Roof Rack with a Fairing

[Civilized_Hatch]

Hey guys, need your expertise and advice. I have 2011 GTI and I'm keeping it. My 2016 R should be arrive at the dealership in a couple of weeks. I've never had a roof rack type system on any vehicle I've ever owned. Did some searching and couldn't really find a true answer.... I know some of my options are OEM, Whispbar (prob the Flushbar), Thule (prob Aeroblade), or Yakima (they bought out Whispbar though? or vice versa?).

I'm leaning towards Whispbar for the sleeker look, as that's actually my main purpose of wanting one. I like the look of the car with racks AND a Fairing. I understand with the Wispbar's though that may not be necessary since they're quiet anyway. A quieter ride is definitely a close # 2 in priority.

I do plan on buying a cargo box down the road just for extra storage as I got 2 younger kids that are still in car seats. A nice sleek looking box recommendation would be nice too (might use it down the road for snowboards etc.. too).

The ease of use is nice on the OEM and Thule with respect to taking on and off, but I just might leave it on all the time if it's quiet enough and I don't have any issues with leaks in the weather channel etc... any advice and pics would be greatly appreciated!

 

[IanCH]

The whispers make literally no extra noise. I live mine, they are staying on year round.

I have a Thule sonic alpine low profile box. It fits the car really well, I have to grab some pics from my old phone.

Sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge

 

[Civilized_Hatch]

The whispers make literally no extra noise. I live mine, they are staying on year round.

I have a Thule sonic alpine low profile box. It fits the car really well, I have to grab some pics from my old phone.

Sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge

thanks for the info IanCH. Is there a fairing you would recommend to go with the Whispbar's? again, just purely for aesthetics. Would adding a fairing affect being able to put a box on?

 

[IanCH]

I've never considered a fairing, so I don't have a recomendation. If it gets too close to the bar then yeah the fairing could cause an issue with the box.

Sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge

 

[nikhsub1]

Fairing and whispbars is retarded...

 

[Civilized_Hatch]

Fairing and whispbars is retarded...

because they're so quiet already? Again, if it's not impeding loading on a cargo box I actually like the look of a fairing on the car.

 

[nikhsub1]

because they're so quiet already? Again, if it's not impeding loading on a cargo box I actually like the look of a fairing on the car.

Yes and because by adding a fairing you will increase noise, add drag etc - all to what? Look cool? Okay... and it isn't recommended to use a fairing with a cargo box - you actually want the air to go under the box and a fairing would prevent that.

 

[Civilized_Hatch]

Yes and because by adding a fairing you will increase noise, add drag etc - all to what? Look cool? Okay... and it isn't recommended to use a fairing with a cargo box - you actually want the air to go under the box and a fairing would prevent that.

I thought the primary function of the fairing was to REDUCE noise? I can see it adding drag though for sure.

Just wondering also why you would want the air to go under the box if I had one mounted?

 

[nikhsub1]

I thought the primary function of the fairing was to REDUCE noise? I can see it adding drag though for sure.

Just wondering also why you would want the air to go under the box if I had one mounted?

Because you will essentially create a wall where the air can not pass. The boxes are designed to allow air under them and on top of them, they are most aerodynamic this way. With a fairing and a cargo box it will just direct air up into the bottom of the box, creating lift on the box.

And yes, their function is to reduce noise for people that use shitty bars... if you get Whispbars, you literally can not hear them at all - even at 100 + MPH. A fairing would just make more noise than the bars do themselves. In short, you don't need a fairing with Whispbars.

 

[IanCH]

Because you will essentially create a wall where the air can not pass. The boxes are designed to allow air under them and on top of them, they are most aerodynamic this way. With a fairing and a cargo box it will just direct air up into the bottom of the box, creating lift on the box.

And yes, their function is to reduce noise for people that use shitty bars... if you get Whispbars, you literally can not hear them at all - even at 100 + MPH. A fairing would just make more noise than the bars do themselves. In short, you don't need a fairing with Whispbars.

This is correct.


Sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge

 

[Civilized_Hatch]

Because you will essentially create a wall where the air can not pass. The boxes are designed to allow air under them and on top of them, they are most aerodynamic this way. With a fairing and a cargo box it will just direct air up into the bottom of the box, creating lift on the box.

And yes, their function is to reduce noise for people that use shitty bars... if you get Whispbars, you literally can not hear them at all - even at 100 + MPH. A fairing would just make more noise than the bars do themselves. In short, you don't need a fairing with Whispbars.

Thanks for the explanation, makes total sense. From what I've read, I know I don't NEED a fairing with Whispbars I just like that look. I wanted to see if anyone that had Whispbars had one on. If I were to use a cargo box, I'd take the fairing off first then, unless it was a pain in the ass to install/uninstall every time.

Would the Thule Aero Blades with a fairing be kind of redundant too? or are they considered shitty bars?

 

[nikhsub1]

Thanks for the explanation, makes total sense. From what I've read, I know I don't NEED a fairing with Whispbars I just like that look. I wanted to see if anyone that had Whispbars had one on. If I were to use a cargo box, I'd take the fairing off first then, unless it was a pain in the ass to install/uninstall every time.

Would the Thule Aero Blades with a fairing be kind of redundant too? or are they considered shitty bars?

Personally, the ONLY bar I will ever buy is a Whispbar... they are that good. I guess you could throw a fairing up there for looks around town, it probably won't be that loud - on the highway I would imaging the fairing would be quite a bit louder than without.

 

[Doth1]

Thanks for the explanation, makes total sense. From what I've read, I know I don't NEED a fairing with Whispbars I just like that look. I wanted to see if anyone that had Whispbars had one on. If I were to use a cargo box, I'd take the fairing off first then, unless it was a pain in the ass to install/uninstall every time.

Would the Thule Aero Blades with a fairing be kind of redundant too? or are they considered shitty bars?

Sorry for the delay, I have been tied up. I went with the Thule Aerobars on my 2015 Golf R for several reasons including: Thule makes the OEM bars, They are highly regarded in the industry, Thule is the only manufacturer that makes the bars to fit the car-there are thousands of feet options (rather than one option that tries to fit many cars), and also the reviews of the bars. I can tell you with the design that I use for my bike (as pictured below) they are quieter than the side windows, I have no impact on gas mileage, and they lock very securely. With an easy feet change, it will fit thousands of vehicles. This rack was actually on my MKVI GTI first. The roof is completely different on the MKVII, but I only had to change the feet.

To answer your question on the fairing, it is absolutely not necessary and I am not sure they are made to fit the Aerobars. However, if you like the look, I am sure you can adapt it to fit.

Here is the same rack on my 2013 MKVI GTI

 

[Golf R1]

I used to have a Yakima rack with a fairing on a previous vehicle. I like the look with a fairing too. The rack seems a bit bare without it. I don't have experience using a fairing with a cargo box as I used the rack for bikes and kayaks. You could always remove the thing if you don't like the noise or drag while used with your cargo box. They go on and off easy enough.

Whispbars look too low profile for my liking. I'm in the market for a rack on my R as well but haven't decided yet. It's a good thread for those interested in discussing various makes and options. Nobody can tell me my opinion is wrong and I'm not trying to say the Whispbars are a bad choice either. I just prefer the bars to rest a touch higher on the roof as it's more pleasing to my eye. It's a fine line from having the bars too high vs too low IMO. The OEM rack (I think it's made by Thule?) has a slightly higher profile than Whispbars. I acknowledge this may be a touch louder or even have more drag, not sure about the weight comparisons either. Wow, we could go on and on and on and on ............. It all boils down to selecting your own personal order of importance: looks, security, noise, weight (my current order).

 

[TahoeR]

If your carrying bikes I strongly recommend the rear hitch mount option.


2016 R