Has anybody added the Thule Atlantis series of cargo carriers on the factory roof rack of the GL. I have a 08 GL 450 with the factory cross bars (19" wheel package) and I am having a hard time finding out if that box will fit on the factory cross bars. I know the Mercedes car carrier needs some bolts to install, The Thule Atlantis is the same box but comes in Gloss black and about $200 less expensive. The Thule attachment systems seems like it would fit any factory cross bars but the GL cross bars are pretty wide. Please let me know if anybody has had expierence with this set up.

Thank You,

Mike

Funny you ask that question. Yesterday, I bought the Thule Atlantis 1800 in silver from REI for my GL 450. It was $487.00 with tax (received a 20% member discount). Yes, it fits like a glove on the factory racks, and it takes literally 1 minute to install. The most suprising thing, is that is not noisy at all. Hope this helps

How much weight can it take (I don't recall what the roof rack limit is - 100lbs?) and loaded up what does it do to the overall stability of the vehicle?

Thanks!

STP

UBRS -

That is pretty funny - I was also going to buy the Atlantis 1800 it REI with 20% member discount. My GL is black and they make the Atlantis in a Black gloss that would match the GL perfect. I was debating the 1800 vs the 2100 and realized the 2100 is just too big. Thank you very much for the info I am going tonight to REI and ordering the Black 1800. Did you have any issues with the rear hatch opening up all the way without hitting the box? I am also glad to hear that you are not having any wind noise or whistling issues (i have heard the Mercedes box has a loud whistling noise without rigging the bars with tape). Thanks again that was exactly what I wanted to find out.

I do not know what the weigh limit is for the box, but I think you are right, the limit for the roof rack is 100lbs.

No problems with the rear hatch, plenty of room to open and close.

Yeah, you will find more wind noise with ski racks than with the Thule top box.

Not surprising the Thule box fits the crossbars, as the crossbars are made by Thule.

I'm pretty sure the weight limit is 220 lbs. on the 450 crossbars.

Agreed, I've routinely placed more than 100 lbs in my Thule! Nearly place my 14 year old up there on one trip...would not have been a weight problem...

I was also thinking of buying the Atlantis 1800 cargo box, but I could not get a straight answer from Thule about whether the box would fit the MB factory-installed crossbars that came with the 19" wheel package. Their customer service rep would only say it wasn't listed in their system as "compatible" (which, she seemed to be suggesting - wink, wink - doesn't necessarily mean it's incompatible). What gives? She suggested I buy the box, see if it fits, and if not then purchase the Thule crossbars. It would a shame not to be able to use the OEM crossbars, though, which are pretty slick.

The GL manual says to remove the crossbars when not in use, so I did. But now I'm confused about where to reinstall the front one. The rear one lines up at an opening in the rails that's pretty obvious, but there is supposed to be some kind of "marking" on the inside of the roof rail where the front crossbar goes. If it's there, I can't find it. Does anyone know what this marking would look like?

One consideration as regards cargo box--I "think" as I haven't mounted mine yet--is potential for "hiding" the SAT radio antenna.

I'd go for short and fat rather than long and skinny, that is.

Back around Christmas time, I went with the Yakima SkyBox Pro 21... The biggest box I could find at the time... My GL didn't come with the roof racks, so I also bought a Yakima base rack to go with it...

All I can say is... What a great box! The thing is huge and really helps fit all of the family gear, especially when the dog takes up the rear cargo area.

For those of you that are debating between the 18 and 21, I would suggest that you get the biggest you can find.

The 21 fits the GL just fine and actually, at least for Yakima, the 21 and the 18 are the same length... The difference is that the 21 is a couple of inches taller.

I went ahead and ordered the Thule Atlantis 1800, I am waiting for the box to be shipped to the local store. I will pick it up hopefully by Sat. I will let you if it fits, Based on UBRS reply it should fit just fine - I also was told by the rep from REI that the Thule sales book and fit book shows that the Atlantis is not a option for the GL factory racks - However I hope it works.

Thanks

Keeping just the crossbars, nevermind the box itself will kill fuel economy. Long and skinny is better for reducing drag and helping fuel economy. The higher the speeds, the more severe the negative effect.

I just tested my Thule Atlantis 1800 on a 8 hour round-trip to Lake Tahoe. Did not notice a fuel economy change. The box works awesome, and it is so damm quiet, it is unbeliveable. Btw, the box will fit perfect on the OEM crossbars.

Does the box cover the SAT antenna (i.e. did it have any effect on Navigation or Satellite Radio)?

Does anyone have any suggestions in response to my question about where the "markings" would be for reinstalling the front crossbar?

I was just thinking if my old Thule box would mount on the OEM bars.

http://www.thuleracks.com/product_sp..._id=52&sku=668

Anyone has pictures of their box installed on the OEM bars?

No problems with the SAT radio/antenna or Navigation. I used both this past weekend.

There are no markings for the front, at least not to my knowledge, so I just eyed it.

Basically,you want to go as wide as possible if you are going to install a cargo box.

My rear crossbars are set back pass the markings.

There are dimples on the inside of front roof rails on my 550 to center the crossbars between, the instructions show the rear bars over the heavy supports.

Hey UBRS -

How was Tahoe - Again so funny, The reason I am buying the box is for my trip from SoCal to Tahoe in a couple of weeks. I am driving with a 2 1/2 year old and all the gear that comes with him and I wanted the interior to be luggage and stroller free so we can travel in comfort. Do you have any pics you can post. I have to wait untill Sat for my box. By the way how far back did you set your cross bars?

Thank You for the response

KOPIER,

I'm actually heading up this weekend, with a 2.5 yrs and 2 months old. Add along 4 adults, we're going to be using the 3rd row which means no interior luggage space.

Will be racking up my old Thule Frontier, hopefully there won't be any issues.

Tahoe was awesome. I timed it perfect, we received about 6-8 inches of new snow on Friday night. Monday was getting pretty warm. However,the snow was holding up just fine. I'd say the next two weeks will be spring skiing. With that said, there is plenty of snow.

Unfortunately, I did not take pics of the GL with the box. I'll try to take some tomorrow.

I set the rear crossbar about two to three inches behind the heavy supports (as far as they could go). The front ones, are about 3-5 inches behind the moonroof.

As promised...