General Roof bars for roof rails??

[alfabarry]

Looks like I might have use for a roof box on the Panda after all. Anyone got any advice on the best bars for Pandas with roof rails? The official Fiat bars are £108 and AFAIK not even lockable. There are a lot of alternatives out there from Mont Blanc/Thule etc but which is best and least likely to scratch the Panda's roof rails?? Also some of them look like they protrude beyond the rails- I have visions of banging head on entering/leaving car...

 

[robin635]

I write mainly to make you feel less alone and ignored,I know little about roof bars though I have looked into it like you, mine would be for carrying fishing rods.Of those I saw I will probably buy the Thule if I can't get by without them.The longer bars you mentioned are an option on one of the makes presumably for securing wider loads.

 

[alfabarry]

I write mainly to make you feel less alone and ignored,I know little about roof bars though I have looked into it like you, mine would be for carrying fishing rods.Of those I saw I will probably buy the Thule if I can't get by without them.The longer bars you mentioned are an option on one of the makes presumably for securing wider loads.

Thanks for the response . I've found alternative lockable bars at toys4cars.co.uk These don't protrude, are made in Italy, are lockable, and cost over £40 less than the Fiat non-lockable bars: http://www.toys4cars.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1495_1503_2052&products_id=25481 I think I might go for them and then I just have to choose a box!

 

[pantalaimon]

thanks for posting your find, been thinking about getting some roofbars just like these for mine

 

[james.mitchell]

i just got a set of mont blancs / paddy hopkirk (same product different branding) roof bars to fit my roof rails.

they cost 49.99 including delivery & 2 free tie down straps from fastcar direct. very good service.

http://www.fastcardirect.co.uk/roofbar_404u.htm

admittedly they do stick out a bit but i am happy with that as they also fit my volvo estate. you can cut them down with a hacksaw if you like and they take up to 100kg the same as the thule ones do.
having a bit extra sticking out is handy if you ever want to move a wardrobe, but i guess it depends if you are leaveing them on all the time.

not sure about those ones from toys4cars above, the fact that they expand in the middle is a bit iffy and they do not quote a weight limit.

 

[jinxbunny]

Forgive me if I have missed something, but what use are roof rails? I had a pair of Panda roof BARS fitted to my car when I bought it so that I could carry a roof box, lengths of timber, a small dingy, etc, etc on the roof at any time in the future. These cost me around £60.00 fitted. They are easy to fit and very secure. They just fit on exactly the same fixtures as the rails but are much more useful and about half of the price.

 

[rbrian]

I agree, roof rails are pretty much pointless, except for style, and I'm not sure they'd suit my Sporting, or a 100hp. I bought some roof bars, which are easy to fit and remove, and cost only £38 for the official Fiat ones, from my dealer. The Panda has a tiny 50kg load limit for the roof, including bars, which weigh about 8kgs. So a 100kg weight limit on the bars is irrelevant, if you put that much on, the bars will be fine, but the roof may bend! Another reason just to have bars, rather than rails and bars, cutting your weight limit by another 8kgs, to a mere 34kg of actual stuff. And then you have to subtract the weight of the roof box from this, and suddenly you can't carry much stuff at all.

 

[hcampian]

I carry 4 mountain bikes on the roof rails w. roof bars and had no problems at all, except maybe when there is powerfull lateral wind. And 20% less mpg.

 

[StuWW]

Can I ask what make of bars you use to carry your bikes, as when I get my panda I'd like to carry two bikes on the roof.

Cheers

Stu

 

[hcampian]

I use Mont Blanc roof bars and as car racks 2 Atera Giro, 1 Thule FreeRide 575 and sometimes 1 Thule ProRide 591. As for quality I strongly advise you to buy Thule ProRide 591. But the other two are not bad either.