Use the Volvo OEM load bars; they are of great quality and generate minimal, if any, noise.

 

They also cost a lot less for pretty much the same thing.....

 

Here are a few pics of my car with the OEM load bars and a Yakima rack.
I hear wind noise very minimally, certainly nothing that bothers me to the point of wanting to remove them. They're also really easy to install/reposition/remove.

 

Were you up at Squaw on Saturday? I swear I saw your car parked over near Squaw Kids!

 

@snow4me, great pics in the Lake Tahoe adventure thread. I have a question about opening the panoramic roof with the load carriers. The manual (app) says not to do this but from your pics it look like there should be plenty of clearance. Have you (or anyone reading this) tilted or opened the roof with the load carriers attached?

 

Thanks!
I tried both tilting and sliding the roof open and both cleared the rack without problem.

 

I have the Volvo Expandable roof box and it is great! It looks great on the car, has a lot of room and can be collapsed after unloading which is great for not worrying about low level parking garages and such. When collapsed it is the coolest looking box in my mind. they have pics on youtube. I was able to get 20% off the box and the load bars which was a great deal. I have the low profile (Wing) load bars and they do make a light whistle you can hear if the
radio is off. Didn't notice to much wind noise from the box although i saw about a 1mpg loss with it on in its expanded position.

 

Can you post a picture of yours?

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I thought I read somewhere that the Volvo bars were relabeled Thule bars. IIRC the info was from a European website which I can't locate at the moment. Can anybody confirm/correct this?

 

Volvo bars ARE re-labelled Thule bars, but they seem to be cheaper!


I also have the same one @Snow4me has - and they honestly don't do much noise at all. I do have them off though when I don't have the roof box on, but that's only because i like the flush look.

 

I don't mind the expense of the OEM Volvo load bars, I like the way they attach to the roof rails, they are quiet, but the crossbars are just too thick, none of my old stuff fits except for the Thule roof box. My Yakima bike rack and Thule ski rack all have smaller clips that don't work with the enormous cross bars.

 

I'm hoping a Yakima SkyBox 21 Carbonite Cargo Box will work with the Volvo OEM load bars!!!

 

My circa 2011 Yakima Rocketbox 12 fits the Volvo OEM low profile bars.

And yes, the OEM crossbars are indeed rebranded Thule (at least the US ones for sure). The underside of the locking foot cover has Thule imprinted on it. There is no outward facing Thule branding logos on the OEM bars even though they are Thule. Just cost way less. A no brainer to get the OEM ones!

 

We had a set of Thule Aero through bars from our last car that I just got the new fit kit for to fit the XC90, but I also ended up buying a set of the Aero flush bars because the old ones stick out a bit more on this car than I liked and we don't need the extra space very often. I can easily switch between the two if needed.. I only had them on the car for a couple of days when we got our Christmas tree, so don't have any very good pics.. I expect they are noticeably quieter than the Volvo bars, as they are compared to BMW bars. I don't think as quiet as Whisbars, but those weren't available for the flush roof rails when I needed them for our previous car (X5) and the Thule's are close.

 

Have the OE Volvo bars and they are definitely easy to mount and look great. They are also pretty quiet. Didn't hear any additional noise until I mounted my vintage (read: old as hell) Thule frontier box to them. Hatch clearance was not an issue at all since the rails run all the way forward unlike my old 4Runners.

I went back and forth between running my Thule aerobars or aeroblades (have both since have always run Thule gear) but decided the Volvo branded Thule bars look better (IMHO), but many may disagree. Here's a couple crappy pics:

 

Looks good. I think I'll end up getting those soon. How much did you pay? By the way, I've got the exact same vintage box. I've thought about getting a newer one, but it's still functional (besides a small puncture on the top from when the wife pulled into the garage, forgetting the box was still on).

 

Do people ever use the load bars with luggage, or furniture? If I were to go on a long road trip with all 7 seats in use, and there was no room in the trunk, would I be able to store luggage on top of the car?

 

If you mounted a cargo Basket or cargo box. Directly on the roof, I would't.

In my previous vehicle (4Runner), when using all 7 seats I would have to use a 21cuft Thule Cargo box (Sonic XXL) to contain all the luggage. Worked well! Haven't had the need to use that big box on this car, yet.

 

OEM cross bars with Thule XXL. Perfect fit!
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OEM cross bars with Thule XXL. Perfect fit!

Glad to know my Sonic XXL will fit, too!

 

It appears the low profile rails allow for more weight (170 lb. vs. 220 lb.) than the higher rails (Momentum level vs. Inscription/RDesign levels). Good to know because the 50 lb. difference is a lot!!!

 

Apologize for the dirty car but here are the Volvo OEM load bars with the OEM roof box from Volvo. By the way, next time I mount it I'll move it back. I pushed it all the way forward to see if my Sirius XM reception was better because I hit some dead spots in the mountains. It didn't make a difference.

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Apologize for the dirty car but here are the Volvo OEM load bars with the OEM roof box from Volvo. By the way, next time I mount it I'll move it back. I pushed it all the way forward to see if my Sirius XM reception was better because I hit some dead spots in the mountains. It didn't make a difference.

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Love the OEM cargo box. Looks good. How much did the OEM rails and cargo box cost all together? Can you drive in and out of the garage with it still on? Looks like you can.

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Um, that's dirty? Geesh, I wish mine were that "dirty". 😉

 

Interested in what folks use their roof racks for when getting a cargo holder? How much cargo can one expect to fit assuming used for luggage?


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Aero profile on the inscription trim rails works well. It's near silent and low to the car. We use ours with a roof box and with a ski holder. Out here (Switzerland) the Volvo parts are more competitively priced than Thule accessories.

 

Am I hearing folks correctly that the OEM equipment not only is it less noisy and has low centre of gravity, but that it doesn't cause drag at higher speeds up to the national roads speed limits or makes the car unstable around curvy roads? And how significant is fuel consumption degradation when the roof box is attached?

 

OEM Load Bars with Thule ski rack, and OEM hitch with Thule bike rack..

 

I have the raised rails on my XC-90. Looking at these:

Thule AeroBlade Edge 7503

Does anyone know if with these rails, you will impede the sunroof from opening?

Thanks
Paul Caldwell
2017-XC-90

 

I have the raised rails on my XC-90. Looking at these:

Thule AeroBlade Edge 7503

Does anyone know if with these rails, you will impede the sunroof from opening?

Thanks
Paul Caldwell
2017-XC-90

When you do a search car racks with roof rails on Thule's website, AeroBlade Edge 7503 is on the list recommended by Thule.

https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/roof-rack/car-racks?q=gCwCYYxov

I think it should be fine. If you want to be sure, you may want to contact Thule before buying.

 

Thanks

PC

 

Can someone clarify for me - are the OEM crossbars sold in pairs or individually? i.e. Do I need to buy one or two?

I am specifically referring to part number 31454720.

 

They are a pair, so just order one of part number 31454720. In that box, you get two crossbars and 4 keys.

 

Low profile rails, VOLVO OEM load bars + Thule Flow Ski Box:

 

Wow....that's some snowfall!!!

 

When installing the OEM bars, it says wait for a click. The first time I tried I heard a real faint "click" and "thought that couldn't be it" and kept tightening. I tried to loosen it back up and the re-tighten but never heard the "click" again. Subsequently, I did not hear them on the other ones as well. How tight should I have to tighten them and is it easy to over tighten them?

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When installing the OEM bars, it says wait for a click. The first time I tried I heard a real faint "click" and "thought that couldn't be it" and kept tightening. I tried to loosen it back up and the re-tighten but never heard the "click" again. Subsequently, I did not hear them on the other ones as well. How tight should I have to tighten them and is it easy to over tighten them?

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When I placed mine (Momentum), I kept alternating tightening on right side/left side back and forth. You will hear a series of obvious clicks when you are tight enough. I am unsure if you can over tighten, but the click is loud and unmistakable. I am thinking you are not there yet......

 

I can order these non OEM roof rack from roof bar manufacture in china directly for $180. these bars are being sold in Volvo dealer in china.
if anyone is interested let me know. I can even arrange a group buy to get more discount if we have more head counts. I just order mine will post pic once I get it install.

according to the spec it can hold up to 150KG

 

I can order these non OEM roof rack from roof bar manufacture in china directly for $180. these bars are being sold in Volvo dealer in china.
if anyone is interested let me know. I can even arrange a group buy to get more discount if we have more head counts. I just order mine will post pic once I get it install.

according to the spec it can hold up to 150KG

I'm not trying to offend or dismiss your offer of organizing a group buy, but the Volvo OEM bars are only a little more expensive at about $200 here in the US. I think at such a minimal difference, many might want to stick with OEM? Is there a benefit to these over the OEM excepting the load rating of 150kg which actually exceeds the vehicle roof rail limit of 100kg to my knowledge.