Installation
Instructions/Tips:
Installing the Thule
400xtc Complete Aero Rack for Gutterless Car Roof or the Thule
400xtrc Rapid Aero Complete Rack
can be one of Thule’s more difficult racks to install, but it's
definitely manageable for the average Joe. It’s certainly not rocket
science. The Thule 400xt Aero Foot Pack is used with Thule's
rectangular steel crossbars. The Thule 400xtr Rapid Aero Foot Pack is
used with Thule's oval-shaped aluminum crossbars. Because there are so
many vehicles on the market with different style rooflines, Thule has
designed many different Fit Kits to allow their Aero Foot Packs to fit
a wide variety of vehicles. The most important tip we can give is to
set up the front and rear bars completely before mounting the racks to
your vehicle. The Thule 400xt / 400xtr both require pulling out the
tensioning cam
located on the rear of the tower. This will allow the load bars to be
inserted into the towers (or onto
the towers if using the Rapid Aero Bars.) If applicable, use a
measuring tape to set
the distance between the feet on the front and rear load bars as stated
in the Thule Fit Kit
instructions. Once the measurements have been
accurately set, squeeze the tensioning cam until you hear the first
“click.” This can be one of the most difficult parts of the
installation. If you have a hard time squeezing the cams to the first
click, mount one of the clips to the front part of the tower and pull
up on the clip. Doing this should give you the leverage you’ll need to
tighten the cam. Although, when tightening the cam this way make sure
that the tower stays stationary. Otherwise, you will have to undo the
cam and re-measure the distance between the towers. When both cams have
clicked into position the towers should be locked in
place. To make sure that the cams have been tightened properly, grab
the towers and try to move them back and forth on the crossbar. If they
don’t move you have successfully locked the towers in position. Next,
slide the convex washers all the way onto the four adjustment bolts,
making sure that the flat side faces the handle. Now attach the clips
to the towers using the adjustment bolts, as show in your Fit Kit
instructions. Read these instructions carefully, as some Fit Kits use
different clips for the front and rear towers. You should only give the
bolts about three full turns here, otherwise you may have loosen the
bolts again later on. After you've installed the clips, press the
protective rubber base into the bottom of each tower, again matching
each tower to its base according to the Fit Kit Instructions. The
last step before mounting the crossbars to your vehicle would be to
label the front and back crossbars with the stickers provided by Thule.
Now you're ready to mount the assembled crossbars to
your vehicle. Following the measurements given in the Thule Fit Kit
instructions, measure the specified distance from the windshield to the
base of the front tower. When you have the correct distance measured
out on both towers, pull the clips around the edge of the door jamb and
position the clips accordingly. If you cannot pull the clips out and
down to slip them over the edge, you can loosen the adjustment bolts
slightly. Just be careful not to remove the bolt completely; it can be
quite difficult to reattach the clip while the bar is on the vehicle,
and if you drop the bolt on your vehicle it could scratch the finish.
Once the clips are in place, tighten the adjustment knob until the
tensioning cam is just about flush with the back portion of the tower.
Usually you will hear the tensioning cam "click" when the proper
tightness is achieved. For the rear bar, the Thule Fit Kit Instructions
will want you to measure a certain distance from the middle of the
front crossbar to the middle of the rear crossbar. Once you have that
measured out, pull the clips around the edge of the door jamb and
position the clips accordingly (you know the drill by now.) Most
importantly make sure that all measurements are accurate. Again,
tighten the adjustment knobs for the rear crossbar just like you did
for the front. That's it!
Test
The Installation:
Push up on the end of bar to test the installation.
Also, grab the bar near the towers and pull back and forth. If the
tower or crossbar slides, check tower for tightness and re-tighten. The
Thule
400xtc Complete Aero Rack for Gutterless Car Roof is Thule's most
popular answer to
attaching a sport rack to a gutterless vehicle. This complete rack
includes 4 components: 4 of the Thule
400xt Aero Feet, 1 Pair of Thule
Load Bars, 4 End
Caps and one Thule
Fit Kit for 400, 400xt, 400xtr Aero Foot Packs (specific to your
vehicle). Thule’s Fit Kits are coated
with a protective material, which helps prevent any damage to your
vehicle. The Thule Fit Kit design seems to grip some vehicles better
than the Yakima Q Clips. The height of the Thule 400xt tower when
mounted on your vehicle sits about 5” high. We will provide Thule's
recommended load bar length for your vehicle unless you specify
otherwise. Thule Lock Cores are sold separately. The link above will
send
you directly to the Thule 400xt Complete Rack at www.rackwarehouse.com.
If you'd prefer an aerodynamic sport rack, check out the Thule 400xtrc Rapid Aero Complete Rack. This complete rack includes 4 components: 4 of the Thule 400xtr Rapid Aero Feet, 1 Pair of Thule Rapid Aero Load Bars, 4 End Caps and Thule Fit Kit (specific to your vehicle). The height of the Thule 400xtr tower when mounted on your vehicle sits about 5” high, just like the the 400xt. Thule's recommended load bar length for your vehicle will be provided. Thule Lock Cores are sold separately.
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