WTB: TourX Roof Rack

[runeight]

Me too!

 

[fng]

Great picture and thank you for the reply. Which rack is that and what length are your cross rails? The Thule rack on Buick’s website I believe uses 53in bars, I’d prefer to use 50 in possible.

They're Yakima 50" bars. The padded foot that sits on top of the roof has a step in it that conforms to the groove in the roof above the doors. And the channel in the bars has a flexible rubber, so you don't have to cut it. This means that if you change accessories, the rubber still fills the channel.

 

[swegyptian]

I got my Amazon rack by Cowvie installed today. I went for the pro version because i wanted black. I agree that the quality is pretty darn good. The hardware feels great. It fits nicely with no issues. I tried one of the eBay racks and had to return it because one bar wasn’t wide enough, and none of the clamps would reach far enough down on the rails.

It’s hard to imagine what spending 6x on a Thule or similar setup would net. Thanks to DasWagen for finding it!

 

[DasWagen]

Sure thing @ swegyptian. Drove from Michigan to Florida a couple days after the install. Thule rooftop carrier up top and a hitch bike rack off the back. Old school cool wagon road trip. Everything worked out well.

 

[kopek]

I got my Amazon rack by Cowvie installed today. I went for the pro version because i wanted black. I agree that the quality is pretty darn good. The hardware feels great. It fits nicely with no issues. I tried one of the eBay racks and had to return it because one bar wasn’t wide enough, and none of the clamps would reach far enough down on the rails.

It’s hard to imagine what spending 6x on a Thule or similar setup would net. Thanks to DasWagen for finding it!

View attachment 27713

I got the exact same ones, installed them a couple of days ago.
The good: they are sturdy, nice looking, low profile and mounts securely. I have no doubt that they will hold my ski box loaded with gear.
The bad: extremely noisy. They start whistling at 30 mph, and the noise becomes very noticeable from 40 mph up. At 60 mph it was so disturbing that I wanted to stop the car and take them off, but I didn't have the keys with me. I don't know if it's because of the bars themselves or the position where I installed them.
I put the front bars right behind the dimples in the rails, and the rear ones 2 inches back from the rear dimples.

Do you experience similar issues? Where have you mounted your bars?

I have a set of Rhino-Rack bars on my wife's Sorento, and they are as silent as can be. Unfortunately they don't make one that is compatible with our rails.

PS. I posted this in another TourX crossbar thread, and it has been awaiting moderator approval since early morning. Not sure why.

 

[swegyptian]

I got the exact same ones, installed them a couple of days ago.
The good: they are sturdy, nice looking, low profile and mounts securely. I have no doubt that they will hold my ski box loaded with gear.
The bad: extremely noisy. They start whistling at 30 mph, and the noise becomes very noticeable from 40 mph up. At 60 mph it was so disturbing that I wanted to stop the car and take them off, but I didn't have the keys with me. I don't know if it's because of the bars themselves or the position where I installed them.
I put the front bars right behind the dimples in the rails, and the rear ones 2 inches back from the rear dimples.

Do you experience similar issues? Where have you mounted your bars?

I have a set of Rhino-Rack bars on my wife's Sorento, and they are as silent as can be. Unfortunately they don't make one that is compatible with our rails.

PS. I posted this in another TourX crossbar thread, and it has been awaiting moderator approval since early morning. Not sure why.

That’s certainly irritating. I’ve not driven my car yet, I’ll need to pay attention. Silly question, but did you put the rubber strips on the underside of the bars?

 

[kopek]

That’s certainly irritating. I’ve not driven my car yet, I’ll need to pay attention. Silly question, but did you put the rubber strips on the underside of the bars?

Yes I did install the rubber strips on the underside. I'll mount them in a different position and try again in a few days.

 

[DasWagen]

I picked the bars with the other shape. Mine make noise but not as bad as what's described above. My wife drives the car primarily so I'm not the best judge.

 

[kwsims]

I too purchased the Cowvie roof racks from Amazon and can concur with kopek that while the construction seems sturdy, the noise is unbearable. I tried it over several days and moved the bars forward and aft a couple of times to see if it made any difference. Sadly it did not. I seemed to hear two different pitches when driving. The first noise pitch was from 25-50 mph where it sounded like a tea kettle getting louder the faster you went. After 50 mph, the sound changed to what I would have to say is an owl and a constant hooting sound that got louder as you went above 60 mph. Back to Amazon it goes and will explorer other options later.

 

[kopek]

I too purchased the Cowvie roof racks from Amazon and can concur with kopek that while the construction seems sturdy, the noise is unbearable. I tried it over several days and moved the bars forward and aft a couple of times to see if it made any difference. Sadly it did not. I seemed to hear two different pitches when driving. The first noise pitch was from 25-50 mph where it sounded like a tea kettle getting louder the faster you went. After 50 mph, the sound changed to what I would have to say is an owl and a constant hooting sound that got louder as you went above 60 mph. Back to Amazon it goes and will explorer other options later.

Very good description of the noise, I heard the exact same thing at the same speeds. Thanks kwsims for trying different positions, you saved me the trouble of doing so.
But it's getting more interesting ... after reading kwsims' report, I decided to try and mount my old Rhino-Rack bars on the Cowvie legs, and see if I can reproduce the noise. Luckily the legs and bars are compatible, and I could mount them securely. I went for a short drive tonight, speeds up to 70 mph, and no noise! Well, there was some really minimal, but nothing even remotely comparable with the Cowvie bars.
Now I am inclined to not return them, and use the Rhino bars instead. I attached pictures of the new combo and the two leg systems.

 

[kopek]

Here is a link to the Rhino bars that can be purchased separately. Two Rhino bars + the Cowvie system (for legs) are still about 50% cheaper then a Thule system.

#VA137B - Vortex Bar (Black 54") |

The Rhino-Rack Vortex bars can be purchased in black and is cut to 7 different predefined lengths to suit different vehicles. All bars include the VGS rubber strip which has been designed to reduce wind drag and noise as well as providing add...

www.rhinorack.com

 

[kwsims]

Good to hear that your rhino bars worked with the Cowvie feet kopek and could be an option for others. I check OMAC site again a bit ago and it looks like their black and silver bars are back in stock. I think I will try the silver set from them to see how they work as I think I have read others trying it and having good luck with little noise. Looks like either set is on sale for $94.90

Silver: Roof Rack Cross Bars Luggage Carrier Silver Set for Buick Regal TourX 2018-2020

Black: Roof Rack Cross Bars Luggage Carrier Fits Buick Regal TourX 2018-2020

 

[kwsims]

So I purchased the silver set from the OMAC site and tried them out today. Aerodynamic style bar and virtually no noise at any speed and rated for 165 lbs.. Much better regarding noise than the ones I tried previously from Amazon. They have a t-bar slot that is covered by a rubber insert and the set is adjustable regarding fitting the width of the car. One bar is longer than the other and it had to go towards the front with the shorter bar in the back. I positioned the bars forward and aft so I could put a 2x4 on there just to see if it cleared the shark fin antenna in the back and it seemed to work. Not sure if I will use the racks that often, but it seems like they would be useful for the occasional odd job to carry lumber or plywood from a big box store or if I get a cargo carrier box later on. I think this set mimics the Thule ones that are of similar style. Only thing that concerns me is the portion where the aluminum bars slide into the plastic piece that attaches to the rail. It is completely plastic, though it does seem study. The other option I was considering was from Micks Garage with the Nordrive telescopic aluminum roof bars. Those seem to be rated for a little bit heavier load, though I don't think you can exceed the limit of the roof rails on the Tourx anyways. If anyone has tried the Nordrive, please post opinion if you have one.

 

[swegyptian]

I think most of the noise on the cowvie bars (the pro version with the whistling issues) comes from the end of the bar, especially up front. When I pop the end cap for the bar down, the bulk of the noise seems to go away. I'm going to wrap the very end of the bar in electrical tape and try again, I think it might solve it well enough for me.

 

[kopek]

@kwsims those OMAC bars look really good. I see you mounted them quite far apart from each other.
Here is how my mix-and-match roof rack system looks with the ski box on it.

 

[kopek]

I think most of the noise on the cowvie bars (the pro version with the whistling issues) comes from the end of the bar, especially up front. When I pop the end cap for the bar down, the bulk of the noise seems to go away. I'm going to wrap the very end of the bar in electrical tape and try again, I think it might solve it well enough for me.

Do let us know how it goes.

 

[swegyptian]

Welp, it didn't work. Still plenty of noise. I think I'll order the Rhino Rack bars and use the Cowvie legs. What length are people using for the Rhino bars? I think the Cowvie are 47" and seem to be plenty long, so the 46" makes sense. Is there an advantage to getting wider ones?

 

[kopek]

Welp, it didn't work. Still plenty of noise. I think I'll order the Rhino Rack bars and use the Cowvie legs. What length are people using for the Rhino bars? I think the Cowvie are 47" and seem to be plenty long, so the 46" makes sense. Is there an advantage to getting wider ones?

Mine are 50" but that's because I had them for my previous car. There is no advantage in having wider ones, unless you plan on carrying many different things at the same time, like a cargo box and bike rack.

 

[DasWagen]

@ kwsims, how are the bars several weeks into use? My Cowvie's are so loud they're driving me crazy. They are quiet with the rooftop carrie on, but annoying as could be driving around w/out.

I'm at the point where I'll put them on only when I need to use them. That's not often, but still.

Sorry to whomever purchased these based on my recommendation.

 

[kwsims]

@ kwsims, how are the bars several weeks into use? My Cowvie's are so loud they're driving me crazy. They are quiet with the rooftop carrie on, but annoying as could be driving around w/out.

I'm at the point where I'll put them on only when I need to use them. That's not often, but still.

Sorry to whomever purchased these based on my recommendation.

I returned the Cowvie bars back to Amazon. The ones I purchased from OMAC are pretty quiet. I don't have a cargo box, but wanted the roof bars in case I get it later or need it to bring home some lumber or something down the road.