[JonF1]

Have an upcoming family trip which means taking a little more than fits in the hatch of the X3. I was looking for the Thule Motion XT in the grey which i thought would get less hot than the typical all black plastic boxes but there were no good deals on them out there. Picked this Yakima GrandTour 18 up from REI with the memorial day sale and it seems to fit nicely. Wish i could consolidate the keys but the BMW(Thule) key and the Yak key seem different. Using the OEM BMW racks mounted at the marks on the rails, there's plenty of space and clearance all around including the hatch for this 18 cu/ft, over 7' long XL sized box.

[Goldiegee]

A couple of thoughts on this thread.
I bought the Thule aero bars in 2011, along with 4 Pro bike holders. Since then they have been fitted to an Audi A6 Avant, an F25, a G30 and now a G01 (same feet as the F25).
Is all I have had to do is change the foot pack. If I had bought the OEM bars it would have cost a fortune. The Thule bars in the UK we're about the same price as the OEM ones. So you need to consider the long term if you are changing cars, it may be cheaper to get the Thule. If you have another car in the family of a different brand that you want to use, it may make even more sense.

Also, re the noise, if you look in the Thule instructions is says you can alter the noise by moving the bars back and forward, and gives some maximum and minimum dimensions for this. Worth experimenting.

[Meade1]

Unrelated, but what are those mud guards and how well do they work?

Originally Posted by JonF1

Have an upcoming family trip which means taking a little more than fits in the hatch of the X3. I was looking for the Thule Motion XT in the grey which i thought would get less hot than the typical all black plastic boxes but there were no good deals on them out there. Picked this Yakima GrandTour 18 up from REI with the memorial day sale and it seems to fit nicely. Wish i could consolidate the keys but the BMW(Thule) key and the Yak key seem different. Using the OEM BMW racks mounted at the marks on the rails, there's plenty of space and clearance all around including the hatch for this 18 cu/ft, over 7' long XL sized box.

[JonF1]

Originally Posted by Meade1

Unrelated, but what are those mud guards and how well do they work?

Got them on ebay, there are a few threads here documenting the compatibility but the ones advertized as fitting a G01 with M-Sport fit perfect. Get ones that come with mounting hardware to make it even easier. Car is still a bit new so the jury is still out regarding protection but with the width of the M40i tires plus the amount of debris that gets flung up from the summer Advan's, every little bit helps.

[bmwX3_2011]

Hi,
I am ready to purchase the roof rack for my BMW X3. The REI sales rep is telling me that I can purchase the Thule wing bar EVO, as I have flushed rail. Though, After looking at pictures here, I am not sure if my car actually have flush rails or bare roof.
I have some sort of black liner with a small gap, and am not sure if this set up will work. I have added couple of photos of the roof of my car.
Thank you and apologize for basic question.

[brettl]

Looks like you have a 2011 x3, this forum is for 2018+, there is another forum for 2011-2017 who might have some folks more familiar with your model. That said, check out rack n road on San Carlos ave in San Jose, their staff would be way more educated on this subject then the rei folks.

[bmwX3_2011]

Thank you. I am going to check out the San Carlos store. My apologies for posting this on the wrong forum.

[superpcparts]

Yes
Hi Mike,
The roof rack is best for bikes and front tires and I also bought Toyota Sienna as I have car which I purchased for Toyota.

https://www.superpcparts.com/best-pi...toyota-sienna/

[Michachael]

Originally Posted by nogren

If it helps, I have a Thule Touring Alpine on my X3, on an old set of Thule Aerobar roof racks.

https://www.takbox.se/butik/takbox-t...430-liter.html

Hi there!

I found your post via the Search function. Hoping you can help me...

I have a BMW X5 G05. One of my biggest concerns in buying the THULE MOTION XT ALPINE box, is that the general rule for the roofboxes is that you should not drive faster than 80MPH / 130KMH.

I regularly do long drives across Germany and my average speed is usually 150-160KMH, if weather and traffic allow of course.

I'm considering the ALPINE version (i.e. more streamlined sporty roofbox of Thule) and only putting in light stuff like clothes, pillows, ... Probably never more than 40-50KG in total (vs the 75KG allowed).

What is your experiences with higher speeds with the ALPINE ?

Thank you
M