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Old 09-15-2014, 02:57 PM   #51
BMXRickMR2
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Thule Aeroblade Install

Disclaimer
This is simply a write-up of how I did this install and isn't meant as an instruction guide. I can't be held liable for anyone attempting this and screwing it up or being unhappy. This is fairly permanent so if you're not the kind of person who mountain bikes and surfs all summer then snowboards all winter, this might not be the setup for you. I may hold a master's degree in engineering but I am in no way a professional in rack installation nor have I modelled the WRX frame to see what effects 8 small holes in the roof might make. I used the assumption that holes are fairly strong and with a well tightened fastener filling them, I believe the effects are negligible.

Parts needed
Thule Aeroblade 53" Black (You can also use the 47" bars for a slimmer look, bottom of page has measurements )
Thule 460R Podium feet
Thule 3068 fit kit
The brackets made by Krazy (He includes 8 M6 bolts that are the right length)
8x M6 nylon lock nuts
8x M6 washers
Sealant (I used 5200)

Tools needed
Metric Allen key set (for the 6M SHCS)
Metric Socket set (forgot if it's a 10,11,or 12mm you need)
Tape measure
Fine tip sharpie
¼" sharp drill bit (And smaller ones to start the hole)
Cutting oil (This is steel we are drilling into. I used Tap Magic)
Fiber reinforced plastic trim tools

Time
This took me about 6 or 7 hours. Could it be done in less, sure, but my car has 250 miles on it and I was very careful with every step. No one wants any rattles in a new car and taking my time paid off, the car is as rattle free as it was before doing this.

Steps
Follow Advan-Emotion's steps on page 1. He did an awesome job and got me through this install. Instead below are some tips and Thule specific steps.

First off I went a little wider with my bars. Test fit the racks a ton before even marking anything. I brought out my snowboard and kiteboard to make sure they would fit nicely. I used the door line as my datum and went 12" forward and 17.5 inches back. The gutter strip attachment points will limit where you can place the Krazy mounts.

Speaking of gutter strips. The Front of each strip can be popped up vertically but the rest of the strips are held in by the sliding brackets shown on page 1. If I recall correctly the passenger side they slide forward to detach by the driver's side the slide rearward. I could have that backwards, but they don't take much force to figure it out. Search for them by sliding your plastic tools along the inboard side of the gutter.



Before you tear down the interior DISCONNECT THE BATTERY! You will be working right next to the airbag and no one wants to get punched in the face by an airbag accidently going off.

For the visor retaining clips take two flat plastic tools and shove them on the right and left of the clip. You push them both inward then pull out, if you're doing it right the bracket should come out easy.

Masking tape the S**t out of the roof. This is not the time to put the first scratch on your car. And masking tape under the holes you are about to drill. They will catch all the metal shavings.

For the Thule Podium feet you will need to install the Krazy brackets as far outboard as possible. There is a lip in the gutter well on the outboard side and you will want to be flush with it. Measure everything 10 times before you drill, then have a friend come out and measure everything to verify you aren't crazy. Then get drilling. This is where most of the time is spent and will depend on what bit you use and where you drill. Some spots had 2 layers of steel, others had about 5. Go slow and use that cutting fluid.



Using some masking tape on either side of the gutter and mark where the middle of the Krazy mounts are then put the gutter strips back on. Align the openings of the clips to the teeth in the gutter. Pop the front one in by pushing down then use your plastic tool to slide the clips until you feel them lock. I drilled a small hole where I thought the threaded part of the Krazy mount was. Then look inside the hole and see how off you were. Then I used a Dremel to round it out bigger and bigger until the tall spacer fit through. The end product should look like so.



The Thule Podium feet install fairly easy There is a threaded rod with a ring near one end. This ring is a stopper when treading it into the Krazy mounts so that you don't screw into the car below. Then there is a tall spacer you put over that rod. This transfers the weight on the rack to the Krazy mount and then to the car. This will keep the weight off of the rubber feet and off the gutter strip and roof.



The foot pad slides over it and has a lock washer and then a nut to screw it down. I kept this hand tight until everything was assembled with the bars.



Then you start assembling the bars and the rest of the feet and it should look like this.



Now tighten up the nut on the threaded rod and the 2 socket head cap screws on each foot and get the alignment all perfect. Now place the foot caps on and BAM! You're done.



Preliminary results
This rack is on there tight and right away I have far more confidence in it than any clamp style rack. You can shake the car from it and the racks don't move at all relative to the roof. It looks really clean. I've only had it to 65 so far (which was tough since I live on an Island) but I didn't notice any wind noise coming from them. I don't have a moonroof so I can't compare to Advan with the moonroof open. I'm heading to the woods after work today and will update how the rack does at higher speeds and with a Specialized Camber Comp on the roof.

Hope you guys find this helpful, feel free to PM me with any questions.
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Last edited by BMXRickMR2; 10-03-2014 at 09:40 PM.
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Old 09-15-2014, 04:01 PM   #52
bunz559
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Good inputs and writeup!
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Old 09-16-2014, 08:59 AM   #53
BMXRickMR2
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This rack setup performs 100% Went over some bumpy roads and you wouldn't even know there was a bike on your roof. Also, wind noise up to 80MPH was practically negligible. I don't think there was any added wind noise and there definitely arent any whistles or rattles. So glad I did this.

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Old 09-19-2014, 10:49 AM   #54
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nice. thanks for the follow up. I've got the Thule setup (work for a retailer), but I can't move on the install until I get the brackets from Krazy
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Old 09-24-2014, 04:02 PM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMXRickMR2 View Post
Thule Aeroblade Install


Are those landing pads flat? Or did you trim them to fit the contour of the roof? Or are they like that?
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Old 09-24-2014, 09:50 PM   #56
BMXRickMR2
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I didn't modify the pads at all. They come contoured to the roof and match up perfectly.
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Old 09-24-2014, 09:52 PM   #57
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Great thanks!
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Old 09-25-2014, 12:41 AM   #58
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Wow that's freakin awesome man! Great write up !
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Old 09-29-2014, 06:44 PM   #59
bunz559
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I wonder if a 47" crossbar would fit rather than the 53"...
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Old 09-30-2014, 08:59 AM   #60
BMXRickMR2
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I'll try to take some measurments for you later today if the rain here isn't too bad. I went with the wider 53" because I wated to be able to carry my Laser sailboat. Also, sometimes I carry 2 bikes with 2 kayaks or other large combinations and I like the look of wider bars rather than something like the Subaru factory racks from previous years where the feet are also the endcaps.
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Old 09-30-2014, 06:40 PM   #61
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That would be greatly appreciated. I kind of like the look of the shorter bars. Not only that, but Ive bumped my head a few times being careless on bars that stick out too much.
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Old 09-30-2014, 07:06 PM   #62
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NVM, after comparing what OP used, which looks like a 47in bars, I'd assume that as long as the feet aren't too different in position, the Thule 47in bars should work as well.
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Old 10-01-2014, 10:06 AM   #63
BMXRickMR2
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I took a look at the bars this morning. There is at least 4 inches from the outer most part of the foot piece to the end of the track on the aeroblade. You could definitely use the 47" if you want. I think the 53's fit more flush with the side body panels of the car and don't stick out past the side of the car, but the 47's should look nice if you don't need the max possible width. I mounted the bike carriers at half my widest bike's handlebars plus an inch or two and they still end up inside the roof rack feet.
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Old 10-01-2014, 01:10 PM   #64
bunz559
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMXRickMR2 View Post
I took a look at the bars this morning. There is at least 4 inches from the outer most part of the foot piece to the end of the track on the aeroblade. You could definitely use the 47" if you want. I think the 53's fit more flush with the side body panels of the car and don't stick out past the side of the car, but the 47's should look nice if you don't need the max possible width. I mounted the bike carriers at half my widest bike's handlebars plus an inch or two and they still end up inside the roof rack feet.
Thanks much for doing that! I appreciate it.

Now just need to commit. Was going to make the purchase last night but just couldn't do it without every bit of information first. LOL! I live in California and there isn't really a rack shop conveniently near me to run and test fit or buy parts. What ever I order, if it doesn't fit, it'll take me another few days to return and receive.
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Old 10-01-2014, 02:15 PM   #65
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BMXRick I'm really diggin those black aerobars, I don't think those were an option when I ordered mine back in June, at least I didn't see the option. Wonder if I could plastidip them black.......
My rack isn't drilled though
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Old 10-03-2014, 09:33 AM   #66
blubayou
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bunz559 View Post
NVM, after comparing what OP used, which looks like a 47in bars, I'd assume that as long as the feet aren't too different in position, the Thule 47in bars should work as well.
Right. Thule specs the 47" bars for the base Impreza with the factory mounting point, and I measured my roof to see that they should fit just fine.

I ordered the 53" setup, but will have to see if the bars are too long for me. If so, it shouldn't be an issue to cut them down a bit.
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Old 10-03-2014, 09:44 AM   #67
blubayou
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Also, for anyone looking to do this, Krazy had another batch of brackets available for order as of midnight last night.
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Old 10-03-2014, 12:49 PM   #68
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Thanks for the info. Ordered them last night as soon as I got the email.
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Old 10-03-2014, 01:36 PM   #69
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me too. Finally I'll get to drill holes in my new car!
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Old 10-03-2014, 02:06 PM   #70
bunz559
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I have to start ordering the other parts now. Going with the Thule 460r and black aeroblades. I found that Ebay is cheapest.
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Old 10-03-2014, 09:37 PM   #71
BMXRickMR2
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Ok, I had some time to take pictures of the bar ends and verify if the 47" bars would fit.

The front bars have 4 inches of overhang, which means the 47's will fit with 1 inch of overhang.


The rears have 5 inches so the 47's should fit fine with 2 inches of overhang.


Here is the overhang with the 53" bars I used. I think it's very minimal and flows well with the body. I haven't hit my head on them or even come close.

WRXinSC42, The black bars are very hard to find. I didn't even know they existed until I saw them randomly after searching racks for days.

bunz559 and blubayou, the trick is to have one nice cold IPA before you begin but then no other beers til it's finished. That takes the edge off drilling the first hole but insures all the remaining holes line up perfectly. This took me all night and the next morning because I started getting tired and figured it best not to drill into my baby unless I was 100%. Good Luck! Can't wait to see how yours end up.

Last edited by BMXRickMR2; 10-03-2014 at 09:47 PM.
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Old 10-03-2014, 10:21 PM   #72
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So you didnt put the rain gutter trim back in? plans to modify it to fit back in?
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Old 10-04-2014, 01:41 AM   #73
bunz559
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Awesome! Those pics and info will help.

I've ordered the thule 460r, 3068 feet, and 47 inch black bars. I'll take ur advice and make sure I measure 10 times before drilling. Lol! Will keep u guys updated.
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Old 10-04-2014, 10:00 AM   #74
blubayou
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Meh, if I miss drill the car will just be lighter with the extra holes

I also confirmed that the 47" bars will fit on the 460r feet.

Also, I think the black bars come from rackattack, though I could be wrong. I know one site has them listed and mentions they have them PC'd. I am staying with silver to start, since my car is silver
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Old 10-04-2014, 05:29 PM   #75
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Do you guys think drilling is worth it if ill only be using this for winter snowboarding?
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