Arrives before Christmas To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
This Thule roof rack lets you carry cargo and gear on your vehicle. Aerodynamic crossbars with split rubber strips in top channels work with channel-mount and clamp-on accessories. Installs to fixed mounting points on your vehicle's roof.
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Specs:
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hey, it's Ethan here at etrailer. Today, we're going to be taking a look at showing you how to install the Thule WingBar Evo Roof Rack System on our 2023 Chevrolet Suburban. We are gonna be showing you the black ones, but there are also silver crossbars available if you find that fits your aesthetic a little bit better. If you've got your Suburban fully loaded up with people and you don't have as much room in the back as you might think or maybe you just wanna get some larger items on the roof, maybe some ski and snowboard carriers, maybe some kayaks, roof boxes, baskets, whatever that may be. If you wanna get some larger items up on the roof, a system like this is gonna be a great way to do that. This roof rack system has the crossbars, obviously.
It has these towers and clamps in our fit kit that hold onto our Flush Rail system on our Suburban. So these crossbars are gonna be able to support up to 220 pounds, but there's different weight ratings for the feet and the rails or your roof on your Suburban as well. So make sure you check and find out what all of those are rated for. Take the lowest-rated component. If you're worried about how much usable space you'll actually have on the crossbars, it really is pretty close to 60.
The actual end caps on the crossbars don't take up a ton of space. So you have 58 1/2 inches of actual usable space on top of your crossbars. As you can see, with our 60-inch crossbars, we have a little bit of overhang on the side, which is honestly nice. I don't think it's too much to where it looks too big or is actually going to impact where you're driving 'cause it doesn't actually come further than the side of your vehicle, but we do have, in our case, about 4 inches worth of overhang on this side so you have more room for accessories. If you're curious to know how much height you're adding to the roof from the crossbars, that's gonna be about 3 3/4 inches from the top of your roof to the top of the crossbars.
If you wanna know how much room you have for clamps, it's about 3 1/4 inches underneath. So if you do have clamps, not really gonna have to worry about them making contact with the roof, but if you have some really large clamps or if you're using a ski and snowboard carrier with large bindings, that's a measurement you might wanna consider. The crossbars have this nice aerodynamic shape, which will cut down on some of that wind noise. Granted, anytime you put something on your roof, you'll feel it, but the shape combined with this rubber strip that goes all the way through we'll have to cut down on some of that. The strip will also work to hold your T-track accessories in place and without trimming.
As you can see, if we fold up the front of this end cap here, you'll just slide your accessories through and they'll be held in place. Coming down to the towers now, you can see that there is a plastic lock core, you can upgrade to a metal one if you'd like. They come with the plastic ones included. So if we unlock this, you can take this end cap off. You can see how it protects your hardware and the fit kit. So you won't be able to access that bolt and take the roof rack system off if the end cap is in place. The shape of the crossbars is really gonna help cut down on some of that wind noise when you factor in the rubber strip on top and the metal strip on the bottom. Additionally, most of your accessories clamps should work with that aerodynamic shape as well. We have our crossbars towards the front here, but the nice thing about the Suburban is that the rails go really far way back. The top is pretty rectangular in uniform, so the measurement should stay roughly the same. So if you wanna move the crossbars to accommodate different accessories, you can do that for sure. If you have a sunroof or a moon roof that you don't wanna cover, you can accommodate that. If you have some longer things and you don't want them making contact with your hatch when it opens, they should work with that too. Crossbars are going to hold up to most of what you can throw at it. They're made of a pretty durable aluminum with a nice black powder coat finish, so they're lightweight and they're easy to work with. They're also pretty straightforward to install so you can check out how we did that now. First thing we like to do is to make sure we have everything we're going to need. So starting with our 60-inch crossbar here, we have our two end caps for the actual feet, we have the feet themselves, we have the A-clamps that'll go in the back, pads that'll go in between and the seat clamps that'll go in the front as well as the nuts that'll hold it in place. We have this included tool and we recommend picking up a tape measure 'cause we're gonna have some measurements that we're gonna have to figure out when we install it. The first thing you're likely going to need to do is trim this rubber strip in the middle just a little bit to make it fit. We already have ours all ready and then on the backside, you can see here there is this release for your end caps. They're in there pretty good, but if you push it down, you could pull those out, which will be the next step, removing each of those so that we can slide the feet on. On the tower, there is this little plastic plate here that will fit in the underside of your crossbars, just like that, and we can slide this out to meet it and come up with a measurement that we need. On the underside, again, just taking a closer look at the ruler and measurement. You can see here there are nice built-in measurements for the feet. So once you figure out what that measurement is, you can find the same thing on both sides and then your crossbars will be lined up on your rails. Next, we'll get these A-clamps in place. We'll rotate them around. You'll see these two prongs on the end here. Stick those in to the top foot until that bolt sticks itself out and then we can grab these B-clamps, fit those on, keep that A-clamp in place, or B-pads rather, might've said clamps, they're pads, and then we can get these C-clamps, fit those over this ridge here, again, making sure that that bolt sends out just enough for us to get the last piece, these nuts, and slide this on just enough so that it threads and we have the opening here. We'll tighten it down later. We repeated the process on the other side, so now both of our feet and the clamps are open, ready to install, so let's get the crossbars on. We'll just try to be as gentle as possible. The pads on the bottom should help just guide the far side onto the rails and you can adjust the close side a little bit easier, making sure that the pads are flush, get the other side on flush as well, and now, if you took the time to use the measurements underneath, you might already be lined up. In our case, I'm going to use that tape measure we suggested earlier to get the overhang and try to make sure that that amount is the same on both sides. Once we have the whole system on and flush, we're going to use the tape measure again to measure our crossbar spread. We want to come up with a number that's close to 28 inches. We found that that's sort of just a universally good number for most of your roof rack accessories. So we need to slide this just a little bit over and we need to match the other slide up as well. Now that we're all set up, we can use the provided tool to start to tighten the clamps up. So just fit 'em in and start to tighten. I'm only going to tighten this side to about 50% or so. Go to the other side, come back and forth and tighten them up evenly so that we're not pulling the system towards one way or another, so I'll do that now. Now, we'll tighten the side that we are on at the beginning fully and then you'll be able to hear that tool provided, it has a torque spec built in, so once we get it tightened fully, you'll hear it click just like that to know that you have the desired torque. End cap here, we can put this plastic lock core in. We can fit it right here on the outside of the foot. We can just use a flathead screwdriver to lock it in place and then we can put our end cap back on the crossbars, slide it in, and then you're all installed. Overall, the Thule WingBar Evo Roof Rack System is a really solid option for you if you have a Suburban and you wanna get some larger items onto your roof. I definitely like the weather strip that you don't have to worry too much about. You can just slide your items in and they'll stay in place. I like the aerodynamic shape and the overall build quality. This was just a look at how the Thule WingBar Roof Rack System fits on our 2023 Chevrolet Suburban.
I also required the Thule Fit Kit #3101 for use of the Rapid Podium Feet (or risers). I used both to mount my Thule crossbars and FHG74ZR basket over my Retrax Tonneau cover. All went on my 2022 Ford Maverick XLT, FX4 with factory tow package. All good except that the clips that come with the Thule 3101 Fit Kit are harder to confirm correct placement in Retrax tonneau cover slots than I expected. Tested at 70 mph for ~ 60 miles. Good so far. 1,700 Mike trip soon. Expecting best, ready if not. See pic.
etrailer is simply the best in terms of advice and products. After trying unsuccessfully via the Thule site and multiple forums to figure out what parts I needed for a Thule mounting system (switching it to a new car), I contacted etrailer and they responded quickly and accurately with two sets of mounting brackets that were needed. Could not have done it without them.
roof rack has been flawless on multiple trips to western states and through rough weather; really like the ease of installation and the water tightness of the Thule box. Only issue is one of the end caps on the cross bar mount has fallen off sometime during one of our trips. I may not have installed it correctly, however
There was some minor dents in the roof racks due to shipping, but they are still functional and look great on my car! Installation was also a breeze!
The customer service from Carol was superb and my order came within the week!
I would highly recommend these guys!
53” Thule bars fit our 2021 RAV4 Hybrid! Most people appear to be using 47” bars for the 2021 RAV4 with flush roof rails, but that’s smaller than I wanted. I sometimes carry a sheet of plywood, or a kayak plus a cargo box, and wanted a wider rack for that. I had heard that upsizing to the 53” bar was potentially not possible because the mounting slots on the bottom of the bar may not accommodate the rail locations relative to the bar length. etrailer helped me out with some dimensions, so I bought the 53” bar knowing it would be close. There is only about a quarter inch of play on either side on the rear bar, but it fit (the front bar had more play, since the towers are a bit further apart at the front).
I’m SO happy with the result! Now I can carry what I want on the rack, and have room to spare! It looks pretty good too!
Thule is a horrible company compared to what it was back in the day.
In drilling holes into my brand new cap based on dimensions that thule gave me (superficial dimensions with no definite "from"-"to" locations) then confirming these dimensions based on the risers, suddenly the dimensions they said were several I chest different, and then they started saying the dimensions of their racks are proprietary. Basically ruined my cap.
So in a fit of rage, I removed the Thule junk, and designed an adapter in Solidworks that would hold LED floodlights and route the power cables through the 1/4" mounting studs without modifying the cap further, and SLS nylon printed 4 sets of these mounts and mounted LED 5" floodlights in 4 locations. (See image).
Then I went and bought a Rhino Rack HD Track for my cap. Best thing I ever did. Thule lost a 20 year customer.
While the instructions were a bit difficult to follow the install videos from etrailer are a blessing to figure out what to expect even if not exact to the letter. Overall product is excellent, use it to haul kayaks and a 18 ft aluminum canoe to and from locations. Would recommend
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I’ve had my Thule roof rack for a year. It’s sturdy and easily handles two kayaks. Love it!
These Thule racks worked great. There were some challenges in the Thule directions referring to parts that were actually from another kit, but the etrailer videos helped clear things up.
Thule is the only premier cargo accessory manufacture in the industry. The design, manufacturing and quality of their products is world class. We currently own two German SUVs that are used regularly for a wide array of outdoor sports and refuse to outfit our vehicles with any other brand of equipment. This particular system was very easy to install when following manufacturers installation instructions and recommendations.
Favorite bar Thule makes. Super solid.
Bought the Thule AeroBlade and all the fittings recommended by etrailer earlier this summer. Everything fits perfect, was easy to install, and looks really great on the car.
Items arrived later than expected despite cancelling an month long order due to waiting stock on a different set up that was in stock. Once it arrived the box was all torn up and the person that delivered it just dropped it in the garage with the boxes spilling out of the bigger box. Love Thule products, etailer and the shipping supplier not so much,
Great product that compliments the look of my vehicle while serving a function. Initially, the product arrived missing some key parts, but the staff responded immediately to my email and took great care of me to ensure that my experience was completely satisfactory. Carol and Kelsey are truly attentive to the customer’s needs. Great job everyone!
The product quality seems great, and fit my Jeep Wrangler without having to do any drilling, or semi-permanent mounting of overly obtrusive cage type rack system. Tried mounting my Kayak on top and it seems like it's going to work for what I wanted it for. I especially like the fact that I can easily take the whole system off with ease as I would typically leave it on only in the summer.
Very sturdy. Works well. The attachment to the roof rails on my 2023 chevy suburban works well. The "C" clamp design mechanism holds it tightly and securely in place. No fear of anything coming loose and falling off like other racks I have tried to use.
The product fit really well but the instructions were horrible. You should expect to spend some time figuring it out.
A bit pricy but it's a really good system. Went on easy and hauled my bike and kayak well. My only gripe is that for this price it should come with locks.
Excellent crossbars for my 2020 JLU with sky top. Quality construction and I really like the swivel end caps to allow quick access to get things channel mounted quickly.
I would give the WingBar Evos 5 stars wish more accessories were available.
We have had our roof basket for one year now. It serves our purpose well. We can fit large camping chairs, our folding table, and dog beds in it. The cargo net we purchased separately holds everything securely. The basket removes easily & we hang it on our garage wall.
Quality product, fast shipping, install was a breeze. Glad to have shopped etrailer.
Great rack design. Fit my truck like a glove and holds two kayaks with no issues. I’m planning on installing a fish rod holder in between both kayaks.
2019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Limited Edition..
Easiest rack I've ever installed. Instructions were clear and easy to understand. The rack looks amazing. Definitely an upgrade from my previous ones.
Easy to install and it looks great. Wish it had holes in the ends for hooking bungee cords on. But other than that its perfect.
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