Thule 863 aero bars and 750 foot pack - do they fit?

[Grafix]

Finally getting round to putting roof mounted bars on our freetop and although I know you can use the (square section) Thule 761 bars with a 960 foot pack and 2126 fitting kit we would really like to fit the newer Thule 863 aero bars. Thule say they should be fitted with the corresponding 750 foot pack - but has anybody out there done this - i.e. will 863 bars, 750 foot pack and 2126 fitting kit work on a bongo freetop?

Helpful advice gratefully received!

Cheers,

[scanner]

it will depend on whether the clearance allowed by the 750 feet is enough to clear the height of the Bongo roof.

I'd find somewhere that will let you check them out in situ.

Personally I'd have thought 750ft was more than enough clearance, but might make getting on ferries a bit difficult though.

[Grafix]

Yep - you think Thule would have thought about the ferry problem wouldn't you?

Joking aside though - the foot pack goes into the four holes on top of the freetop so there is no clearance issue - but I don't know if the 750 foot actually is compatible with the four mounting points in the way the 960 foot apparently is?

[scanner]

Joking aside though - the foot pack goes into the four holes on top of the freetop so there is no clearance issue - but I don't know if the 750 foot actually is compatible with the four mounting points in the way the 760 foot apparently is?

Ahh I was thinking these might have been to go from gutter to gutter OVER the freetop so as to take the load on the gutters not the freetop.

Just had a thought, so PM'd you.

[Grafix]

Weeeellll,
The plot is thickening. Congealing maybe.

Did some research and noticed that the Transit Connect shares its Thule fitment recommendation with the Bongo (for 761 square bars + 960 feet + 2126 fitting kit).

However, The Transit Connect also lists the 861 aero bars (120cm), 753 feet and 3021 fitting kit.

Checked my logic with a very helpful chap at the roofrackshop and he agreed - we also checked the width of the bongo roof and the distance between the fixing holes. (The aero bars have only a limited adjustment available in terms of width. The square bar/960 foot has no real limitation, due to the foot clamping around the bar and not into a (limited length) groove underneath)

I've now ordered the above aero bar setup and it should arrive soon - I'll post back here once I know if it really does fit - but the signs are good - I know I'm being a tart but the silver aero bars appeal to me a lot more than the black square ones (our van is white so that's part of it I guess).

More soon, hopefully.

PS : Scanner - sorry for the delay - but have sent you a PM this morning!

[Simon Jones]

I fitted some aero bars to my last Audi - looked great, but my Thule roof box fittings were intended to clamp round a rectangular shaped bar & were not wide enough to accept the extra width. Ended up buying boring black bars instead . So, bear in mind what you it is that you want to fit to them.

BTW - if in doubt, buy slightly longer bars & then you can lengthen the slot underneath (using suitable tools). I've just had to do this on my current car & it worked a treat.

[Grafix]

Right then - update - Success!

The bars fit very securely and with no mods at all (Thule 863 bars, 753 foot, 3021 fitting pack) - and they look great too.

However three small points to note if you want to copy what we did.

1) The channel/groove that runs the length of the freetop on each side means that there is a 5mm strip along the outside of each rubber foot pad that sits over this groove. Since the remaining 95% of the foot pad is sitting on the flat roof this isn't a problem in reality. Its not visible at all from the ground, only if you lever yourself up there for a closer squint.

2) The pads are also gently shaped on their undersides to allow for a roof form which is sloping downwards towards each corner. (As it typically would on a car or small van) The Bongo roof though is flat around the mounting areas. In practice, once you tighten the mounting bolts down, the rubber compresses and the feet flatten out anyway.

3) The 863 bars are 120cm long and fit perfectly. If you wanted longer aero bars you could do it (As Simon said above) by machining a longer groove in the underside of the bars. Thule do 127cm and 150cm Aero bars - but the length of extra groove needed to make the 150cm ones fit would worry me slightly.

We are very happy with the result - they are rock solid, look cool and (in our twisted opinion!) even improve the looks of the van - note the 753 foot we mention is the 'low-rise' one - so the bars are only 6.5cm above the roof - adding to the van's low profile good looks..............

Cheers!

[coco bongo]

Any photo's there mate?

[Grafix]

None yet - we are away in the Van over the bank holiday though - I'll try to remember to get a couple then and post them here.

All the Best,

[coco bongo]

Right on!