The Box itself could have used the turning clamps that hook around the bars so they can be used on other vehicles but BMW only wanted their box and accessories to be used on their bars. The BMW is specific to only your BMW car. I like both but the aeroblades wins due to their looks and ability to transfer to different cars (with some modifications). These T bolts DO NOT fit into the Thule aeroblades!! Hopefully I can find another set of T bolts that can fit the box and aeroblades.Ĭonclusion. The BMW350 box (which is pretty big in my opinion) uses T bolts which slide into the OEM bars. The bars don't really effect gas mileage. Can't comment on the OEM yet as I haven't installed it. I don't notice any extra noise with the Thule but I keep my sunroof closed most of the time. The Thule cover and Allen key you can lose or misplace. You won't misplace any pieces as it's all attached to the bars. The OEM has a slight advantage on installation as everything is all together. After a quick adjustment of the bars the covers fit with ease and the key fits into the locks and turns with out any resistance. I had the same issue with my Thule covers where it was a hard fit and the locks wouldn't turn easily. Then you need to adjust the bars to ensure it's perpendicular to the roof rails. If the covers don't fit perfectly on when trying to close. But not expensive) I've read people having trouble with the locks on the OEM bars. Both have a cover with lock so thieves cant access the clamps to steal the bars. With the OEM there is a small lever which you pull down and turn to tighten the clamp and push back up. With Thule you use an Allen key which is provided to tighten the clamps to the rails. Installation on both is pretty much the same. I feel the roof rails would fail before the cross bars. The Thule can hold a lot more but I wouldn't put anything over 165lbs on my roof to begin with. I believe the OEM bars weight limit is 165. Example: damn Christmas tree the wife makes me get every year. The OEM bars sit higher which would have a slight advantage when loading stuff on top of your car and making sure nothing scratches or touches your roof. I do like the looks of the aeroblades more. The quality on both are very good and similar. I currently have the Thule aeroblades and just recently was able to obtain perfect used BMW cross bars and BMW 350 box for a deal I couldn't pass up. The oem one I can find for $220ish new but the Thule would cost me ~$500 that includes the locks. I hear the oem ones are not as good quality? Any truth to that? Ex) plastics that hold the rails and blades fade or crack and the locks are not as strong. Does anyone have the 53inch and is it too much overhang? As I don't think 3inch extra on each side would make too much of a difference. The Thule website is stating I would need the 47inch blade. Please give me your input and to which is the better roof rack system specifically for the x3 please. Note the Sky box 16 will fit my wife's Outback on the factory cross bars because Subaru allows for clearances.I did do a search and am getting mixed reviews. This fairing got rid of the wind noise created by the Yakima cross bars when the box is not attached. The one thing that I added later is the Yakima Fairing (air spoiler) that attaches to the front cross bar. The" Rocket Box" is too long for the 4Runner. it just made sense to have an interchangeable system between the two SUV's. I have another SUV with the Yakima system with the larger old "Rocket box" and all the bike "Steel Heads" and a cargo rack. The Yakima cross bars are a lot stronger than the factory bars and can take more weight. I figured if I hit a low tree branch or had snow on the box it would force the box down and hit the roof of the truck causing damage to the paint. I also read other post about clearance issues and did want to take a chance using the factory cross bars. I put the Yakima cross bars system on my 4R mostly for easy of installing the box. A few year ago I was faced with the same question.
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