Roof Rack for '08 S5?

[street sleeper]

I have a kayak that I can't haul in the trunk like I do my mnt bike. So I need a roof rack.

OEM — discontinued and out of leftover stock everywhere
SeaSucker — makes me nervous and seems like a pain in the ass
Thule — doesn't make one that fits my car

I did contact Thule to ask if they had one that will fit even if it's not specifically designed for the S5. Haven't heard back. Any other suggestions?

[ES803313]

They used to make a rack that worked with our cars but you had to search for the model without the sunroof venting. There was a fit kit and a short roof adapter that was specific to our application. I'll try to find model numbers but you're probably going to end up waiting for something used to pop up.

Thule Roof Rack S5.jpg

Edit:
480R Rapid Traverse: Thu:100480R
ARB53 53 Inch AeroBlade Load Bars: Thu: 100ARB53
Traverse Fit Kit 1571: Thu Traverse Fit Kits: 1571
487 Traverse Short Roofline Adapter: Thu:100487
518 Echelon: Thu Bike Racks: 100518 (for my mtb) - this is the older style that takes the QR skewer - new MTB is going to need a different carrier
XADAPT9 Adapter Kit: Thu: 1XADAPT9 (to fit the bike rack to the aero)
830 Stacker: Thu Water Sports:100830 (for my kayak)
544 4-pack Lock Cores: Thu: 100544

Also see: https://www.roofracks.co.uk/pdf/1571.pdf

PS: Don't vent/open your sunroof when this is installed!

[Sean@TAG]

That looks great!!

[street sleeper]

They used to make a rack that worked with our cars but you had to search for the model without the sunroof venting. There was a fit kit and a short roof adapter that was specific to our application. I'll try to find model numbers but you're probably going to end up waiting for something used to pop up.

Thule Roof Rack S5.jpg

Edit:
480R Rapid Traverse: Thu:100480R
ARB53 53 Inch AeroBlade Load Bars: Thu: 100ARB53
Traverse Fit Kit 1571: Thu Traverse Fit Kits: 1571
487 Traverse Short Roofline Adapter: Thu:100487
518 Echelon: Thu Bike Racks: 100518 (for my mtb) - this is the older style that takes the QR skewer - new MTB is going to need a different carrier
XADAPT9 Adapter Kit: Thu: 1XADAPT9 (to fit the bike rack to the aero)
830 Stacker: Thu Water Sports:100830 (for my kayak)
544 4-pack Lock Cores: Thu: 100544

Also see: https://www.roofracks.co.uk/pdf/1571.pdf

PS: Don't vent/open your sunroof when this is installed!

Thanks for the info! I had emailed Thule before I saw your post. Found out they actually DO have a roof rack that fits our cars. It's just that it's no longer sold as one kit and you have to piece it together. Here's the parts he gave me if anyone needs it — similar setup to yours.

Thule 711400 Evo Wing Bars
Thule 480R Traverse Rapid Foot Pack
Thule Fit Kit 1571

The combination of these load bars, foot pack, and fit kit is all you need.

[dbtong]

You should look into that short roofline adapter too. It might be recommended based on what you plan to carry. On my first car (Toyota Celica) I used a Yakima roof rack with their version of the roofline adapter called a stretch kit since the spacing between the bars was not enough to support the load.