[WNYPilotGuy]

I just installed the Honda Roof Box on my Evergreen Pearl EX-L. The box is made by Thule. The installation went quickly, and I did most of it at night in dim light. I didn't realize this in advance, but the Honda crossbars don't hold anywhere near as much weight as the Thule bars do. I can only load up 100lbs in the box, but if I had the Thule crossbars....I could double that. Right now, I'm just driving it around with nothing in it. Wanted to see if it made any wind noise. So far, I can't tell it's up there unless I look on top.

I tried to buy it from Tim at Hondacuraworld, but he couldn't get one in for me in time for our trip this weekend. He felt so bad about not being able to get me one. You can tell Tim really wants to satisfy EVERY customer.

If I get a chance soon, I'll post a picture of it.

 

[piloteer]

I just got a roof box for my EX which came with cross bars and the instructions say to cover the unused holes with round seals.I
put the box on the bars to figure out which holes to use for the brackets and which to cover,but the spacing of the dealer-installed cross bars seems to not match the holes' widths.Which holes did you use for the brackets and wasn't the bars a little thick?

 

[Spartanman]

Price on the cargo box

I noticed Honda marked up the price on that cargo box v. what you would have paid to a Thule retailer. Honda is also doing the same large $$ markups with the Thule made bike carriers.

I suppose as long as one gets the letter "H", its worth the extra $$. NOT!

Didn't Honda do the same (you make it and we'll slap our name on it) with Isuzu not too long ago?.

 

[WNYPilotGuy]

RoofBox

I have the Honda crossbars, and I didn't bother checking the spacing...just followed the Honda instructions that came with the Box. It seemed pretty much perfect on my rails. If I had to do it again, I would have never bought the Honda crossbars (even though they look great), and would have installed the stronger Thule crossbars. I was a little concerned with the brackets that would have come with the Thule box. Wasn't confident they would work with the "wing shaped" Honda crossbars. Therefore, I decided to go with the Honda box. It was $285, and I got 10% off that (so $258). The Thule box would have cost me around $250..if I recall. So the price was close enough that I decided not to take a chance with the brackets.

 

[Windy City Mike]

Thule Weekender

I have the short box and had no problem installing it on the factory cross bars using the original mounting brackets.

 

[ChuckW]

If you want one of the Honda short boxes just buy a Thule Excursion. It's the exact same box but it's a lot cheaper. The only thing you will miss out on is the "H" logo.

 

[jazcar]

Thule box with Thule vs Honda cross bar?

I am trying to maximize functionality for hauling; for home projects or for vacation. Looking at the Thule catalog, there are several advantages to having Thule cross-bars including a wider platform for plywood, etc. and for adding load stops. But the Thule mounting hardware moves the cross bars up by what looks like a few inches vs Honda bars. Add an Excursion box on top and the total height is > 7 1/2 feet.

I am beginning to wonder if my choice between Honda cross bars and Thule cross bars make the difference in accessing all-important McDonalds drivethroughs and parking ramps.

1. Does anyone have an Excursion or Honda box mounted on Thule cross bars?
2. Does this pose any height issues?
3. Is it all that big a difference vs. using Honda cross bars?

 

[ChuckW]

I've got a Thule box on factory crossbars. Follow the Thule link in my signature to see what I've got.

The biggest differences I can see are that the Thule bars can handle more than the 150 pound limit of the factory bars. The other difference is that the Thule bars are flat but a lot higher than the factory bars.