Adjusting Crossbar Spread of Thule AeroBlade Roof Rack for Canyon Basket on 2018 Volvo XC90

Question:

I recently purchased a canyon XT roof rack with the 20 inch extension and I have it mounted on Thule aero bars on my 2018 Volvo XC 90. The instructions for the bars State not to mount them further than 32 inches apart however with the large sizes of the canyon box is it OK to spread them farther apart ? Also, is it common for the front of the rack to flex slightly in the wind at highway speeds? I followed all instructions when mounting. I currently have the bars spaced 31” apart, with equal parts of the rack protruding over the front and rear bar.

asked by: Nicholas S

Expert Reply:

I spoke with my contact at Thule regarding the Thule AeroBlade Edge Roof Rack # TH7503-TH7503 that you have installed on your 2018 Volvo XC90. He stated that while the instructions do call for a crossbar spread of 24 to 32 inches on your vehicle, it is acceptable to move to a larger spread of up to 36 inches when mounting your Thule Canyon XT # TH859XT-8591XT with the extension attached.

This may allow for a bit of a better fit with the larger basket but the spread you currently have the bars at should still be sufficient and shouldn't be contributing to any flex on the unit during travel. I am not quite sure what exactly you mean by flex, but there shouldn't be much movement at all on the basket, even at higher speeds. Are you by chance seeing this flex on the front wind deflector piece? If this is the case then you will just want to make sure that the included screws that hold the deflector in place are all tightened down properly.

If it is something different that you are seeing please let me know and I will be happy to look into this further.

expert reply by: Chris R