thule and yakima are basically similar in terms of quality and price. the only difference seem to be round bars (yakima) versus rectangular (thule). i used to have the yakima set up on a previous car. the front wind deflector is a MUST to cut down on some of the wind noise, plus, it looks cooler with it. good luck.

 

Not sure on pricing comparison, but Volvo is running their rebate - $15 mail in on the load bars and $15 on the ski attachment.

http://www.bostonvolvo.com/user_files/image/parts/winter2011.pdf

Here's an auction you could grab, it's a dealer, so you can get the rebate with the form and your receipt from them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volv...0247786?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4394434e6a#ht_522wt_1165

 

i got mine from the second one easy to work with

 

These are the OEM roof racks with a fork mounted bike carrier. I like how the load bars do not stick out past the posts.

 

These are the OEM roof racks with a fork mounted bike carrier. I like how the load bars do not stick out past the posts.

wow, that looks sleek. I'd definitely go OEM then. It's been awhile, but I think the yak/thule set up just for the clamps and poles are about $150-200, so pricing is very comparable.

 

this is old but here ya go

should be putting them back on soon so ill take a new pic soon

 

Is there a wind deflector for the OEM set or will any brand be able to attach?

 

I have the Thule Rapid Aero bars on mine with fairing (not pictured). The fairing made a HUGE difference in wind noise. In my opinion Thule is the way to go, plus, they're Swedish However, I am somewhat displeased with the Rapid Aero setup... although they look a little sleeker, they require an adapter kit for just about anything that goes on top, whereas the traditional square Thule bars do not. I'll try to snap a more current picture showing the fairing and bike rack without the 'yak.

 

This post is great! I was thinking about buying canoes/long kayaks. Now I know it can be done on an S40.

My setup is the OEM load bars which I think is much better integrated than others if you intend to have it often mounted. Mine was for holding a bike rack. If you go with the OEM bars you'll have to go with OEM racks due to the curvature of the loading bars. I had some issues with the bike rack which didn't fit with the OEM rack as it was supposed to. I probably got the wrong part from an older model setup. It's fine now as I did a quick adapter.

 

Thule is actually the company that supplies Volvo with their racks, Volvo just re-brands them.

Andres

 

I think the wind deflector/ fairing give it the nice look. Now i dont know if i should go with oem (which I dont think you can get a deflector on) or the other ones..

And thanks for the help guys. And the pics look great

 

I think the wind deflector/ fairing give it the nice look. Now i dont know if i should go with oem (which I dont think you can get a deflector on) or the other ones.

Volvo's square (non-aero) crossbars *should* take Thule's corresponding fairing attachment.

 

Volvo only has a few choices in roof racks and accessory mounts (bikes, boats and such).

Thule is the company that makes the racks for Volvo, and if you go direct to Thule you can get far more options and all the fairings you want.

You could always get certain pieces from Volvo if you really wanted the OEM logo on there.

Andres

 

If i do it that way though I doubt it will be lowering much wind noise if any.

 

the yakima fairing is $69 online. probably around the same price for the thule.

i think you can't go wrong with any of the racks. they are all nice. everyone likes a nice rack.

 

There's my rack. Yakima. The clamps have scratched my car some, and there are residue marks from where the rubber touches the car, but it comes off with relative ease when cleaning the car. I usually leave the racks on unless I'm making a long distance road trip without my kayaks.

There is a slight diff in MPH though even with the fairing, but it cuts down on the noise BIG time..

Hope it helps..

 

Here are the OEM racks with the OEM box/rack. Can carry a lot...

Older pic, with the OEM racks and Coleman snowboard/ski holders:

 

^^^^^^ I love the exhaust tips you're running on that S40, Carerra. Are they a one-off, or is that a full exhaust setup?

 

First pic? They are available from a company. Built for a different type of vehicle, but I like them so I don't care. They get mixed reviews, some people love how aggressive they are and others say they remind them of acura tips (they are not, but are made by a luxury aftermarket company). Can't please everyone, but I don't care.

It's almost time to put my racks back on, and this thread gets me excited.

 

Thule racks are designed to adapt to a million applications... they are easy to use and.... they´re swedish like our volvos

 

Hmmm.. I'll be honest, I've absolutely NEVER considered the racks. However, my second favorite past time aside from ****ing with my car would be hittin' the slopes. But the S40 doesn't exactly have the most passenger-friendly back seat when piled up with 2+ boards.... Does Yakima produce racks for our cars? B/c I don't know what it is, but I love their rack & deflector..

Scratching my roof is.. well.. absolutely unacceptable. Thin plastic stickers, you say??

I guess a nice board rack will go nicely with my blacked-out winter rims...

 

To solve the scratching/marring issue of the feet on the roof's contact points, I bought some 3M clear bra material and made custom cuts and applied it directly under where my racks met the roof. Basically, cut four rectangles slightly bigger than the foot of the rack and apply. Definitely saved the A4's roof over time! And, it didn't even really scratch the 3M stuff, so double win!

And yes, it's always there even when the racks were off, but it's thin and clear, so you couldn't see it!

 

When comparing Thule or Yakima vs. OEM, keep in mind that the OEM cross bars include everything you need to fit an S40. After you buy the aftermarket crossbars, you then need adapters to fit your specific model, which adds to the cost. As indicated above, there are a few Volvo Retailers on the net with some very good offers. Plus you know it fits and won't scratch the paint.

 

took a quick pic from my phone just put them on today oem



hoping to get out this weekend

 

Sk8 Ma BaNaNa, you have exactly what I'm looking for. I already have the oem load bars but is this carrier below the carrier that you have?

http://vparts.dealerfit.com/store/volvo-s40-v40-v50-ski-carrier-prod126_6036.php

 

yup

 

these are the ones i got http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volv...-Models-/290169557469?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item438f7411dd

 

awesome, thanks man

 

that's a good price on Ebay. Volvo roof stuff is Thule. When I needed a part for my Volvo bike rack and roof bars, I called Thule and there was not question what I wanted.

 

np

 

The difference between the base Yakima and Thule is that Yakima has round bars where Thule has square bars. To fit Thule equipment (bike or ski carriers) you need to get some adapters. There are also Thule aerobars which look more classy, have an aerodinamic oval shape and the accessories are installed using special adapters.

Thule also has wind deflectors, and look basically the same as the Yakima, except of course they say Thule. I think the OEM bars for the S40 are actually manufactured by Thule. They look a lot like the standard aerobars.

 

So I just confirmed that Thule does not actually make the OEM Volvo load bars, however has adapters to make most accessories fit.

I just bought the OEM bars as I like how they're obviously specifically made for our cars and look super sleek as the bars don't run past the end of our roof.

However, I'm having trouble finding a wind deflector, and that's b/c nobody makes one specifically for our cars. Has anybody tried to modify the Thule deflector to fit our load bars? I'm thinking that the cross-section of the OEM is about the same as the Thule aero bars, however can anybody confirm this? Also, the profile of the two bars are different b/c the OEM arcs to fit the roof perfectly.... Anybody have any ideas short of fab'ing my own?

I guess I should also add that you can actually adapt a Thule bar, but that's with an Xadapt kit, and the bolts stick straight up, not allowing a snowboard/ski rack, so that's not an option...

 

Can you post a photo of your load bars? I've got a Thule rack with a Thule fairing and I'm thinking you should be able to get the fairing to fit on your OEM bars.