but I would love to get a rack so I can discontinue folding the rear seats down to fit our boards in. Plus, it kills our back seat area preventing us from taking friends along with us.

Not an issue with a box! Yamika Skybox 16 on sale currently on backcountry.com.

[fonseca_q5]

I have Thule Aero Blades with the same cross bars as audibmi and I hate them! I have hit my head on them multiple times. Unless you absolutely need the space, go with flush mounted cross bars like the pictures from Toecutter. Both Thule and Yakima offer them. BTW, I am happy to sell my Thule Aero Blades entire set at a discount.

I have the Thule Aero Blades and cut them to 49". I agree at 53" they stuck out too much.