Crossbars with Thule motion xt xl

MamaC said:

We just bought a Thule Motion XT XL to put on our 2010 RAV4 for a trip from CA to CO with 2 kids and dog, and only realized afterwards that perhaps our factory crossbars are not going to be strong enough due to weight limit?

Has anyone used the factory crossbars with the XL and had any good or bad experience?

If we do need to upgrade the bars, which ones do you recommend and why? They seem so expensive it was a big cost we hadn't planned on .
Thank you!!

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Sobe85 said:

Hi! I was searching up crossbar lengths for my 2009 Rav4 and stumbled upon this thread. The EXACT same thing happened to me 5 months ago, where I purchased the EXACT same box and only realized while packing the car that the crossbars have a limit of 102 lbs! From what I've read, the limiting factor is how the OEM crossbars are mounted on, pressure points from the screws that lock it in place. So minus the weight of the box (46 lbs) you only have 56lbs that you can put in the box. Because i was rush rush.. i just put all the blankets and stuff in the stop and stuffed the rest of the stuff in the car.

Now today (a month ago actually), I purchased the set of Thule Raised EVO kit and 53 inch WingBar, which is what was recommended on the Thule website. When I mounted it, seems like it was borderline too long for my car. I ended up switching to the 47 inch (only because the store i purchased them at didn't have the 50 inch) and now i'm searching around if anyone else has the same setup or if I should return it and by the 50 inch elsewhere. The 47 inch does look like it fits fine, about less than an inch left on each side.

Hope this gives you a better idea on what you need to do next! (assuming you haven't already bought purchased one)

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Foryota said:

If the two kids and the dog have a combined weight over 100 lbs, I’d suggest upgrading the bars or putting the kids and dog inside the vehicle

Seriously though, Toyota does list a 100 lb max capacity for cargo on the roof. There are conflicting opinions here about whether it’s a 100 lb limit on the crossbars (50 lb each, distributed) or the rails or the structure. Given that there are rooftop tent platforms for the vehicle, I’d say the crossbars may be the limiting factor as they are rather thin and the thin part of an oval isn’t the strongest.

How much weight (not the kids and dog) are you planning to put up there? A major consideration is the possible change in how the trucklet handles with more than 100 lb on the roof, as this will raise the centre of gravity; this is one of Toyota’s prime concerns. You may want square section tube bars instead of factory units.

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MamaC said:

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who did this 😹. We actually ended up returning the roofbox (thanks, REI!) and got a roof bag instead. We were concerned about it being loud or getting wet but it handled the trip out and back perfectly, no noise, and we saved a lot of $$. Since we only really needed it occasionally it made more sense in the end for us. Glad you figured out the bar situation though and I'm sure someone will find the info very useful! Thanks!

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Sobe85 said:

So glad you found a solution that worked out for you! A bit late for me to return it but its okay.. I think the box looks pretty cool .. but decided that i will probably return the 47 inch bar and buy the 50 inch elsewhere... just incase i switch to a bigger car... better chance i can transfer it over

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