[Leopolis]

I am thinking of getting the heavy duty roof basket for my ‘12 OB 2.5 CVT. But due to lack of storage space it would have to stay on the car all the time.

I would appreciate if people, who installed it on their OBs post here their experience.
How does that affect MPG (unloaded, obviously)? How bad is the noise?

I did review the long thread about the roof basket and there are very few posts on this, some people say it becomes super noisy, some that it is not noticeable.

 

[hman]

It's definitely noisy, from the wind passing through the bars. I'm pretty much use to it because my previous car had a THULE bike rack on full time. I also have a nice buzz from the fairing rubbing against the basket/bike rails that drives me nuts. I actually used weather stripping to cut that way back. As far as MPG I don't see a huge hit. My driving has been 95% city and I've been getting 22mpg before and after the rack.

 

[hman]

Oh and FWIW the wind noise is mostly on freeways and/or super windy days.

 

[reddoak]

Around town, not too noisy, and no appreciable difference in mileage. On the highway, it's the opposite. It's very noticeable noise wise, and hits the MPG as well. Turn the radio up, and the noise is less noticeable...

Overall, I see about a 2-3 MPG hit with the basket on. I tend to go slower on the highway if it's on, to save fuel and cut noise a little.

Storage space might be tight, but the rack is pretty small height wise. You can stand it on end and it doesn't take much space up.

 

[there4igraham]

If you're always driving around packed to the gills to where you'd need the basket for additional items I don't think it's going to make your mileage any worse. There will be wind noise of course.

 

[JAvendan]

i think the heavy basket wind noise is worst with the extension.

i don't have a moon/sun roof and have the extension on my basket.

i can hear a bit more wind noise at 70mph+.

i took a good hit in MPGs, too.

i store my basket hanging from a rack in my garage... maybe you can hang it on a wall or from the ceiling.

i once had a different basket under my kid's bed - lol.

joel

 

[vr4Legacy]

There is definitley added noise, but you really don't hear it until you hit highway speeds. I notice a definite hit when trying to accelerate at high speeds too. I used mine (full) on a road trip and I averaged 24mpg with a FULL car and a full basket. Honestly I think empty would do worse.

The noise isn't too bad IMO, but I tend to turn the stereo up and wind noise has never bothered me much on vehicles in the past.

If most of your driving is around town, I really don't think it would hurt much. My wife drove with it on for a week and a half when we first got it, mostly around town, and I didn't notice much of a drop in MPG.

One bonus I noticed, if you have a sunroof, the fairing directs air straight down across your back when driving with the sunroof open

 

[unsub1]

My basket is up on Landing Pad mounted crossbars and it was a little noisy and I took a hit on the mpgs. After adding the extension its nosier and I took a bigger hit on the mpgs. Still worth it for rugged trips. Pulling it off for road trips.

 

[Leopolis]

Thanks everyone for the input. Most of the driving is done within the city, so I guess there would not be much of a difference in terms of noise and mpg.

One other thing I was curious about... Once you set the factory cross bars in place and install the basket there would be uncovered holes on each side of the x-bars' base (I mean the holes in which each x-bar is locked when not in use). I was wondering whether anyone has come up with ideas to cover those up so the dirt and leaves (the car is parked under the trees) does not get inside.

As I understand, there is no way to clean up inside of the base.

 

[vr4Legacy]

One other thing I was curious about... Once you set the factory cross bars in place and install the basket there would be uncovered holes on each side of the x-bars' base (I mean the holes in which each x-bar is locked when not in use). I was wondering whether anyone has come up with ideas to cover those up so the dirt and leaves (the car is parked under the trees) does not get inside.

As I understand, there is no way to clean up inside of the base.

This was brought up on another thread. No concrete solutions, but I think the best suggestion was getting some sort of a rubber plug to pop into there. I never gave it a thought until someone else posted. I'm sure the water can drain, and I can't imagine much large debris getting in there. I really don't think you'd have any trouble if you just left them open.

The only way to clean the base would be to drop the headliner and remove the mounting hardware.

 

[3LKSER]

I would say you can count on a loss of MPG (HWY) around 10% w/roof rack. I really don't think the noise factor is much to complain about. We do not have the extension and we do use the fairing. And yes, w/moonroof open, the breeze can be wonderful.

 

[coastoutback]

Compressed air cleans out anything

 

[OBnube]

i think the heavy basket wind noise is worst with the extension...........joel

Dead on. I have a moonroof and have used the basket with and without the extension. It is much (offensive) noisier with the extension as the fairing sits dead center over the opening. It directs turbulent air down into the cabin if open. It is especially bad at hiway speeds. Around town is much better but not good IMO. Opening the moonroof only a quarter of the way can mitigate most of the wind but noise is still an issue. One note on the extension. You will not be able to use the "spread" rear crossbar with the extension. It will not line up with the basket crossbar openings. You have to use the factory spacing.

 

[phsycle]

Will you be using this frequently? If so, makes sense to get one. If not, and you don't have storage options, a cargo bag might be a better option.

Thule Quest Cargo Bag | Backcountry.com