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Premium, aerodynamic crossbars attach to Thule feet to create a quiet, stylish roof rack for your vehicle. Dual rubber strips in T-slots let you easily mount accessories - no trimming required. Simple to center and install with integrated scales.
Features:
Thule WingBar Evo Crossbars - 50" Long - Black - Aluminum - Qty 2:Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hey everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer and today we're taking a look at our Thule roof rack system with the 50 inch long wing bars as well as the Evo feet for your raised rails of your 2017 Toyota RAV4. The RAV4 is a super popular vehicle for a good reason. It's very versatile. You can take this out for your different adventures. You can fit all your friends inside, but if you need a little extra cargo space or you wanna carry fun accessories like kayaks or bike racks or roof boxes or roof baskets what you need is a roof rack system. So that's what this is for is gonna be the roof rack system from Thule and it has 50 inch long crossbars and I'll tell you why that's important.
For crossbar length, you want a good balance because if it's too long it might just stick out past the vehicle and look kind of silly. If it's too short, you won't get enough overhang. So for overhang on our crossbar system here, we have about two inches up front and then in the back we have about three and 3/4 inches because the RAV4 has kind of uneven raised rails. You can actually pick and choose where you wanna put your crossbars and your towers though. So for maximum possible crossbar spread it would be about 39 inches of crossbar spread and that's how far apart it is.
I have it set to about 25 because that's a good middle of the road number for most of your accessories. These are the Evo towers and they fit around your raised rails with a clamp. So they have this end cap here. It comes with a plastic lock core but you can switch them out for your Thule metal lock cores. Just make sure to get a whole batch so you can get them all keyed alike.
Pop that open and you get easy access to your towers and you even have an included wrench with a torque spec of four Newton meters to make sure it's secure on your raised rails. These are aero bars, meaning that they have less wind drag and wind noise compared to your round and square crossbars. You have this opening on the inside for your T-track mounted accessories. You just flip this cap open and you can now access those accessories. I've noticed though, after a little bit of time and wear and tear, these may tend to come apart, but at least it makes it easier for you to slide these accessories through.
So if your RAV4 has those raised rails meaning there's a gap underneath, then this is gonna be a great fit for you. Pretty much any roof rack can fit around raised rails and it's super fast to install as well as uninstall. In fact, let's take a look at that process. So we're gonna install our roof rack and we have the doors for the towers, we have the end caps, we have the tower and then we have the crossbar. This is gonna be a super simple process. I do recommend getting your tape measure though, just to make it easier. You're gonna grab that tower and slide it through the open crossbar. Then you're gonna get that end cap and just pop it on. Then making sure that the taller portion is facing the front and the tapered portion is facing back, you're gonna gently place them onto your raised rails. And since you have raised rails you can pick where you want your crossbars. I like to put them as far back as I can get them, but still have hatch clearance. Then you're gonna measure from center one crossbar to center of the other crossbar for your crossbar spread. So once you figure it out where you want your towers and your crossbars to sit, just start tightening it down and you are gonna have an included torque wrench. So tighten, so you hear the click. Then you're gonna put those end caps on all those towers and you can use your, either the lock core you have added to it or the plastic lock core, flip that to lock and then that's it for the install. So our personal thoughts about this roof rack system is that this is a great option if you like your Thule accessories and you have Thule roof mounted, let's say, a bike rack or roof box, then you can get your roof rack to match especially if you get these same lock cores. Now in terms of comparing it with some other brands I'm a huge fan of the Rhino-Rack system for the RAV4 just because it looks solid, it's very sturdy you don't really get it mixed around. Now the downside to the Rhino-Rack version is that you can't use your Thule lock cores with it plus you don't have the same type of aerodynamic style. So it's really just a matter of what type of look are you going for as well as what other accessories do you carry. Either way, this is a solid choice. And that right there was a look at our Thule roof rack system with the 50 inch long crossbars and the Evo feet for the raised rails of your 2017 Toyota RAV4..
One of the rubber strips came off somehow. I just used these bars for the second time.
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.
I purchase these along w the Thule Evo Fixpoint feet & Thule mounting points. Took less than an hour to put together & it was pretty simple. I don’t notice any whistling noises at all so that’s great. Looks super awesome! If you’re thinking of getting a roof rack definitely go with the Thule, looks low profile and sleek.
This is my first Thule product but not my last. etrailer was great to deal with the videos on how to install the product were so helpful. Between etrailer's help and all the reviews that other people had purchased and posted made this a very pleasant purchase and install. I highly recommend etrailer and the complete Thule WingBar system including the keylocks that worked perfectly.
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.
I was a bit surprised that there was as much assembly required as there was but it the instructions were simple to follow and it only took a few minutes.
Love the installed kit.
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.
Worked as promised. Easy install. We use it for our Kuat bike rack. If you need it for your ID.4 (AWD) get it.
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,
Alex and etrailer are great to work with. My original order was misplaced by the shipping company. I needed the cross bars for a trip and Alex overnighted an extra pair so that I had what I needed. Alex came through when I needed his help. Great customer service.
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.
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.
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.
Bars are sturdy, but for the price you shouldn’t have to install the plastic inserts. Molded end caps were difficult to install.
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.
I really appreciate the prompt shipment. I was able to get the roof rack on the car in about an hour. Are used it about two hours later to carry a ladder. It was very sturdy. Instructions were not great. But it was not a complex install either.
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