Recommended Roof Rack for a Thule Cargo Box on a 2018 Ford Explorer

Question:

Im just trying to price out a complete thule roof top cargo box for my 2018 ford explorer, with flush rails. Do I need a fit kit for that?

asked by: Josey

Expert Reply:

You do need a fit kit to install a roof rack on your 2018 Ford Explorer. For your application I recommend going with a Thule WingBar Evo roof rack system. The WingBar Evo crossbars are the new Thule aero-style bar and they feature a slightly different design with the biggest being a 220 lb weight capacity and a dual rubber strip on top so that you don't have to cut it for various accessory applications. Even though the crossbars have a 220 lb weight capacity please note that the roof rack weight capacity as a whole is 165 lbs.

This roof rack consists of the 60" WingBar Evo Bars # TH711520 Black or # TH711500 Silver, along with the Podium Foot Pack # TH460R, and Fit Kit # THKIT3151. You can use the lock kit # TH450400 to add locks to this system but since you are interested in a Thule cargo box I recommend going with the 6 core set # TH450600 so that you can use the same key for both your roof rack and the cargo box.

When it comes to choosing a Thule cargo box for your Explorer any one of them should fit and allow you to completely open your rear hatch. Because of this I highly recommend going with the Thule Force XT Rooftop Cargo Box # TH6359B as it has the most capacity for cargo and has a black AeroSkin diamond-texture lid for a sleek look.

I have attached a photo of a Thule aero-style roof rack on a 2018 Explorer that you can check out as well as a review video for the Force XT that you can reference.