Roof Boxes

[steve singh]

Really appreciate all the responses - you guys have been super helpful (as usual).

Looks like I'll be joining the hoards of roof boxers in the near future - will go through the links once I'm back on my home laptop

Thanks once again.

[Bluebarge]

r129sl said:

Have a look at www.roofbox.co.uk.

This site seems very informative and they stock a wide range. I have just purchased a Kamei Corvara 390K DuoLift. It should arrive tomorrow so I'll let you know what it is like.

And another +1. They have a very good website tool that tells you what roofbars will fit your car and a wide range of boxes which are largely better quality and cheaper than you will find at Halfords. I have bought a couple of sets of boxes and bars from these guys and they have always delivered promptly with the kit in good nick.

Kamei are a good make of roof-box and Atera make v.good roof bars. Don't just plump for Thule because everyone else has them - they are market leader on brand awareness rather than quality; they do make some good stuff, but you pay a big price premium over similar quality kit from German manufacturers.

Fuel consumption penalty is about 10%.

[Kiltox]

I've started thinking about a roof box because the boot in my car is comical - fine for everyday use but I'll need to make a couple of longer trips in the summer with luggage.

I know a Picanto with a roof box would look ridiculous - but do you notice a great reduction in power as well as an increase in fuel consumption? I can't really afford to lose any more power

Roofbox.co.uk have a 320L Karrite box + bars to fit my car for £140 which seems reasonable.

[swamp]

steve singh said:

Brilliant - thanks chaps.

I'll have a look tonight to see if I've got the slots for the roof rack(s) on the GTI (MK5).

I'm assuming I can buy any set of roof racks as opposed to vehicle specific?

Out of interest what is the percentage impact on mpg with the box on?

(I'll do a detailed google search later when I'm back home, but if someone knows the answers then great)

Funnily enough I've just come back from France in my Mk5 GTI with a roof box Worked brilliantly. I've got a Halfords black EXODUS 350 litre -- I would not suggest anything much bigger than this on a Golf.

Some tips:

Try and get some proper Golf Mk5 VW roof bars on eBay. They look great and are better than the generic Thule ones because they don't have bits that stick out the side which you sometimes bang your head on!

Get some cheap, soft zip up luggage bags to stick your stuff in before you load up the roof box. You can't put bulky suitcases in there, and carrier bags will fall over and your stuff will roll around.

MPG wise, you will lose a few MPG. However since you should not really exceed 70 mph with a roof box you may find this compensates (if you normally like to make swift progress ). I stick to 77 mph indicated (dead 70 on sat nav), and ease off the gas on exposed sections if there is a bit of wind.


By the way, the roads in France are super smooth and really suit the GTI. It really works over there as a Grand Tourer (Injection). Enjoy.

[LukeSi]

Kiltox said:

I've started thinking about a roof box because the boot in my car is comical - fine for everyday use but I'll need to make a couple of longer trips in the summer with luggage.

I know a Picanto with a roof box would look ridiculous - but do you notice a great reduction in power as well as an increase in fuel consumption? I can't really afford to lose any more power

Roofbox.co.uk have a 320L Karrite box + bars to fit my car for £140 which seems reasonable.

Power!? What Power? If you do we want pictures -

[CambsBill]

r129sl said:

Have a look at www.roofbox.co.uk.

This site seems very informative and they stock a wide range. I have just purchased a Kamei Corvara 390K DuoLift. It should arrive tomorrow so I'll let you know what it is like.

+1 from me. We bought a Thule from them last year. It arrived the day before we were due to go away but with a broken catch. Just gave them a call and they were fine about it - agreed to send a replacement for when we got back and as we could strap it shut they had no problem in us using the faulty one for the holiday before returning it.

[Deluded]

I love my roofbox.

Karrite Odyssey on Thule bars.

[Kiltox]

LukeSi said:

Power!? What Power? If you do we want pictures -

I do know And there will be pictures

[r129sl]

Well mine arrived on time. Next day delivery. It's... well, it's a roof box. Easy to fit, easy to open, light, although it is quite flexible and wibble-wobbles a bit (not when on). It doesn't make much noise, although you can hear extra wind noise above 90mph. Acceleration was a bit blunted above 120mph then I lost my bottle and started thinking about it blowing off or distorting my roof...

[rottie102]

PH roofbox you say?

[Kiltox]

Can you fit a roof mounted cycle carrier alongside a roofbox?

[jkh112]

Yes, if your bars are wide enough and your box narrow enough, otherwise no.

[Kiltox]

jkh112 said:

Yes, if your bars are wide enough and your box narrow enough, otherwise no.

I'd expect bars for my car to be pretty narrow however they're aparrently 115cm and the box is 85cm so it'd be a tight squeeze but it might work

I imagine there's some kind of limit to what I can put on the roof of such a small underpowered car before it just won't go anywhere though

[sjg]

Rented a Thule box for a snowboard trip and it was great. I had some Thule bars too, the alu aero ones are worthwhile, no problems with noise at autoroute speeds and virtually no mpg impact - I ended up leaving them on that car for about 6 months.

With the box and bars, check the weight limits and pack accordingly. Heavy stuff in the boot, light and bulky stuff in the roofbox. Most cars have a total roof load of 75kg or so, which includes the bars and box.

[Kiltox]

Aero bars are a good bit more expensive than standard ones - does it make that much of a difference?

[petrolsniffer]

Just a q about them how much do they hinder performance?

Would it make my already slow 1.1 205 dangerously slow?

I've been thinking of one as I have some geunine set of peugeot roof racks in the shed

[Kiltox]

petrolsniffer said:

Just a q about them how much do they hinder performance?

Would it make my already slow 1.1 205 dangerously slow?

I've been thinking of one as I have some geunine set of peugeot roof racks in the shed

This is basically what I asked above, 'cause my car is dangerously slow aleady

[Mars]

Kiltox said:

petrolsniffer said:

Just a q about them how much do they hinder performance?

Would it make my already slow 1.1 205 dangerously slow?

I've been thinking of one as I have some geunine set of peugeot roof racks in the shed

This is basically what I asked above, 'cause my car is dangerously slow aleady

Get someone else to drive. Open a window and lean out. If your car can cope with that, it'll cope with a roofbox.

[croyde]

In a street near to me some numpty has their box on back to front. There goes the drag coefficient.

Might as well not bother with shaped boxes and you'll get a lot more in

[Kiltox]

croyde said:

In a street near to me some numpty has their box on back to front. There goes the drag coefficient.

Might as well not bother with shaped boxes and you'll get a lot more in