Ok, so this hardly counts as a mod, but it's done and I thought I'd share my impression. I got the Volvo load bars for my S40 and put them on this afternoon.
First off, they're a snap to install. It took me about 30 seconds total, no exaggeration.(You do have to be quite careful not to cross-thread the screws, because if you do it looks awfully hard to replace the sockets embedded in the roof.) They also seem remarkably solid.
I took the car for a drive, and was impressed with the quiet ride. I've owned Thule racks before which were very noisy. These are silent up to 60mph, when they start emitting a very tolerable low-frequency hum. With the sunroof open it's another story...they whine like hell...but you really wouldn't have the sunroof open much anyhow with a bunch of stuff tied to the roof.
My only complaint, really, is the looks. The Volkswagen OEM bars, for example, have a very slick, rounded chrome look with low-profile feet and a nice rubber strip on top. The Volvo bars are very plain black metal, with what I consider rather big and goofy feet coming down to the roof. Overall not bad though; certainly not offensive, they just don't add much to the appearance of the car when they're on it.
First off, they're a snap to install. It took me about 30 seconds total, no exaggeration.(You do have to be quite careful not to cross-thread the screws, because if you do it looks awfully hard to replace the sockets embedded in the roof.) They also seem remarkably solid.
I took the car for a drive, and was impressed with the quiet ride. I've owned Thule racks before which were very noisy. These are silent up to 60mph, when they start emitting a very tolerable low-frequency hum. With the sunroof open it's another story...they whine like hell...but you really wouldn't have the sunroof open much anyhow with a bunch of stuff tied to the roof.
My only complaint, really, is the looks. The Volkswagen OEM bars, for example, have a very slick, rounded chrome look with low-profile feet and a nice rubber strip on top. The Volvo bars are very plain black metal, with what I consider rather big and goofy feet coming down to the roof. Overall not bad though; certainly not offensive, they just don't add much to the appearance of the car when they're on it.
