BMW Crossbar base system (roof rack), horrible wind noise?

[iminhell1]

I can't find a picture to tell me which is front and which rear. One of mine has little wind deflector things on the bottom, I put that one to the front.
Have not tried it to the rear yet.
I also don't have the rubber strips in the top yet.

But the noise is a low vibration at about 50mph, vibrates the whole roof. And just general wind noise, more than I would have expected. About equivalent to driving 60mph with a window open.


Is this normal?

Does stuffing the plastic covers with something (thinking silicon) stop the air from entering there and causing harmonics? I kinda think that's where the problem is starting.

[02Pilot]

The bar with the plastic tabs underneath goes in front.

I'm 99.9% certain that your problem is the lack of rubber strips on the top. Without those, you've basically got two big whistles on top of your car. With the strips, the system should be fairly quiet (mine is).

[iminhell1]

The rubber cured the low vibration completely.
The wind noise didn't change far as I can tell.

Youtube claims if you wrap a bungee cord around it it will quiet down. I'll have to try that.