crossroad Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Hey guys new member! i just got a 15' crossroad. I will be taking a small trip in a little while and will end up getting a thule carrier for the top. I have a few questions. Since i have never had a thule carrier, is it best to use their cross bars with the rack? I was thinking it was best to use the factory type and mount the thule to that? thanks for the help dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Welcome to the forum. The Thule bars will be more "universal" and some how, I believe, clamp to the tops of the door openings. They could clamp to the roof rails, but I'd go with the Factory crossbars. I found a new set on ebay for around $100.00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I agree with dhh3 - the OEM bars fit the rails properly and slide back and forth without crimping or otherwise damaging the rails.You can usually find them on eBay at reasonable prices. You might want to take note the factory spec for the roof rack's weight limits, not that anyone ever pays attention to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossroad Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) SCORE!! i have to check when the wife gets home to see if they fit BUT ironically i have a brand new set of cross bars that came with my 08 grand cherokee overland. I forgot i even had them because they were stored up in the garage. Just from some measurements i saw online i think they are the same exact length. when i typed in vehicle info on the thule site as if i was buying their crossbars they listed 43" . I checked my bars and not being exactly sure whey they are measured from I'm coming up with about 43" also. I have my fingers crossed. Edited April 16, 2015 by crossroad dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I hope they work for you but it might not be so simple - the DJ bars are different lengths front and rear and if the rails are not shaped the same the ones for the Jeep may not clamp properly to the DJ's rails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossroad Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 crap... ill let ya know. i gues i didnt check both of them to see if they are the same. im hoping that the GC bars are built the same way. The roof rails seem to be shaped exactly the same as the GC ones that i remember... dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 There are also detents, marked with little lines, on the roof rails, so that the crossbars are locked in place and can't move forward or backward on the rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossroad Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 well im out of luck. The GC rails i have are in fact different sizes, one is a little longer. The problem is when i held the longest one at the back of the journey it was about 3-4" longer than the rails..... so looks like i will be on the lookout for some.. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 I agree with dhh3 - the OEM bars fit the rails properly and slide back and forth without crimping or otherwise damaging the rails. You can usually find them on eBay at reasonable prices. $100 + for two pieces of 3' aluminum rail is NOT reasonable to me....lol I so wish I would have noticed so I could have snatched the ones off our 09 before we traded it in. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossroad Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) Mine are exactly like that but from a grand Cherokee. Just different size. Edited March 22, 2016 by jkeaton dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyh Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 The Thule setup is a sweet setup. The Thule Crossroad mount connects securely to most factory side rails. I have also owned an equal amount of Yakima racks and equipment mounts and they are great as well but I favor the Thule on a vehicle with factory rails. The only thing I will add is if you want to lock your mounts and rails or your sports equipment you need to buy locks with either Thule or Yakima brands. One topic on this forum the people were upset that locks weren't included. There was never a mention of getting free locks anyway. I am tired of quality products getting bad ratings because someone didn't read what was included and expected things they weren't promised. dhh3 and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 The Thule setup is a sweet setup. The Thule Crossroad mount connects securely to most factory side rails. I have also owned an equal amount of Yakima racks and equipment mounts and they are great as well but I favor the Thule on a vehicle with factory rails. The only thing I will add is if you want to lock your mounts and rails or your sports equipment you need to buy locks with either Thule or Yakima brands. One topic on this forum the people were upset that locks weren't included. There was never a mention of getting free locks anyway. I am tired of quality products getting bad ratings because someone didn't read what was included and expected things they weren't promised. Happens on Amazon a lot. People leave bad ratings because something didn't come with batteries when the description clearly states no batteries are included dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyh Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 When I buy a quality item I buy it from the manufacture or a company I have brought from before. The Weathertech mat I bought for my DJ came from Weathertech. I wanted the proper fit for my year and not one of the Amazon dealers would confirm it fit my car exactly. It cost $127 inc. shipping same as most. Both Thule and Yakima car racks say locks are not included but if you want them they sell them. Don't buy something expecting anything unless you have gone and investigated the purchase. I bought my latest rack at EMS on sale including a six pack of keyed alike locks. Nothing wrong with saving money but when it doesn't work out suck it up. jkeaton and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) I just bought a set of Thule snow ski/snow board racks that will clamp on my cross bars. They come with locks, but the first set didn't come with keys! I'm hoping that I can use them for fishing poles. These are listed as a Mopar accessory, so they should fit! Edited November 22, 2015 by dhh3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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