Quiet Crossbars for Subaru Legacy Wagon

[han_chung]

Hi,

Does anyone know of any crossbars for a Legacy wagon that won't
howl/whistle when driving at speed?

Regards,

Han.

 

[Vanguard]

Hi,

Does anyone know of any crossbars for a Legacy wagon that won't
howl/whistle when driving at speed?

Round ones make a lot of noise. Forget which brand but I've seen them
in a tear-drop or ovoid shape to reduce noise. The Subaru OEM ones are
horizontally flat to reduce drag and noise (but my Subaru with them
definitely has more whoosing wind noise than my Subie with no roof rack
at all). The Yakima bars that I had also had a windshield option that
you could mount on the front bar that would deflect the air upward but
it did produce drag. That changed the nature of the noise but didn't
eliminate it (I recall there was still a lot of noise after adding the
windshield but it was easier on the ears).

The noise is due to the turbulence on the backside of the round or
square bar. I forget where I got the clamps (they were probably
accessory clamps for the bar) but I got a couple of plastic or nylon
plates (something like 4x6) that I positioned horizontally at the
backside of the front bar and that reduced the noise. That eliminated
me having to buy a whole new set of the ovoid-shaped bars. I forget
what happened to the windshield and this was a cheap way to reduce the
noise almost as effectively.

If you have the flattened variety of roof bars but still want less
noise, the best solution is to remove them when you don't use them.
When you do use them, something else will be atop your vehicle making
much more noise and generating far more drag.

 

[Allan Sheppard]

Hi,
Here in New Zealand the Subaru crossbars are square section and we can
get rubber aerofoil shaped covers that wrap around the crossbars. They
are held in place by a plastic fitting that slides along the two sides
of the covers joining them together. Available from automotive
suppliers.
Virtually eliminates any noise from the cross bars.

Cheers,
Allan

 

[Body Roll]

Hi,

Does anyone know of any crossbars for a Legacy wagon that won't
howl/whistle when driving at speed?

The oval shaped ones that were bundled with my 92 legacy were quiet at
all speeds.

The ones that came with my 05 Outback Sport are quiet if they are
facing in the direction
opposite to what the sticker says (it says fat side should go to the
front). With the thin side
facing forward the noise is inaudible.

I'd miss the roof rack when/if I get an Evo.

 

[Jon H.]

I have recently gotten my 3rd Subie'... An 06' WRX Sportwagon.....The
crossbars absolutely frigg'n howl!!!! I'm sure its the tiedown loops
they put on the front & rear ends of each bar....Its the exact same
noise you get when blowing accross the open top of a soda bottle...I've
had an Outback and a Forrester without these gimmicks and hence NO
noise. I can't believe with the zillions these companies spend on
"NVH" engineering that something this egregious could get by them. The
only option I see is to take them off till Winter when I really need
them and than just try to live with it. Subaru shoud make some type of
spoiler that wedges into the openings and cancels this noise.
Jon H

 

[Jon H.]

I have recently gotten my 3rd Subie'... An 06' WRX Sportwagon.....The
crossbars absolutely frigg'n howl!!!! I'm sure its the tiedown loops
they put on the front & rear ends of each bar....Its the exact same
noise you get when blowing accross the open top of a soda bottle...I've
had an Outback and a Forrester without these gimmicks and hence NO
noise. I can't believe with the zillions these companies spend on
"NVH" engineering that something this egregious could get by them. The
only option I see is to take them off till Winter when I really need
them and than just try to live with it. Subaru shoud make some type of
spoiler that wedges into the openings and cancels this noise.
Jon H

 

[RST Engineering]

Take a kitchen sponge, cut it to size, fill the holes. What's the problem?

Jim

 

[Jon H.]

What happens when it gets wet? How does it hold its shape through the
"wind and weather"?

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I have recently gotten my 3rd Subie'... An 06' WRX Sportwagon.....The
crossbars absolutely frigg'n howl!!!! I'm sure its the tiedown loops
they put on the front & rear ends of each bar....Its the exact same
noise you get when blowing accross the open top of a soda bottle...I've
had an Outback and a Forrester without these gimmicks and hence NO
noise. I can't believe with the zillions these companies spend on
"NVH" engineering that something this egregious could get by them. The
only option I see is to take them off till Winter when I really need
them and than just try to live with it. Subaru shoud make some type of
spoiler that wedges into the openings and cancels this noise.
Jon H

I bought some off Ebay for my '06 WRX. Can't tell they're on (except I
don't like the look so I take 'em off again.) Still, they seem as quiet
or quieter than my wife's OBW. Maybe some tape around the loop area - at
least to confirm that's where the noise comes from - mayeb it's
somewhere else.

In all fairness, I do have an aftermarket exhaust - but it is also just
a little louder at highway speeds. Certainly the bars do not 'howl'.

ymmv

I dunno

Carl

 

[Body Roll]

I don't mind repeating myself: contrary to what the sticket on the
Impreza crossbars
says the fat part should face *BACKWARDS*. Think of an airplane wing
turned 180 degrees along
the long axis.
There is a sticker on the bar that says "Front". and an arrow. If you
mount the bars with that
arrow facing towards the back of the car the noise level is drastically
lower.

 

[Body Roll]

I wonder how come Subaru claims that the whale wing on the STI is
functional
while the front cross bar is not? Don't people in engineering talk to
each other and
can't they design a wiiiiiiiiiide front crossbar sloping up to provide
whatever downforce is
needed? Real or imaginary.
The problem is the clearance between the front of the redesigned bar
and the roof
but I'm sure they can come up with some rubberized material for the
section of the roof
that is in close proximity to the front of the crossbar-wing combo.

Heck. the front crossbar could be in contact with a roof acting as a
1) Wing
2) A spoiler for the rear crossbar.

I don't think this is any tackier than wings on STIs of yore.
Not sure what would have to be done to the leaky hatches on the roof.
They could move moonroofs back a few inches I guess. I have a feeling
this setup
might end up looking as ugly as the Yakima roof rack spoilers though.
But when did the ugliness of appearance stop FHI from doing anything?

P.S. The other day Wong version 2.0 The American next door have
installed an STI look alike wing on the trunk of his rex. Now he has a
scratched bumper to go with that.
Tandem garages are unforgiving to the cars with numb steering feel and
poor rear visibility.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I wonder how come Subaru claims that the whale wing on the STI is
functional
while the front cross bar is not? Don't people in engineering talk to
each other and
can't they design a wiiiiiiiiiide front crossbar sloping up to provide
whatever downforce is
needed? Real or imaginary.
The problem is the clearance between the front of the redesigned bar
and the roof
but I'm sure they can come up with some rubberized material for the
section of the roof
that is in close proximity to the front of the crossbar-wing combo.

Heck. the front crossbar could be in contact with a roof acting as a
1) Wing
2) A spoiler for the rear crossbar.

I don't think this is any tackier than wings on STIs of yore.
Not sure what would have to be done to the leaky hatches on the roof.
They could move moonroofs back a few inches I guess. I have a feeling
this setup
might end up looking as ugly as the Yakima roof rack spoilers though.
But when did the ugliness of appearance stop FHI from doing anything?

P.S. The other day Wong version 2.0 The American next door have
installed an STI look alike wing on the trunk of his rex. Now he has a
scratched bumper to go with that.
Tandem garages are unforgiving to the cars with numb steering feel and
poor rear visibility.

Yeah, some people have purposely left the trunk unlatched on their STI
and driven at high speed (oh - I'm SURE it was done on a track...*cough
right!cough* ) and found there is not enough force to latch tje trunk.
Other folks have said it is designed to perform in rallying to help keep
the car flatter in jumps - I dunno. It may NOT have been functional (or
marginally so) in the past, since they have now added a 'slat'/diffuser
above the rear window.

Carl
1 Lucky Texan