I bought my SE with the roof rails knowing I would want a roof rack eventually and that time has come. Anyone get either the OEM roof rack or the aftermarket (thule/yakima)? The OEM rails are half the price of thule/yakima and I'm trying to figure why they're so much more. Also, BRAKE DUST? Seriously so much brick red brake dust all over my wheels. How do you guys deal with this? I rarely press on my brakes.
On the brake dust, i'm thinking about getting a set of Akebono pads. When i got my R53 MINI, i couldn't drive more than a couple of blocks without major brake dust on my wheels. After the Akebono pads, i see very little dust. https://www.waymotorworks.com/akebono-brake-pads-f55-f56-f57-cooper-s.html
I have the OEM crossbars and made this overview video here. Noticeable wind noise on the highway, but not enough to bother me.
This is going to sound a bit like a “well actually,” but if you can, get your wheels coated. It doesn’t even have to be a full ceramic coating, you can use a spray-on, rinse-off product like Hydro₂. I use Cquartz UK on my nicer wheels, and Hydro₂ on winter wheels, and I find that brake dust just rinses right off subsequently.
I have the OEM bars, but they've only been on the car once when I bought some lumber. I may leave them on next time I use them because my commute changed and I'm rarely on the highway anymore. I found the highway wind noise to be too noticeable without any engine noise to drown it out.
That's what my stereo is for! I take the bars off in winter (when I don't ride my bike as often) to improve my range, and it's also nice to have the quieter ride.
I’ve been looking into this, as I also ordered roof rails for my SE. I was comparing the OEM Mini Base Support system against the Thule Wingbar Edge and the Yakima Jetstream. From what I could gather from photos, both the Thule and Yakima bars have an even more aerodynamic shape than the OEM bars, which hopefully would mean less noise compared to the OEM rack. I suspect the other bar shapes would have the same or worse noise performance as the OEM system (which should be cheaper than those aftermarket options) I’m most likely going to get the Wingbar Edge to try and minimize noise even though it’s more than double the price of the OEM. I’m also tempted to try out the OEM rack for comparison, maybe by buying then selling after the test. Here’s a vid that shows the differences in noise vs bar shapes; I think the Yakima Jetstream is based on the whispbar profile.
I guess that's a future me problem. Definitely have some spray on ceramic coating to use and will install the pads in the future. I've done a couple break pad changes but things were seized and never fun. I usually have my windows down in the summer anyways. But I wonder if it'll be noticeably different? I've never had a roof rack before. But luckily I rarely do highway driving. Unless I need to use the rack for some skis. The OEM ones look less noisy than the square/round ones which I was honestly going to get if I didn't get the OEM ones. Mainly because of aesthetics but probably will stick to the OEM's. I did watch that video and the whispbar sounds so quiet but damn so much more money. Thanks for the video though! Helped decide on the OEM's. Half the price and probably quieter than the square/round ones.
The mini OEM ones are made by Thule which makes OEM bars for many car markers (e.g. VW, land Rover, Audi, Subaru and etc). The bars of the mini OEM ones are like their "aero" bars which are not as aerodynamic as their "wingbar" but more aerodynamic than the square bars. To reduce drag and wind noise, you can install a fairing in front of the bars. Both Thule and Yakima make them.
