Shaky Posted December 2, 2010 Report Share Posted December 2, 2010 Winter is coming up here in Canada and I was wondering if there are any Edge owners that have installed the Ford factory cross bars to go along with their factory installed roof rails. The Ford bars seem to be shaped to cut through the wind much more so than Yakima (round bars) and Thule (square bars).....but since the Ford cross bars are screwed directly into the roof rails, I was wondering how strong they would be with a large ski box attached to them. Cost is around 137.00 CAN + tax...with Yakima and Thule at least double that. Any advise or comments would be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Jean Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 Winter is coming up here in Canada and I was wondering if there are any Edge owners that have installed the Ford factory cross bars to go along with their factory installed roof rails. The Ford bars seem to be shaped to cut through the wind much more so than Yakima (round bars) and Thule (square bars).....but since the Ford cross bars are screwed directly into the roof rails, I was wondering how strong they would be with a large ski box attached to them. Cost is around 137.00 CAN + tax...with Yakima and Thule at least double that. Any advise or comments would be appreciated same question here, I called Ford, hope a answer in 6 week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIK Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 I bought and installed them. I'm sure they aren't as strong as the Thule or Yakima, and for a large load I'd put those on. But for driving around every day, the factory bars are sleeker and fit better. They'll be fine for lighter loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaky Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 I took the plunge and opted for the Thule. They strap around the factory rails and once tightened, hold SOLID AS A ROCK. Not to mention that the Thule cross bars are raised about 3 inches higher than where the factory cross bars would be installed and I'm able to space these bars wider apart (front to back) than would normally be achieved with the factory cross bars ( The problem lies with the factory bars not being adjustable and must be installed in the preset drill holes in the rails. The latter is a huge benefit as I have an old (10 yrs) Bic sportrack that's a MONSTER that I used to mount on my Chevy Suburban and I must have the widest stance possible to hold the giant thing down. I mounted it today and took it for a test drive. There was wind noise evident without the radio on, however, due to the fact that I can fill the box with skis and other stuff the increase in cargo capacity far out ways the noise hassle. I turned the radio on at low level and it all but disappeared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmonahan0501 Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) I installed the Thule system and it works great. I have a Thule Cascade carrier and it's pretty long. The factory rails wouldn't work because (1) the space is fixed and I couldn't get the proper spacing and still open the tailgate, (2) the carrier wouldn't fit over the antenna. With the Thule system, the antenna is not a problem and I can still open the tailgate fully. The Aero bars a a little more aerodynamic but I can still hear a little wind noise. Ford part number A7FCS-45053R-AA which is a complete front/rear Thule kit that consists of Thule 450R feet, 53in Aero bars, and lock set for only $256) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180474084991 [Just notice the price went up since I bought it) Edited February 1, 2011 by mmonahan0501 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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