Hey everyone,
Just wanted to post up my roof rack setup on the boards. Sometimes it can be difficult to find roof rack setups and info on forums, so I'll try to make this informative. Please feel free to ask any questions.
So, here is my setup:
All Thule. I have installed Thule, Yakima, and Votex/OEM, and Thule is the best in my opinion, and installs the cleanest. Thule also does more OEM rack manufacturing than any other manufacturer, so their experience creating racks that fit well is extremely extensive. Below are the part numbers/descriptions of my exact rack.
This setup fits all MK6 Golfs and GTIs, both 3 and 5 Door:
480 Traverse Foot Pack
1323 Fit Kit
LB50 Load Bars
871XT Fairing
594 Sidearms bike trays
8-Pack Lock Cylinders
Review:
480 Traverse Foot Pack/Base Rack: This is by far the easiest roof rack I've ever installed. I used to work at a bike shop for 3 years and installed probably 100 roof racks, and Thule has done a great job designing the 480 Traverse feet. They also offer the 400XT Foot Pack, which is their older design, and is not nearly as good as the 480 Foot Pack. Additionally, Thule now includes 4 strips of Clear-Bra with the 480 Foot Pack to put under the feet when you install it on your car :thumbsup:. The other nice thing about this foot pack is that it is very low profile, meaning that it sits closer to the roof than the other racks out there. Just as a note, Fit Kit 1323 is sold separately, and is required to install the rack.
594 Sidearm Trays: I've been using these trays for 4-5 years, and they have barely been changed since. I mainly ride mountain bikes, so these were naturally the best selection for trays because they accommodate bikes with disc brakes as well as oversized axles (15mm or 20mm) if you are riding a long-travel mountain bike. The trays will also easily accommodate 29ers and road bikes with ease, without having to take any wheels off. Using this tray also keeps mud and dirt out of your GTI/Golf :thumbsup: . If you notice, I have actually mounted my trays backwards, and it is completely for aesthetic reason. On the Sidearm tray, the Arm itself must be 16" from the "front" of the tray. If you mount the tray facing forward, then the trays would be hanging wayyy over the windshield, and it just doesn't look right. Pics of this are below. (Please note that this issue only applies to the 594 Sidearm, 598 Criterium, and 599XTR Big Mouth trays. Fork mount trays do not overhang.)
LB50 Bars: I went with the normal Thule square load bars, which are 50" wide (hence LB"50"). They also offer Rapid Aero Bars, which are oval-shaped and extruded aluminum bars, rather than the basic square black bars. The Aero bars are similar to the Votex/OEM design and are silver, however the square black bars are cheaper and easier to deal with than the Aero bars. Many of the bike trays also require an adapter to fit the Aero bars, and I just didn't want to deal with the extra stuff. The Aero Load Bars do look a little bit higher-end than the black bars, but they cost more and are more trouble to deal with and install.
871XT Fairing: This is Thule's 38" fairing, and I took this from my last car. Thule says that the 38" fairing is the one to use, but it's clearly too small. I think the 872XT (44") fairing would look much better and fit better on the car. Fairings are heatedly debated on roof racks. Regardless of what is argued, the fact is that a fairing drastically reduces wind noise, especially if you have a sunroof. Helping out fuel economy is also debated, and fairings don't really make a difference in fuel economy. That said, I highly recommend that if you opt for a roof rack, go ahead and pop for a fairing. If you don't like or aren't satisfied with it, you can easily sell it on eBay.
Lock Cylinders: Thule uses what they call One-Key. Meaning, if you purchase a pack of lock cylinders, they include 2 keys (with the same key code) and both keys open all the locks. I recommend getting the 8-pack, since you will need 4 cylinders for the foot pack, and at least 1 cylinder for the tray to lock you bike to the roof. Buying the 8-Pack will give you some extra cylinders just in case you decide to add on to your rack later on. If you decide you don't need that many, you can buy them in 2, 4, 6, or 8-packs.
Hope this helps out anyone debating on a roof rack, let me know if you have any questions!
-Chase
Installed with no bikes and trays mounted (backwards)
Pics of Track Bike on tray mounted backwards as described above
Pics of Mountain bike on tray mounted backwards as described above
Trays mounted Forward with "overhang" over windshield (looks lopsided on the roof)
Just wanted to post up my roof rack setup on the boards. Sometimes it can be difficult to find roof rack setups and info on forums, so I'll try to make this informative. Please feel free to ask any questions.
So, here is my setup:
All Thule. I have installed Thule, Yakima, and Votex/OEM, and Thule is the best in my opinion, and installs the cleanest. Thule also does more OEM rack manufacturing than any other manufacturer, so their experience creating racks that fit well is extremely extensive. Below are the part numbers/descriptions of my exact rack.
This setup fits all MK6 Golfs and GTIs, both 3 and 5 Door:
480 Traverse Foot Pack
1323 Fit Kit
LB50 Load Bars
871XT Fairing
594 Sidearms bike trays
8-Pack Lock Cylinders
Review:
480 Traverse Foot Pack/Base Rack: This is by far the easiest roof rack I've ever installed. I used to work at a bike shop for 3 years and installed probably 100 roof racks, and Thule has done a great job designing the 480 Traverse feet. They also offer the 400XT Foot Pack, which is their older design, and is not nearly as good as the 480 Foot Pack. Additionally, Thule now includes 4 strips of Clear-Bra with the 480 Foot Pack to put under the feet when you install it on your car :thumbsup:. The other nice thing about this foot pack is that it is very low profile, meaning that it sits closer to the roof than the other racks out there. Just as a note, Fit Kit 1323 is sold separately, and is required to install the rack.
594 Sidearm Trays: I've been using these trays for 4-5 years, and they have barely been changed since. I mainly ride mountain bikes, so these were naturally the best selection for trays because they accommodate bikes with disc brakes as well as oversized axles (15mm or 20mm) if you are riding a long-travel mountain bike. The trays will also easily accommodate 29ers and road bikes with ease, without having to take any wheels off. Using this tray also keeps mud and dirt out of your GTI/Golf :thumbsup: . If you notice, I have actually mounted my trays backwards, and it is completely for aesthetic reason. On the Sidearm tray, the Arm itself must be 16" from the "front" of the tray. If you mount the tray facing forward, then the trays would be hanging wayyy over the windshield, and it just doesn't look right. Pics of this are below. (Please note that this issue only applies to the 594 Sidearm, 598 Criterium, and 599XTR Big Mouth trays. Fork mount trays do not overhang.)
LB50 Bars: I went with the normal Thule square load bars, which are 50" wide (hence LB"50"). They also offer Rapid Aero Bars, which are oval-shaped and extruded aluminum bars, rather than the basic square black bars. The Aero bars are similar to the Votex/OEM design and are silver, however the square black bars are cheaper and easier to deal with than the Aero bars. Many of the bike trays also require an adapter to fit the Aero bars, and I just didn't want to deal with the extra stuff. The Aero Load Bars do look a little bit higher-end than the black bars, but they cost more and are more trouble to deal with and install.
871XT Fairing: This is Thule's 38" fairing, and I took this from my last car. Thule says that the 38" fairing is the one to use, but it's clearly too small. I think the 872XT (44") fairing would look much better and fit better on the car. Fairings are heatedly debated on roof racks. Regardless of what is argued, the fact is that a fairing drastically reduces wind noise, especially if you have a sunroof. Helping out fuel economy is also debated, and fairings don't really make a difference in fuel economy. That said, I highly recommend that if you opt for a roof rack, go ahead and pop for a fairing. If you don't like or aren't satisfied with it, you can easily sell it on eBay.
Lock Cylinders: Thule uses what they call One-Key. Meaning, if you purchase a pack of lock cylinders, they include 2 keys (with the same key code) and both keys open all the locks. I recommend getting the 8-pack, since you will need 4 cylinders for the foot pack, and at least 1 cylinder for the tray to lock you bike to the roof. Buying the 8-Pack will give you some extra cylinders just in case you decide to add on to your rack later on. If you decide you don't need that many, you can buy them in 2, 4, 6, or 8-packs.
Hope this helps out anyone debating on a roof rack, let me know if you have any questions!
-Chase
Installed with no bikes and trays mounted (backwards)
Pics of Track Bike on tray mounted backwards as described above
Pics of Mountain bike on tray mounted backwards as described above
Trays mounted Forward with "overhang" over windshield (looks lopsided on the roof)
Last edited:
