Roof Top Box's?

[sinewave]

Despite owning one of the biggest Estate boots available in the E class I'll be needing a Roof Top Box this summer.

Anyone got any recomendations?

Ease of use, dual side openings, noise at 100mph! etc etc

Thule gear seems to be popular.

 

[A210AMG]

Hello

I use a thule one only opens one side though (I think)

Its good, quick release fitting and holds quite a lot. Its not noisey to be honest you don't really notice it.

I usually do 80mph abroad but I did go to around 120 cough KPH and it seemed ok...

I also fitted the wind deflector but will modify this as its not really designed for the Thule aero bars..

I'm pretty impressed with the Thule gear to be honest, well made, looks good and you can get almost any add on to suit.

I bought my 'box' off e-bay, too be completly honest if buying another I would get a wider one... however I'm reluctant to buy new as they are around £350 and its stored upright in my lean to and athough I'm careful will end up with some scratches.

ooh and I've bought the Thule bags that fit inside the box's which make it easy to pack.

 

[sinewave]

That's some good feed back, cheers.

I like the look of this one?
Thule Motion 900 black glossy roof box no. 620901.#

 

[BTB 500]

Thule gear is good, not had one of their roof boxes but used the bars and cycle carriers and they are excellent quality. Roof boxes can be a pain to store as they are often very bulky - think about where you're going to put it when not on the car. The one I had (forget the brand) wouldn't go in my shed, or through the loft hatch!

At motorway speeds it will hit your fuel consumption so I'd only put it on when you specifically need it. And watch out for the weight limit on the roof rails - often around 100 kg (including the cross bars and box).

 

[A210AMG]

I had an issue when booked on the tunnel as I booked on the normal car bit not high cars from memory height was 1.85m

With my aero bars I was over this so had to borrow some bars which sat lower on the rails...

Mine are silver thule / mercedes bars you can see the black ones sit lower...


Anyway I was the ONLY car with a roof box in the normal car line and to say I was close at the barrier was an understatment. Around 1cm gap. Silly think when on the train its really high??

Fuel with roof box, bike and a full boot still close on 40mpg

 

[WillDeBeest]

Can you borrow one? A roof box spends months on end in a shed, a garage or, like our 1990s Thule (still available new with a Halfords badge) propped up against an outside wall, resolutely going nowhere.

I only own the thing because the friend I used to borrow it from for the consideration of a couple of bottles of vin rouge decided he wanted rid of it and as good as gave it to me.

A few notes on ours: it's done holiday trips to France and elsewhere on top of a Volvo S60 (45mpg against 47 without) and a Toyota Verso (41 against 43), this while generally observing the advice to stay below 120km/h. There is some wind noise at this speed but it's not intrusive, and I've noticed no susceptibility to crosswinds. The biggest bother is fitting and loading the thing; travelling with it is no bother at all.

Now we're going to have an E estate in time for this year's trip, I'm hoping we'll be able to do without the box altogether. I suppose I could become a founder member of the MBC Roof Accessories Pool. Anyone want to borrow it?

 

[sinewave]

I must say A210AMG your paintwork in picture 1 looks amazing, almost like that Chrome Bugatti!

 

[Red C220]

If you only need this for a short period of time (i.e. a holiday) you can rent a box rather than buy one.

There's a place close to us that do Ski wear, roof box hire is their summer business.

*roof box hire | rent a roof box | Thule roof boxes to hire

Maybe you could find a local firm that does similar if you don't fancy buying?

 

[Gollom]

I have one you can borrow for a few coins in a charity box

 

[Red C220]

^What a pleasant chap, hasn't that just highlighted the very ethos of what a forum is about. Top man.

 

[A210AMG]

I must say A210AMG your paintwork in picture 1 looks amazing, almost like that Chrome Bugatti!

That was after a quick pre holiday polish as after that, and for 3000 miles and 2 weeks its used and abused...

Not bad for a car nearly 10 years old

 

[Mr E]

I've got a Kamei box - they do a lot of manufacture for OEMs such as MB - and find it superb. Mine's a thinner one, double ended, so it can be mounted to open either side. Not noisy at all - like other I tend to cruise at 70-80 in Europe - and so haven't bothered with the wind deflector.

Got some cheap bars for the estate (got Thule for the saloon) and Kamei did a properly engineered kit to adapt to the wider bars, and was only £15!.

Would heartily recommend them - got mine online via roofbox.co.uk.

 

[PXW]

I've got a big thule box for my e class estate. I don't notice any real performance difference with it. It's about 5 years old now, and has the clever hinges that mean it can open from both sides - definitely worth having. It also has a sort of crab claw clamp arrangement that tightens up by twisting a knob inside the roof box - the whole clamp arrangement can slide backwards and forwards in a track, which makes fitting the box very easy - you don't have to be super precise with the position of the bars, and once it's up there it's a one man job to tighten it down. I still prefer to have another bod on the other side of the box when lifting it onto/off the roof though...

 

[WillDeBeest]

I've got a big thule...

I suppose someone had to say it.

Clever hinging and easier fitting seem to be the major developments in recent years. My old Thule came with fittings for square bars. These go on easily enough provided you have one person to tighten them inside the box and another.
When we bought the Verso, we got Toyota branded bars that were aero-style, and I had to adapt the box (with a drill) to take the T-adaptors. I'd expect a modern box to cope more easily with either type.

 

[Matt's Dad]

I've got a Halfords own make, and have had it for years - it sits outside looking all dull and a bit scratched, then the few times I do need it, bolt it on and away we go! I didn't think I'd use it very much, but it is suprising how much easier it is to put things in there and not have the boot full to the max. For a cheap one it's been good, always quiet and secure - the only problem I had was a faulty lock, so for my own piece of mind I drilled two holes at the front and back of the opening side, so I can either use padlocks, or a clip so I know it can't come open at high speed!

 

[paulbthomas]

Hey A210AMG,

Just a quick question. Are you saying with a roof bar and topbox the total height is 185cm?
just checking for Eurotunnel crossing requirements.

cheers

Paul