Quiet Crossbars for Subaru Legacy Wagon

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.

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

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.

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

Jim

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

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.

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

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