Roof bar nightmare!

[Angeline]

I've recently bought a lovely roof tent.  I have to admit we didn't read the specification carefully enough.  We didn't realise that the Thule Roof bars only had a maximum distance 31" (ish)  but we need about 33"!  its fine at the front .. hadn't noticed that they actually get slightly narrower towards the back!

 

So my question .. as any got roof bars that are NOT Thule bars?  If so what usable distance do you have between the fittings?  Thinking it might be easier to buy new bars than the move rails on the tent AND drill new holes ..

 

Help is appreciated.

[olderman1]

I think that you're probably not describing your problem very well if I'm reading this correctly.

First off, as you're writing in a Kodiaq forum I assume you have a Kodiaq ?

Secondly, when you buy a pair of roof bars, whatever the make, they will be the same length.

I think the problem you're trying to describe is that the width between your roof rails (that's the longitudinal rails already fitted to the car) is wider at the front than it is at the rear. That's because the roof is wider at the front than it is at the back. It that's what you're describing, then buying a different make of bars won't make any difference.

If I'm correct there might be a work around, but to find that out we'd need to see the fitting instructions for the roof tent.

 

The other thing that bothers me, is that a Kodiaq roof and rails are only are only designed to take a maximum weight of 75kgs I believe and Thule bars will be similar, although if Thule bars can carry 100kgs, you can't carry that much if the Kodiaq roof is only rated at 75kgs. So if the combined weight you're intending to put on the roof, including the tent is more than 75kgs then you're asking for trouble.

[Angeline]

Yes maybe I’ve not described the issue.  It’s not the overall length of the bars that is the issue is the distance between the foot packs along the bars.  Different makes of bars have different fixtures so I was hoping that someone else might have a different make of bars and be able to tel me the width between the rear bars.

 

I take your point about the

max weight and I’ve already considered this.

[olderman1]

So you're talking about the size of the foot packs which attach the bars to the rails I believe ?

There will not be an appreciable difference in the size of foot packs from different manufacturers because they have to be big enough and robust enough to clamp around the rails and have enough adjustment to do so.

If you have Thule bars with slots in the top, they are designed to accept T bar fittings to which things can be attached. If you can use these, then the distance between the rear foot packs will make no difference because everything will be above the bars.

If there's any adjustment on the roof tent fixings, could you not move the rear ones outwards so they fit outside of the roof rails, rather than inside of them ?

[xspartx]

21 hours ago, olderman1 said:

I think that you're probably not describing your problem very well if I'm reading this correctly.

First off, as you're writing in a Kodiaq forum I assume you have a Kodiaq ?

Secondly, when you buy a pair of roof bars, whatever the make, they will be the same length.

I think the problem you're trying to describe is that the width between your roof rails (that's the longitudinal rails already fitted to the car) is wider at the front than it is at the rear. That's because the roof is wider at the front than it is at the back. It that's what you're describing, then buying a different make of bars won't make any difference.

If I'm correct there might be a work around, but to find that out we'd need to see the fitting instructions for the roof tent.

 

The other thing that bothers me, is that a Kodiaq roof and rails are only are only designed to take a maximum weight of 75kgs I believe and Thule bars will be similar, although if Thule bars can carry 100kgs, you can't carry that much if the Kodiaq roof is only rated at 75kgs. So if the combined weight you're intending to put on the roof, including the tent is more than 75kgs then you're asking for trouble.

 

Really?  So no tent on top for the Kodiaq then.

[olderman1]

5 minutes ago, xspartx said:

 

Really?  So no tent on top for the Kodiaq then.

 

What does that mean ?

[DaveMiller]

58 minutes ago, olderman1 said:

 

What does that mean ?

Well, a roof tent is usually a device that folds out, and has a ladder, so you can climb up and sleep in the tent, up on the roof.  Total weight of tent, plus fold-out solid floor, plus ladder plus added roofbars is probably already quite a few of the allowed 75 kg, so any people sleeping in it would need to be remarkable skinny!

[olderman1]

Well first off Dave, I got the impression that xspartx was being sarcastic and if he wasn't then he should quantify what he meant.

With regard to my initial reply to the OP, I thought it prudent to point out the weight limits of the Kodiaq roof as supplied by Skoda and also of roof bars in case they weren't aware. The OP says they are aware, so how they treat their car is up to them, I just thinks it's the correct thing to do to make people aware of all the facts, upon which they can then make their own decision. 

I know a reasonable amount about roof bars and carrying items on them as I've been transporting my 16' Canadian canoes on them for several years, so I know about the forces can be exerted against things on the roof.

However, I know next to nothing about roof tents, so I had a quick squint online yesterday at generic ones as I don't know what make/model the OP has bought. The make I looked at claim that the car manufacturer weight limits only apply when the car has a load and is in motion. They claim that that cars are manufactured to take far more weight when they are static ( I saw an example of 500kgs), because there are no wind or cornering forces being exerted and also because their roof tent is spread evenly across the whole roof because of the platform it's based on.

This may or may not be so and I can understand that if the weight of the tent was concentrated on the four ends of the roof rails where the roof structure is strongest, then their claims could be believed. However, the tent base is secured to the roof bars  (not directly to the rails) which are inboard from the strongest points on the roof, so the initial weight of the tent and its occupants is on the roof bars, not the rails and the bars are only rated between 75/100kgs.

Having said all that, I'd like to think that the tent manufacturers have tested their wares on actual roofs and bars, because if they haven't there could be events happening on car roofs that are worthy of Youtube and could be followed by court claims. The good thing about any failures is that they'll occur off the road, so won't hurt anyone other than the car owner.

 

On a personal level, I can see the appeal of a roof tent, but I like my car too much so I wouldn't consider putting a tent on the roof.

Apologies to the OP as this has gone a little off topic.

[Angeline]

This might help if people are worried about the weight .. 

 

https://www.trekoverland.com/pages/roof-load-rating-for-roof-tents

 

this very nicely shows you all the ‘maths’

 

going back to My original comments .. the Thule foot pack casing protrudes along the bar towards the centre of the car further than other bars … Hence why asking if others who might have other makes of bars might be able to measure the distance between them.  I only need another inch..

 

but I think I might just be about to get the drill out to move the tracks on the roof tent .. will be the cheaper option at least! 🤣

[xspartx]

50 minutes ago, olderman1 said:

Well first off Dave, I got the impression that xspartx was being sarcastic and if he wasn't then he should quantify what he meant.

With regard to my initial reply to the OP, I thought it prudent to point out the weight limits of the Kodiaq roof as supplied by Skoda and also of roof bars in case they weren't aware. The OP says they are aware, so how they treat their car is up to them, I just thinks it's the correct thing to do to make people aware of all the facts, upon which they can then make their own decision. 

I know a reasonable amount about roof bars and carrying items on them as I've been transporting my 16' Canadian canoes on them for several years, so I know about the forces can be exerted against things on the roof.

However, I know next to nothing about roof tents, so I had a quick squint online yesterday at generic ones as I don't know what make/model the OP has bought. The make I looked at claim that the car manufacturer weight limits only apply when the car has a load and is in motion. They claim that that cars are manufactured to take far more weight when they are static ( I saw an example of 500kgs), because there are no wind or cornering forces being exerted and also because their roof tent is spread evenly across the whole roof because of the platform it's based on.

This may or may not be so and I can understand that if the weight of the tent was concentrated on the four ends of the roof rails where the roof structure is strongest, then their claims could be believed. However, the tent base is secured to the roof bars  (not directly to the rails) which are inboard from the strongest points on the roof, so the initial weight of the tent and its occupants is on the roof bars, not the rails and the bars are only rated between 75/100kgs.

Having said all that, I'd like to think that the tent manufacturers have tested their wares on actual roofs and bars, because if they haven't there could be events happening on car roofs that are worthy of Youtube and could be followed by court claims. The good thing about any failures is that they'll occur off the road, so won't hurt anyone other than the car owner.

 

On a personal level, I can see the appeal of a roof tent, but I like my car too much so I wouldn't consider putting a tent on the roof.

Apologies to the OP as this has gone a little off topic.

 

There was absolutely no sarcasm in my post.  

 

I was surprised at the 75kg limit, but was taking your word for it, and on that basis the logic was  that the Kodiaq wasn't suitable for a roof tent.  

 

 

[skomaz]

Which thule kit do you have?  I use square bars and a 755 foot pack so cna chek that for you butmi guess its likely to be the same issue (assuming you need the minimum with between the inner edges of the foot pack as some part of the roof tent has to bolt round the bars?)

[olderman1]

Interesting figures in your article, but they only talk about weights that the roof can take not the bars themselves, however...........

 

Quote

but I think I might just be about to get the drill out to move the tracks on the roof tent .. will be the cheaper option at least! 

Seems a rather drastic solution on what I assume is a new tent. Do they not make another model with the tracks spaced differently and if so, could you swap models ?

Or as I mentioned yesterday, if you have the roof bars with slots along the top, have you got the wherewithal to make/get made some fittings that will utilise those slots ?

 

As a way of trying to answer your original question, I have another set of roof bars in my garage which aren't Thule and the spacing between the footpacks is much less than the Thule bars when fitted to my car.

Another possible solution is that Thule make, or used to make more than one set of footpacks that fitted the Kodiaq. I can't help much further than that because Thule changed the numbers of their footpacks since I last bought any and I'm now not so familiar with them. They do a type that simply clamp onto the roof rails, but the ones I have also have plastic coated metal straps that pass under the rails, thereby making a more secure connection (IMO) and are preferable for the canoes I carry. I cannot tell you what the spacing is between the footpacks, because I sold my Kodiaq and got a Kamiq.

 

Edited 21 November, 2021 by olderman1

[olderman1]

1 hour ago, xspartx said:

 

There was absolutely no sarcasm in my post.  

 

I was surprised at the 75kg limit, but was taking your word for it, and on that basis the logic was  that the Kodiaq wasn't suitable for a roof tent.  

 

 

A misunderstanding then, maybe I'm too sensitive - not something I've been accused of in the past 😉

[Angeline]

3 hours ago, skomaz said:

Which thule kit do you have?  I use square bars and a 755 foot pack so cna chek that for you butmi guess its likely to be the same issue (assuming you need the minimum with between the inner edges of the foot pack as some part of the roof tent has to bolt round the bars?)

 

Yes its the minimum width .. I have to admit I can't remember which footpace we have 😆 and I'm away at the moment.

[olderman1]

This may or not be helpful.

I have the 775 footpack which are these.

 

If I measure from the inside of the ROOF RAIL to end of the foot i.e. the inner part of the foot that concerns you, it's 40mm

 

If you have the other type of fitting that just clamps onto the rails like this below, then it might be worth measuring yours to see if there if there's any/enough difference between them for your tent to fit. If my foot measurement is more than 12.5mm less than yours then the 775's would work if you can get them where you are.

 

[silver1011]

Connected to the 'roof frame' rather than via the roof rails but the infamous helicopter on the roof marketing stunt continues, with a weight of more than half a tonne in this case. The only deviation from factory production being an upgrade to the rear suspension...

 

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/models/kodiaq/kodiaq-with-a-helicopter-on-the-roof/

[AlienAl]

I cant get a build week  mentioned to me nor any update but they can mess around landing a helicopter on one and showing it off! priorities right? who gives a toss really its a skoda

[Yogi-Bear]

39 minutes ago, AlienAl said:

I cant get a build week  mentioned to me nor any update but they can mess around landing a helicopter on one and showing it off! priorities right?

 

Yes, they're prioritising those who ordered the optional helicopter landing pad. Did you not tick that option...?

[AlienAl]

🤣 only option that no doubt didnt need semi conductors! Sorry sir you cant have area view but can i interest you in a helicopter landing pad?