Toyota RAV4 Forums banner

OEM, Thule, Yakima, etc. CROSS BARS -- let's see 'em

38K views 39 replies 16 participants last post by  tmags 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone,

Been doing some research on here on cross bar options. We have an older Thule cargo box (I wanna say 1600?). Our Rav4 came with the side rails but not the cross bars. Normally, I'd find the OEM option and get them (or the cheapest option to get the job done) but this time, I want to make sure I get something that looks good and serves the purpose.

Does anyone have anything but the OEM installed? If so, can you post a pic?

We will likely use these ONLY to carry our cargo box... but it's big and can hold a lot of stuff. the ~130# weight limit of the OEM bars is somewhat concerning but I don't think we really exceed this in our cargo box.

I know there are a lot of threads on this topic however none contain pictures or many firsthand experiences with the OEM crossbars.

Thanks!
 
#7 ·
I have both the Toyota OEM crossbars and the same Thule load bars with adjustable rail clamps pictured in the etrailer.com video that you linked to, except that my clamps have the optional lock kit.

I can recommend the Thule load bars.

My Thule load bars are 50" long which leaves a couple inches beyond the clamp similar to how they are pictured in the video. I use them to haul an Old Town Twin Otter (~70 lbs) and a smaller single man kayak (~30 lbs). The Thule Load bars are much more robust and stable than the OEM Toyota bars which have a weaker sliding slip-fit end and clamp around 3 sides of the side rails. I use the Thule bars when i'm hauling the big boat or if i'm hauling both of them. I use the OEM bars for the smaller boat only.

I originally purchased the Thule load bars, clamps, and lock accessories from Bass Pro about 7 years ago for my wife's Freestyle which has factory side rails but no OEM cross bar option. I've used them to haul an extension ladder and even lumber and have pushed them a tad beyond the mfr recommended maximum weight limits several times for short trips on side streets. I prefer to use her Freestyle for long loads as it's roof is a mile long and I can really spread the crossbars far apart to achieve maximum stability. The Twin Otter is a bit long for the Rav4 roof and would recommend bow & stern ties if getting on the hwy.

A few last comments about the Thule system:

1. Get the lock kit. Once, on a quick trip when I didn't lock them down I had the Allen wrench part of a Thule foot clamp come off on HWY 7. Without the locks it's just a friction fit that holds it in place and a bumpy road can dislodge it.

2. After you slide the clamps onto the rails secure the the platic rail end caps on the rails. They are a friction fit and popped off every time that a clamp slid down to the end of the rail. I suppose you could use black electrical tape. I used aluminum rivets which are rust proof and easily drilled out should I ever need to take it apart. (I never have and that was 6 years ago)

3. The roofs of many vehicles (including the 2013 rav4) is not parallel to the ground. I've found that the Thule rectangular bars tend to make my kayak J brackets lean forward and rear following the curvature of the roof. This does create a problem as the J brackets should be mated tight to the boat not leaning.

Lastly, you'll notice that there isn't a ton of information in the Rav4 owner's manual about the OEM crossbars. I received a separate insert for them. The maximum load for the OEM crossbars is listed at 100 lbs.

-Saturday
 
#8 ·
I have both the Toyota OEM crossbars and the same Thule load bars with adjustable rail clamps pictured in the etrailer.com video that you linked to, except that my clamps have the optional lock kit.

I can recommend the Thule load bars.

My Thule load bars are 50" long which leaves a couple inches beyond the clamp similar to how they are pictured in the video. I use them to haul an Old Town Twin Otter (~70 lbs) and a smaller single man kayak (~30 lbs). The Thule Load bars are much more robust and stable than the OEM Toyota bars which have a weaker sliding slip-fit end and clamp around 3 sides of the side rails. I use the Thule bars when i'm hauling the big boat or if i'm hauling both of them. I use the OEM bars for the smaller boat only.

I originally purchased the Thule load bars, clamps, and lock accessories from Bass Pro about 7 years ago for my wife's Freestyle which has factory side rails but no OEM cross bar option. I've used them to haul an extension ladder and even lumber and have pushed them a tad beyond the mfr recommended maximum weight limits several times for short trips on side streets. I prefer to use her Freestyle for long loads as it's roof is a mile long and I can really spread the crossbars far apart to achieve maximum stability. The Twin Otter is a bit long for the Rav4 roof and would recommend bow & stern ties if getting on the hwy.

A few last comments about the Thule system:

1. Get the lock kit. Once, on a quick trip when I didn't lock them down I had the Allen wrench part of a Thule foot clamp come off on HWY 7. Without the locks it's just a friction fit that holds it in place and a bumpy road can dislodge it.

2. After you slide the clamps onto the rails secure the the platic rail end caps on the rails. They are a friction fit and popped off every time that a clamp slid down to the end of the rail. I suppose you could use black electrical tape. I used aluminum rivets which are rust proof and easily drilled out should I ever need to take it apart. (I never have and that was 6 years ago)

3. The roofs of many vehicles (including the 2013 rav4) is not parallel to the ground. I've found that the Thule rectangular bars tend to make my kayak J brackets lean forward and rear following the curvature of the roof. This does create a problem as the J brackets should be mated tight to the boat not leaning.

Lastly, you'll notice that there isn't a ton of information in the Rav4 owner's manual about the OEM crossbars. I received a separate insert for them. The maximum load for the OEM crossbars is listed at 100 lbs.

-Saturday
EXCELLENT INFO!!

Thank you very much for taking the time to compare/contrast the options. I *think* I found the OEM's online for ~$170 (if they're not some generic knock-offs) but it sounds like the Thule ones are worth the extra cost. I showed my wife the video and she doesn't like the way the Thule ones look :doh:

Regardless, it sounds like the Thule is the better option. Also because our cargo box is pretty old and has this type of locking system:



Our box looks like this:



...I worry that the OEM bars aren't going to be thick enough to accept the U shaped bracket and allow the box to securely lock on. We gave a very similar box with the same locking system to my dad who has an Acura MDX and the OEM bars on that are really thin. It takes some jiggling to get the U all the way up into the receiver piece so that the box isn't loose.

Anyway, I'll need to be doing something here soon as this is a very important functionality of this vehicle for us since we decided to stay in this segment rather than jumping up into the larger, less fuel-efficient segment. We rely on our crossbars/cargo box any time we go visit family or anything.
 
#10 ·
This is the same setup I used on my 4Runner. 72" wide bars, IIRC.
Thanks for the pics!

I really like the Thule system though I would likely get bars to fit my roof. It's a bit more than I'd like to spend but I think it'll be a more quality solution to meet my needs. Btw how thick are the bars? As mentioned, I have an old cargo box and attachment system. Not looking to replace that but wondering how well it'll fit on the bars and if the square bars are what I should be getting versus the aero blade bars.

Looking at this.
Thule Roof Rack for 2013 Toyota RAV4 | etrailer.com


The issue I have now is that the antenna will need to be removed to accommodate the cargo box (or so it looks) and that'll be no good for the long trips when we need the cargo box!

I literally never noticed all the little antennas poking up from all the toyotas. Looks kinda funny on the lot when you're looking for them.

Will be looking at the whole sharkfin thread on here to weigh out options.

Thanks again for the pics.
 
#12 ·
Yes, I looked again and it looks like it might bend enough.

My next question is how tall the bars stand off of the roof rail? In our last vehicle, we could pull all the way in the garage and have the door open or closed with the cargo box attached. I measured ~20" from the top of the roof rail to the lowest part of the open garage door. The box is ~14" or so at its highest point. That leaves me 4-5" give or take an inch. I wonder if the attachment and bars are that high off of the roof rail.
 
#13 ·
Went with the Thule AeroBlade Edge bars.

As promised, here's a few pics of the bars. I've written up a whole story/review that ended up being WAY TOO LONG to read so I'm going to scrap all of that and just go with the pics. I started with the Thule CrossRoads system but was unhappy with the looks and height of it (couldn't get into my garage with the box on top). I'd be glad to answer any questions about that system if anyone has any. Just keep in mind, I didn't have it for very long and did not use it for any trips or anything so I can only comment on my perception of that one.

Dissatisfied with it for various reasons (...besides the height and looks - I won't get into all of them), I found the Thule AeroBlade Edge system that was a bit more spendy, but looks much better and most importantly IT FITS into my garage with box on top!!

On to the pics. I'll start with the few snaps of the CrossRoads system that I initially got and then I'll show my latest setup. I think I'm going to buy the lock cores ($60) for the AeroBlade Edge bars and leave them on all the time.

CrossRoads Bars:

























AeroBlade Edge bars:



































 
#14 · (Edited)
I also have measurements if anyone is in the same boat as I was, wondering if their attachments will fit into the garage (height) or wondering if they will fit on the different sets of bars (width of usable crossbar space).

For the height, basically you have your equation as:

(Height of garage opening) - (Vehicle Height + Crossbar Height + Attachment Height)

For me, the height values are:

Height of garage opening: 83.5
Vehicle Height: 67
Crossbar Height (AeroBlade Edge): 1.1
Attachment Height (Cargo Box): 15.1"

(83.5) - (67 + 1.1 +15.1) = .3"

As you can see in the last pic, that's about right! It rubs the rubber gasket thingy around the garage opening a smidge (won't damage anything) so the measurements seem to be accurate within a few tenths of an inch. I got the measurements from various sources so they can be somewhat approximate.

For width, the crossroads had more width. The rear bar is your constraining factor since the side rails taper in as they get to the rear. So your rear bar is going to have less usable space than the front and thus, be your limiting bar. It's about 29.5" wide for the AeroBlade Edge (depending on exactly how far back you place it) and I'd say around 33" or so for the CrossRoads (going from memory at the moment).
 
#18 ·
Sorry .... using the AeroBlade Edge bars (the silver ones, 2nd set of pics). The others I sent back as they sit too tall off of the top.

Also, for what it's worth, I just ordered the "rockymountain" core locks @ $30 for a set of 4 versus Thule core locks for $60. The reviews on Amazon say they fit just like the Thule ones. We'll see.

Oh and after I bought the AeroBlade bars, I did find the Chinese knock-offs on Ebay (or "Chinese fall-offs" as my dad called them) for half the price.

2013 Toyota RAV4 New Roof Rack Crossbar Kit Style Silver | eBay

I wouldn't have bought these if they were only $100. Too much liability in my opinion. In fact, if you click on the link, look at the 3rd pic. it *looks like* the lock is starting to rust and the plastic is cracked lol. I'll go the cheap route on the lock cores with 4.5 stars on Amazon, but not on the bars themselves.

That said, if anyone decides to go the generic bars route, I'd be curious to hear impressions.
 
#19 ·
lol.

Actually, the weight limit of the OEM is 102 lbs. And Toyota is very careful and vague about their wording in the manual. They don't actually come out and say the CROSSBARS are rated at 103 lbs. They leave it to you to infer it's the crossbars.

Thule and the retailers of aftermarket crossbars warn that the system (i.e. all components involved) can only carry as much as the least rated weight. That is, if your vehicle roof is rated at 100 lbs. limit, the bars have a 165 lb. limit and the box is a 150 lb. limit, you shouldn't load more than 100 lbs as that's the lowest number.

In reality, I think Toyota is playing a little CYA with the figures. I would say that pushing it up over 100lbs isn't going to cause issues. After feeling the bars up top once attached, they're certainly secure enough to carry their advertised 165lbs.
 
#23 ·
@Leonard1818 - great pics and info!

What Thule carrier are you using so I can estimate size. Thule's site has a massive list.
And when installed, does it contact with your sunroof when opened up?

Thanks!

Whoops just saw the model on previous page.
Yep, it's a Thule Evolution 1600. My dad has our old 1200. If you measure or google your box size, I'd be glad to take any measurements you need to see if yours will fit. Let me know!
 
#30 ·
I went with the Thule Crossroads instead of the factory units. Found a set on craigslist cheap with locks. My thought was I can put these on either of my vehicles and there are plenty of options for longer bars or repair parts if its ever needed. The weigh limit was another factor since my cargo box weighs over 40 pounds empty.
 
#31 ·
#34 · (Edited)
Ok Guys, finally got the bars and box up on the Toyota. First trip with it today, Ill keep you posted on what I think.

Hey looks great! I dunno why but I love the more -- I don't even know how to describe it... Utilitarian? Rugged? Something... Look of a rig with the bars and box on top. Keep an eye on your gas mileage and let us know how much of a hit you take.
 
#35 ·
Everything did as it was designed to do. A couple of my buddies accused me of becoming a yuppie... I'll remember that when they ask to borrow it.


I averaged 26 mpg with the cruise set between 75 and 80 for the majority of the 3 hour trip. I don't have any other trips to compare that to at this time since we just purchased the car. Seems fair to me, we used to take my 4runner that gets 18/19 mpg on the same trip.


So I'm happy with the set up. The bars are easy to attach and seem very sturdy. The box holds more than enough stuff and isn't terrible with wind noise. I'd highly recommend either.
 
#36 ·
Ha! Thanks for posting back. That's about my experience with the box on top except I think I got a bit worse MPG one way but it balanced out the other way... Plus my box extends a *tad* bit further forward than yours, creating a spot for air to get trapped and create more drag. Either way, we're not yuppies (I'm close, but no city living or opulence here)-- just smart people who can make things work the way we need them to when we need them to!
 
#39 ·
I got the oem bars were thrown in for free. I like them in the sense on my old car had the yak round bars and made terrible noise. I only use bars to attach thule 526 bike rack. The noise is not noticed but the 526 not really happy with. Got from rei and thinking of taking back. Its hard to get it open to take bike out. Believe it or not. I was told by rei it is a common problem with that holder.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top