I went with the Porsche ones. The rails on the car are non-standard and there weren't a lot of aftermarket options. I own a Thule set that I use on my other cars, but they won't fit on the Macan's rails. The Porsche ones were about the same price as aftermarket ones, and are covered under the car's warranty.

 

I was wondering the same thing and found Thule aeroblades for the Macan w/ roof rail (i.e. $540 from rack outfitters.com)
Porsche Macan Thule BLACK AeroBlade EDGE Base Roof Rack '14-'16* - Rack Outfitters
Not sure which way to go (less noise, twice the price, part of a full blown high quality system, etc.)

 

It will be black Thule Wingbars for my GTS to match the black roof rails. The Porsche cross bars are too big and thick for my liking.
Thule make a specific foot pack for the Macan. Fit isn't a problem.

 

2 quick comments. The Porsche bars are available for $249 from Suncoast. The Thule bars are $499. That seems like an easy decision to me.

BUT - bigger question is, do Thule accessories (i.e., bike carrier) work on the Porsche bars? Do the Porsche bars have an inset groove down the centerline of the bar? (The photo on Suncoast parts does not really show much detail)

 

On a business trip 1st part of this week, but I can get some pics of my bars for you when I get home. I haven't taken them out of the storage bag yet.

 

Hi,

Got a chance to pull these out of the bag. They appear solid and well-made. They do have a groove down the centerline.

 

Thanks @BaronV for the photos - great detail! Appreciate your taking time to post these.

 

I wanted wider bars, got Thule podium 460 for their square bars and went 58" vs 50." I can put more stuff up there, even 2 kayaks lying flat on top. BUT THE WIND NOISE IS HORRIBLE

 

I am going to purchase the Porsche cross bars from Suncoast. Price is only $249 plus shipping.

Suncoast Porsche Parts & Accessories Macan Roof Rack Bars

However, I have no idea what accessories I need to carry SUP boards.

Please let me know if you are familiar with this sport.

Thanks!

 

I remember seeing that the Porsche branded cross bars allow clearance for the sunroof to open. For anyone who went with the Thule system. Does the Thule system allow you to open the sunroof? I remember seeing a diagram that recommends you don't open your sunroof with Thule Aero bars.

Ge0

 

I have the Thule aeroblade edge bars with motion XT box and can open my panoramic roof all the way without any issues

 

if you look closely my pano roof is open in this pic

 

Thank you Daya. My Macan is also Saphire Blue with Spyder Wheels. So, this should work for me LOL!!!

 

Open pano roof with Thule Aero

 

Open pano roof with Thule Aero

View attachment 228958

View attachment 228959

Thanks for the photos Reanard. How much gap would you say there is between the bottom of the cross bar and the open glass? I ask because I am concerned about the mounting hardware on my Thule bike carrier possibly coming into contact with or scratching the glass.

 

This is my first post as I'm about to take the plunge tomorrow!! I've seen a few older posts on this subject but I wanted to ask the question now that more aftermarket options are available.

I'm getting the built in aluminum roof rails, but I'm wondering whether I should get the Porsche cross bars (aka "Roof Transport System") or go with an aftermarket variation. Pricing is relatively reasonable with Porsche (US$270), but they look a little clunky to me and I've read of issues with it during install.

Thoughts?

Porsche? Thule? Whispbar? RockyMounts? Other?

I have a thought for you, if you haven't been reading the forum long.

In the two+ years I've been reading, I recall some posts regarding the torque applied to roof rails. I have the OEM rails, along with the OEM crossbars. I've never used the crossbars -- I'm saving them for maybe some drive to a beach vacation, and at that time I'll buy either a Porsche top box or some aftermarket one. (I have a huge Thule box, left over from when we had a Camry for ten years, and used it for just such a week.)

Where was I? Oh, yeah, it seems that a few folks have had problems with the rails leaving gaps by the roof, or bending, some problem along those lines. It looks like the Porsche small wrench with built-in torque gizmo is either set too high, or the torque spec itself is too high, or something.

In any case, reading those threads has stuck in my mind, and I plan to very cautious whenever it is that I get around to actually mounting the factory crossbars. So this is a heads-up to not be a gorilla when mounting whatever crossbars you wind up with, and pay attention to what's going on when you mount them.

 

This is the image that raised my concern. They show this image but do not explain if there is an incompatibility issue or if you should just be cautious. As a matter of fact they do not mention sunroof's at all. That sure looks like a warning about cracking your glass to me.

 

Here is my concern with the low profile cross bars and my bike carrier when installed on the roof.

 

@Ge0 I just measured the height clearance of the Thule AeroBlade with the open Pano Roof and I see no more than 2" gap. The open pano roof height is pretty much even with the factory roof rails. I am not familiar with the Thule bike carrier attachment mechanism, but here is a picture of my Thule Ski carrier attached to the bar itself, and another picture of the open pano roof from the back.

 

@Ge0 I just measured the height clearance of the Thule AeroBlade with the open Pano Roof and I see no more than 2" gap. The open pano roof height is pretty much even with the factory roof rails. I am not familiar with the Thule bike carrier attachment mechanism, but here is a picture of my Thule Ski carrier attached to the bar itself, and another picture of the open pano roof from the back.

View attachment 229004

View attachment 229006

Thank you once again for taking the time and posting the pictures. It look like the bike rack will clear just fine.

 

Let me say that cross bars and a ski box really effect your mileage if you are pressing firmly on the go peddle. In my case it cost about 4 miles per gallon at 85 MPH on our current trip to Sun Valley from the Seattle area.

 

A local hitch place that was recommended by a colleague quoted about $400 for parts (including wiring harness) and labor for a hitch for the Macan. I wonder if they know they will have to cut the rear diffuser. Seems pretty cheap. It is a reputable shop too.

 

Grrr. I have 2 nearly new Thule roof mount bike carriers. I also have a Thule hitch mount bike carrier. However, I don't have cross bars or a trailer hitch on my Macan.

I prefer the trailer hitch bike rack since it reduces the likelihood that I will scratch or damage my vehicle. However, the hitch I want (Stealth Hitch) is $600. Labor to install it will be roughly $500. This is kind of expensive.

I thought installing cross bars would be a more economical solution. However, the entire crossbar kit I need will be approximately $620. Ughhh... Fortunately I have a few more months of bad weather here in Michigan. I can hold off buying either solution until after tax returns

Ge0

 

Grrr. I have 2 nearly new Thule roof mount bike carriers. I also have a Thule hitch mount bike carrier. However, I don't have cross bars or a trailer hitch on my Macan.

I prefer the trailer hitch bike rack since it reduces the likelihood that I will scratch or damage my vehicle. However, the hitch I want (Stealth Hitch) is $600. Labor to install it will be roughly $500. This is kind of expensive.

I thought installing cross bars would be a more economical solution. However, the entire crossbar kit I need will be approximately $620. Ughhh... Fortunately I have a few more months of bad weather here in Michigan. I can hold off buying either solution until after tax returns

Ge0

Stealth hitch is excellent. I have it.

 

The thing is make sure if you have a sunroof that it does not conflict with your cross bars.

 

Weird day today I made a little progress:

This metal rips through these cut off wheels:

But, a nice fine line:

I think I went through 9 cut off wheels total:

Sharp crisp edges:

Take off sharp edges the easy way:

Polish it up a little better

Good enough fit. The grill is 1/16th" undersized. However, this may work out ok.

To be continued...

Ge0

 

I think you posted to the wrong thread.

 

Greetings! New to Macan... and new to Porsche. Not new to admiring Porsche ;-)

My 2017 Macan S is a recent acquisition through dealership CPO. Took a bit to find the right one with roof rails... they seem a bit harder to come by. Knew for sure I would be adding cross bars and carrier accessories, etc, so rails were a must. Coming off years of Land Rover ownership, have always used cross bars and carriers... to the point where my high schooler thinks cars without roof racks look bald. LOL. Mine also has panoramic sliding sunroof, so...

Wanted to revive this older discussion to see if there is any consensus between OEM Porsche bars (from Suncoast) vs. Thule Aeroblades (medium I believe is right size). Besides price point (OEM much less in this case), what about:

• sunroof clearance once accessories - like ski racks - are added to cross bars (not as concerned about clearance with either bars, that looks fine)
• sound at highway speeds - I thought Aeroblades were supposed to be relatively quiet but above comments suggest otherwise
• adjustability along the rails - can Aeroblabes be moved (slid) front and back, while the OEM's have to be put at specific location along the rails?
• overall simplicity of install

Thanks in advance for any pointers!

 

I really like my Thule aero blades, I have only used it with the Thule motion XT box and I can open my pano roof just fine

I don’t think they are noisy at all but I don’t have another set of bars to compare

yes, you can place the bars wherever you like, I place mine where the little notches are but it’s not necessary

very easy to install - you will get a fit kit (4050 I believe) and they give you an Allen wrench to adjust and tighten. Takes less than 10 min to install both bars

I would recommend getting the Thule one key lock system, get at least 6 (the bars will take 4) and then you have some extra cylinder cores for accessories

I posted a review on the bars and box, I’ll post the link here in a bit

 

Here is my review

Thule

 

Daya, Thanks for all great tips, answers to my queries, and link to your review.

Based on my color combo - including external silver trim complementing night blue - will likely opt for Thule Aeroblades with silver/black combo.

Very helpful. Appreciate!

 

I'm in the market for a used Macan. I currently a Yakima Skybox that we've used on numerous vehicles. I had to modify the travel of the box latches to custom fit my Lexus 350. So far it hasn't crumpled on me at 90 mph on the freeway when filled with golf clubs.

Could anyone tell me the maximum width of the cross bar placement (from bar to bar) for both the OEM cross bars as well as the Thule bars? From the pictures I've seen, they don't look like people have pushed them out to the ends as far as they might be able to go. But I'm not sure if that is a function of the rails that don't allow full travel to the ends.

 

How about you come back to us in a different way. Tell us how much width you need and we will figure out how to make it work?