Mounting Thule rooftop box on OEM cross bars

Hi all - I'm having difficulty mounting my Thule Force XT L carrier on the OEM roof rack and cross bars of my '22 TRD ORP.

The cargo carrier clips have no problem securing to the cross bars. But any speed over approx. 65 MPH the carrier starts to shake. I've tried mounting it with the cross bars in different positions and by adding more weight to the carrier. Nothing seems to help. The carrier isn't in danger of coming loose, the clips are secure, but the box sounds like it is blowing in the wind. Very annoying.

Has anyone else had similar issues? Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

You need to get steel cross bars that don't bend/flex like the OEM cross bars.

I got a set of Victory 4x4 cross bars for my Maxtrax and ROAM box, works great and very solid.

 

Makes sense, thanks for the feedback.

 

I have a roof box that I use on my Pro and have zero issues at any speed. This is using the OEM Pro rack and crossbars.
Does the box move at all, if you try to move it manually? Specifically, any movement where the clips grab the crossbars.

 

No, there is no movement with the clips on the crossbars. I borrowed some Thule crossbars that I'm going to try out this weekend.

 

I have a Yakima box that I'll be using. I haven't bought any crossbars yet. Question..... do I need to elevate the crossbars for roof clearance? Something like the Yakima timberlines towers?

 

What did you end up doing?
I’m trying to figure out the crossbar situation too. I’m seeing mixed comments about whether or not you need to install aftermarket cross bars to get get enough clearance for the cargo boxes. I’m looking to purchase the Thule Force XT XL or Yakima Skybox 18 and trying to determine if the stock cross bars are sufficient or if I need to upgrade. Feedback from anyone is appreciated!

 

I don't have the factory crossbars. I was planning on buying aftermarket ones anyways. From what I've read the ones that elevate higher are the better choice for clearance. I have a skybox and was going to get the towers and Yakima crossbars. But all that was going to be pushing $700 with the update to locking cylinders. Crossbars are only going to be used when I use the box.... not full time. So I had a hard time paying that.

What I did was buy a set of crossbars from harbor freight for $80. It's funny because I used to be anti harbor freight thinking they only had junk. To be honest the crossbars are pretty good quality for the price. No issues with fit and are secure. Now, they're not as nice looking as Yakima's but they do the job.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated! I’m disappointed factory crossbars for a Toyota 4Runner don’t seem to be sufficient.

 

I have a Thule Sidekick roof box mounted on factory crossbars and have never had an issue. 6000km road trip last year and performed as expected.

 

been using OEM crossbars on my 2019 SR5 with a Thule MotionXT for about 3 years now. Sits real close to the roof; noticed some slight buffeting when empty but no issues loaded

 

How much clearance does the modern Thule mounting hardware eat? The HW from 1997 is right at 5/8". At the (Thule) factory hole spacing, it lines up over the hills on the roof, where the remaining clearance is about 1/8". If I re-drilled to line up with the valleys, the clearance goes up to about 5/16".

 

Hmm, this HW could make a difference. It has the same 4" hole spacing as the wider pair on the original Thule P/N 1500056228, but it's a much thinner. However, it takes an M6 carriage bolt with a 0.25" square part instead of 0.3", so it needs a different set of bolts. (The ones it comes with won't be long enough). That puts my fix at ~$160, but I'm pretty sure it would clear comfortably on the Toyota crossbar.

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Thule/THXADAPT9.html

I spent an hour yesterday measuring all over my old carrier and the two vehicles I want to use it on. This topic came up at an opportune moment. I wasn't expecting this much of problem.

 

I had the factory X-Bars using a Yakama Sky Box. The "feet" (clamps) touched the paint and I now have a permanent reminder. Have since gotten LFD X-Bars. I ditched the fairing X-Bar as it sat too close to the roof and didn't work with the Skybox. I only use the regular X-Bars.
https://lfdoffroad.com/collections/ruggedized-crossbars-5th-gen-4runner

 

I have the OEM crossbars and ran my gf's Thule (I think it's a Force XT L) on the highway for about 45 miles with no issues (but I kept it to 70-75mph). I did loosen the crossbars and pull them up as high as I could, put the forward one as far forward as I could and the back one as far back as I could (while still being able to open the rear). What I did notice while stationary is that while the feet did not move on the bars, the box moved on the feet...

I've got a 1700 mile trip coming up and that box is gonna be on the roof so...

 

I used factory side rails and 2 LFD crossbars with no problems

 

1997 Thule Weekender mounted on OEM crossbars.

Clearance is ~3/4" to 1-1/8", depending on location (you can see the mount, as well as it's reflection on the hood). There's no way the bar can flex enough to make contact.

These are all standard Thule parts used to mount the parts on the bottom left (original) are replaced with those on the bottom right, creating almost 3/4" more clearance.

The only caveat is that it's a huge pain to thread the bolts into the brackets. The first one of each is easy. Inserting the second is like doing one of those folded metal puzzles. I have all the part numbers if anyone cares.

Edit -

A couple other observations. To get at the lock/opening button, I have to roll down the liftgate window to create a handhold to facilitate stepping up onto the bumper step. I can't get at from the passenger door. Finally, now that I've done all this, I think the Thule will remain dedicated to my wife's Outback. I'll go with a basket or a more modern side-opening box.