Vehicle cargo crossbars and noise

July 2, 2022 10:26 AM

Did you used to have square crossbars, and then switched to round or aero? Was the noise reduction significant or not worth the price? I currently have square bars and at highway speeds it's annoying, and I don't know whether to swap them out for aeros or put a spoiler on or what.
posted by curious nu to Technology (2 answers total)

My older car has after-market square bars, and adding a spoiler made a big improvement.

My newer car has factory aero bars, and is quiet. But those aero bars follow the curve of the roof (side to side) and blend in the at corners where they mount, so they are maximally aero (and quiet).

Would the replacement aero bars be as well integrated?
posted by jpeacock at 10:41 AM on July 2, 2022

Round bars will also be noisy. Aeros or a spoiler. If you’re cheap, spiral wrap a bungee cord around your front bar, it will also eliminate the whistle.
posted by gnutron at 11:56 AM on July 2, 2022 [3 favorites]