[stranoblaze]

Do you find them noisy at all? If it really doesn’t make enough for you to notice a difference.

If Thule comes off easily I would have opted for those already.

noise with just the bars and no box attached?

 

[DanKNyc]

Yeah. I’m guessing it doesn’t really make that much noise right?

Now REI is asking me to measure from the middle of the back of the last roof cross bar to the trunk hatch open.
They want to know if it’s more than 40.5 inches between those points and they said the force XT L will fit.

@stranoblaze your box fits on the Thule bars so I’m guessing the mdx factory crossbars will be the same.

 

[DanKNyc]

Sorry. Meant I need to know if there is at least 47.5 inches from middle of the back side of the factory crossbars to the hatch when open.
Anyone have the cross bars on a 2017 or similar body style mdx?

 

[stranoblaze]

Yeah. I’m guessing it doesn’t really make that much noise right?

Now REI is asking me to measure from the middle of the back of the last roof cross bar to the trunk hatch open.
They want to know if it’s more than 40.5 inches between those points and they said the force XT L will fit.

@stranoblaze your box fits on the Thule bars so I’m guessing the mdx factory crossbars will be the same.

with the thule aeroblades, there is minimal wind noise and really only noticeable if you intentionally try to listen for it. but with your stereo on and windows rolled up, you won’t even notice.
with the box attached, the wind noise is more noticeable but that’s a given.

 

[DanKNyc]

with the thule aeroblades, there is minimal wind noise and really only noticeable if you intentionally try to listen for it. but with your stereo on and windows rolled up, you won’t even notice.
with the box attached, the wind noise is more noticeable but that’s a given.

Thanks for the info.

So here's what I ended up with:

Acura factory crossbars (my MDX advance already had the rails)
Tule Force XT L

Factory crossbar noise is barely noticeable, if at all... and you have to have all music off to even think about hearing a difference.
The thule on the car is definitely noisy, but it's only really noticeable above 50mph.

I don't know if anyone has ever done the no rails thule setup which to me seems like the "better" way to go at a tradeoff.

The benefit of the factory rails and crossbars is that they're meant for the vehicle. the disadvantage is that the factory crossbars are not moveable and they're set pretty far back on the vehicle. So you're limited in what type of things you can put on the car from a length to hatch perspective.

Benefit of thule (or another brand) kit including footers that go into the door jams is (I think) you can place them in more than just one fixed position which gives you more flexibility when it comes to how big and where the gear sits. The disadvantage (I am not sure) is that you have the potential to scratch or harm the paint on the contact points and taking them on and off increases that risk. Also if you get the bars that stick out and don't curve down, there's potentially more wind noise.. especially if you lose an end cap.

So my lessons learned... to share with you all:

Motion XL and Force XL don't fit MDX with factory rails (it "fits" on crossbars, but slams into the hatch when open which is an issue.
Yakima 16 also doesn't fit.

Force XT L fits on crossbars and has <1" between box and rear hatch.

Hope that helps with anyone looking for the cargo box setup.

 

[zhouye2015]

Thanks for the info.

So here's what I ended up with:

Acura factory crossbars (my MDX advance already had the rails)
Tule Force XT L

Factory crossbar noise is barely noticeable, if at all... and you have to have all music off to even think about hearing a difference.
The thule on the car is definitely noisy, but it's only really noticeable above 50mph.

I don't know if anyone has ever done the no rails thule setup which to me seems like the "better" way to go at a tradeoff.

The benefit of the factory rails and crossbars is that they're meant for the vehicle. the disadvantage is that the factory crossbars are not moveable and they're set pretty far back on the vehicle. So you're limited in what type of things you can put on the car from a length to hatch perspective.

Benefit of thule (or another brand) kit including footers that go into the door jams is (I think) you can place them in more than just one fixed position which gives you more flexibility when it comes to how big and where the gear sits. The disadvantage (I am not sure) is that you have the potential to scratch or harm the paint on the contact points and taking them on and off increases that risk. Also if you get the bars that stick out and don't curve down, there's potentially more wind noise.. especially if you lose an end cap.

So my lessons learned... to share with you all:

Motion XL and Force XL don't fit MDX with factory rails (it "fits" on crossbars, but slams into the hatch when open which is an issue.
Yakima 16 also doesn't fit.

Force XT L fits on crossbars and has <1" between box and rear hatch.

Hope that helps with anyone looking for the cargo box setup.

I don't have the box, I only have the snowboard rack on the crossbar, when crossing bridge, IT IS SO NOISY, I can image what will happen if I replace it with box. LOL, my mom will freak out.

 

[DanKNyc]

The box is quieter than bare equipment because the box has aerodynamic shaping and it’s one piece vs multiple points on equipment.

 

[stranoblaze]

Thanks for the info.

So here's what I ended up with:

Acura factory crossbars (my MDX advance already had the rails)
Tule Force XT L

Factory crossbar noise is barely noticeable, if at all... and you have to have all music off to even think about hearing a difference.
The thule on the car is definitely noisy, but it's only really noticeable above 50mph.

I don't know if anyone has ever done the no rails thule setup which to me seems like the "better" way to go at a tradeoff.

The benefit of the factory rails and crossbars is that they're meant for the vehicle. the disadvantage is that the factory crossbars are not moveable and they're set pretty far back on the vehicle. So you're limited in what type of things you can put on the car from a length to hatch perspective.

Benefit of thule (or another brand) kit including footers that go into the door jams is (I think) you can place them in more than just one fixed position which gives you more flexibility when it comes to how big and where the gear sits. The disadvantage (I am not sure) is that you have the potential to scratch or harm the paint on the contact points and taking them on and off increases that risk. Also if you get the bars that stick out and don't curve down, there's potentially more wind noise.. especially if you lose an end cap.

So my lessons learned... to share with you all:

Motion XL and Force XL don't fit MDX with factory rails (it "fits" on crossbars, but slams into the hatch when open which is an issue.
Yakima 16 also doesn't fit.

Force XT L fits on crossbars and has <1" between box and rear hatch.

Hope that helps with anyone looking for the cargo box setup.

glad you found a setup that works. i found that measurements and the fit guides on Thule’s website are not 100% accurate. no fault on their end since they can possibly list every single combination of equipment to vehicle. more of it is trial and error. REI was pretty helpful IMO

 

[ovi1984]

Thule Hyper XL will work 100% I just purchase one

 

[Drc1]

Thule Hyper XL will work 100% I just purchase one

@ovi1984 , any chance you could post a pic of the hyper xl on the vehicle? Interested if it is pointed up or has a least a little down turn in the nose to help with not catching too much wind.
Thanks in advance

 

[ovi1984]

@ovi1984 , any chance you could post a pic of the hyper xl on the vehicle? Interested if it is pointed up or has a least a little down turn in the nose to help with not catching too much wind.
Thanks in advance

 

[ovi1984]

 

[vtec260]

Picked up Sonic L yesterday. Fits nicely without hitting the shark fin or rear hatch. Only 13 cu ft, but it meets our occasional needs. On factory cross bars, BTW.

 

[nate1897]

We added a 3rd child and and a 3rd car seat to the car, which has me looking into roof boxes. We are planning a road trip to Oregon from Southern California this Summer. I have a bike rack on the 2" receiver out back, which has me looking into roof boxes for cargo. Having read the threads it seems that the Thule Force XT L is a solution that people are happy with. What about the OEM roof box? I saw that it was available again and my local dealer can get it. Roof Box, Short - Acura (08L20-E09-200B) I have a 2016 MDX ADV with the factory rails and cross bars. I liked to eventually fit skis up there, so a box that can do luggage or skis would be great.

 

[Pete000]

We have been using the Yakima adapters and round bars with our Sky Box Pro and bike racks and they work great. It does sit nose up but that's due to the roof angle unfortunaly. We ended up selling the factory cross bars. They never worked very well due to the fact they had so much curvature on them you could not really get anything tied down on them.

 

[Pete000]

To me, personally, the roof rack is great for the looks , other than that I don't know. I always wanted to get this

We love the old Thule Transporter, Holds a lot and even clears the rear hatch so no need to swing. Yakima just came out with a nice solution, but its really expensive when optioned the same as the Thule.

 

[2018_MDX]

We love the old Thule Transporter, Holds a lot and even clears the rear hatch so no need to swing. Yakima just came out with a nice solution, but its really expensive when optioned the same as the Thule. View attachment 116686

What do you haul in there...a BBQ?

 

[Pete000]

What do you haul in there...a BBQ?

Large Igloo cooler and anything else we could not stuff in the back !

 

[teeitup]

I finally found a box that is long enough to hold my 186cm skis (holds up to 190cm skis) and not affect rear lift gate function. This is the Inno 864. I believe it has the same footprint as the 660 wedge but a little more cargo area and a padded bottom in the interior.

 

[ABMDX2019]

Piggybacking this discussion because I'm in the same boat with my 2019 MDX. Curious if anyone has/looked into Thule Pulse Alpine with OEM rails and cross bars? I like the low profile, but concerned about fin and hatch clearances with factory rails.