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I finally got my new 2018 wagon, and it's been awesome so far. It's in the shop for tinting/clear bra and snow tires at the moment (as I'm traveling out of state). Next step is getting my ski/bike rack set-up. What have people done thus far? Anyone have pictures?
My local rack shop is pushing Thule aero bars and a Yakima fat cat ski mount. I'm not a fan of the looks of the Yakima ski mount so I was wondering if anyone here has put a rack on yet and would be willing to share pictures, thanks! I kind of like the old school look of a wind faring and more traditional rack components, but would that look to dated for a 2018 E63?
Beautiful example! Love the black window trim and rails that accentuate the black/carbon trim pieces.
I have the Thule Aero bars and will get the towers that clamp onto the new W213 railings. I will get the towers that allow the Aero bar to slide past/over the towers themselves, allowing for longer bars so I can fit my kayak/bike mounts next to my rooftop carrier at the same time. Here are a few pictures of the W212 with my setup though I didn't have both things on the roof at the same time in these shots. I could have as the Aero cross bars are long enough.
It can't be seen in the picture but the other side of the rooftop carrier clamps outside of the car's rails, thus allowing more room to mount other things. The carrier is over the driver's side and the kayak mounts are closest.
The bars that terminate into the towers look clean and very stylish (for a roof carrier system) but they don't offer as much room to mount accessories.
Btw, I can put my mtn. bike in this rooftop carrier by lowering the seat into the frame and taking off the wheels and laying them on top of the bike frame - with a little padding and wheel bags.
Not to hijack your thread, but we have similar tastes with our de-badged W213's. Great color! I prefer it over the Palladium Silver on the W212. My W213 is also currently in the shop for clearbra.
I think using rubber straps to mount Thule bars on such a nice car is really inelegant. I tried the Thule aero bars on my W212 wagon, but they would make contact with the panorama sunroof. I settled on Whispbars and had the actual bars powder coated in black (although you can buy them in black now). The Whispbars sit higher, but seem more integrated.
Yakima owns Whispbars and I've noticed the distribution is a little confusing. You can buy the bars from amazon, but the accessories only seem to be available in overseas markets for some reason.
I tried the Thule aero bars on my W212 wagon, but they would make contact with the panorama sunroof.
I have had no issues opening the pano roof when carrying my gear. You must have a different set up.
The new car has lower profile rails so it may be an issue now, but I noticed that the upward tilt movement of my W213's pano roof seems to be less than the W212, perhaps because of the lower profile rails. I'll be getting the new towers soon so I'll know then what the new clearance will be.
I think using rubber straps to mount Thule bars on such a nice car is really inelegant. I tried the Thule aero bars on my W212 wagon, but they would make contact with the panorama sunroof. I settled on Whispbars and had the actual bars powder coated in black (although you can buy them in black now). The Whispbars sit higher, but seem more integrated.
Yakima owns Whispbars and I've noticed the distribution is a little confusing. You can buy the bars from amazon, but the accessories only seem to be available in overseas markets for some reason.
I had Thule rubber straps from the towers on the W212 and it was not noticeable in a sloppy sense, but to each his own. I never had issues with the sunroof opening either. Cleared the bike rails as well as space box.
I am curious as to what to use with the lower profile setup on the W213.
I have had no issues opening the pano roof when carrying my gear. You must have a different set up.
The new car has lower profile rails so it may be an issue now, but I noticed that the upward tilt movement of my W213's pano roof seems to be less than the W212, perhaps because of the lower profile rails. I'll be getting the new towers soon so I'll know then what the new clearance will be.
i think it came down to tolerances...a few mm here and there and it seemed to work for some peeps (which is why i ordered it first)...but alas, my pano made contact when opening
We went to Rack Attack in Denver and ended up with Thule AeroBlade 47" (the 53" size recommended by the Thule web site are too wide), Rapid Podium Foot Pack, and the "4055" podium fit kit. This setup allows complete operation of the pano roof - both tilt up and slide back to open.
We cut the ends off the AeroBlade's to eliminate as much hangover past the pads as possible. Cutting the AeroBlades is not straightforward as we needed to cut both sides to keep the "bow" centered. Also needed to cut/file a replacement notch on the outside edges where the end caps clip in.
We went to Rack Attack in Denver and ended up with Thule AeroBlade 47" (the 53" size recommended by the Thule web site are too wide), Rapid Podium Foot Pack, and the "4055" podium fit kit. This setup allows complete operation of the pano roof - both tilt up and slide back to open.
We cut the ends off the AeroBlade's to eliminate as much hangover past the pads as possible. Cutting the AeroBlades is not straightforward as we needed to cut both sides to keep the "bow" centered. Also needed to cut/file a replacement notch on the outside edges where the end caps clip in.
Was there a reason you didn't go with the Aeroblade edge 760? https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/roof-...ks?q=dLcgJHRNy I am about to order these for mine but at the same time the extra width available in the standard Aeroblade may come in handy, say 2 bikes and a box
Last edited by media636; May 10, 2018 at 09:35 AM.
Beautiful example! Love the black window trim and rails that accentuate the black/carbon trim pieces.
I have the Thule Aero bars and will get the towers that clamp onto the new W213 railings. I will get the towers that allow the Aero bar to slide past/over the towers themselves, allowing for longer bars so I can fit my kayak/bike mounts next to my rooftop carrier at the same time. Here are a few pictures of the W212 with my setup though I didn't have both things on the roof at the same time in these shots. I could have as the Aero cross bars are long enough.
It can't be seen in the picture but the other side of the rooftop carrier clamps outside of the car's rails, thus allowing more room to mount other things. The carrier is over the driver's side and the kayak mounts are closest.
The bars that terminate into the towers look clean and very stylish (for a roof carrier system) but they don't offer as much room to mount accessories.
Btw, I can put my mtn. bike in this rooftop carrier by lowering the seat into the frame and taking off the wheels and laying them on top of the bike frame - with a little padding and wheel bags.
Nice, do you use bow and stern tie downs as well? I am a little worried about them rubbing against the matte finish
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