LONG Product Review/Comparison: Prorack Whispbar (roof rack cross bars + feet)

[BMWBig6]

DISCLAIMER: I do not work for or have any financial interest in Hubco or their Prorack products. I hope I am not in violation of any Terms of Use here, I just like testing new stuff and wanted to share my results and experiences with this product for the benefit of other Audi enthusiasts. Perhaps Hubco (or one of its retailers) will consider becoming a supporting vendor one day.

[NOTE: DUE TO A PRODUCT SAFETY RECALL, YAKIMA IS REPLACING ALL PREVIOUS FIT KITS FOR THE B8 A4 AVANT WITH A NEW REVISED FIT KIT: K669 (PART #8051669). EXISTING WHISPBAR OWNERS CAN OBTAIN THE NEW KIT BY CALLING 888.925.4621 (M-F 7-5PST). THOSE ORDERING NEW WHISPBARS SHOULD VERIFY THAT THEY HAVE THE LATEST KIT.]

Needing some cross bars for my Avant's roof, I started researching available products. The usual suspects included factory bars (manufactured by Thule) and aftermarket bars produced by Thule and Yakima. During the course of my market survey, I came across an interesting product called the "Whispbar" on the websites of a few UK retailers (which tend to have better selection than U.S. vendors). Manufactured by a company called Hubco under the brand name "Prorack," the Whispbar was advertised to have the quietest bar design on the market. That's a pretty bold statement, but my curiosity was piqued so I continued my investigation. According to Prorack's claims:

Prorack S-wing bars are the new generation of roof bars, taking roof bar science a long way forward. They have an aerofoil-shaped aluminium wing that generates minimal drag and therefore makes next to no noise and has a negligible effect on fuel consumption. This has been shown in test conditions to create almost 70% less drag than its major competitors. It is truly a product for our times and it’s no surprise to see it winning prestigious design and environmental awards.

As the winner of the iF (International Forum) Product Design Award in 2009, the Whispbar started to gain some more credibility with me. And as a graduate of the "North Avenue Trade School," the engineering merit of this device really appealed to me too. I admit that their marketing video was especially convincing (though I admit it only demonstrates their product's performance in laboratory conditions that don't exactly replicate the real world environment).

Click here to view their shorter demonstration video.

Click here to view their longer demonstration video.



And who is Hubco? I had never heard of them before (I don't get out much), but the company was founded in 1975 by an aircraft engineer and over the past 30 years, they have supplied OEM roof rack products for Mitsubishi, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Holden, Cadillac, and Saab.

So, per the recommendation of George P. Burdell, I decided to try a pair of these puppies out for myself. Part of me had to know if the bar design would live up to the company's claims. But the other part of me knows I always like to have something different than everybody else (it's a disease, I know), and I thought it would be cool to be one of the first on our side of the pond to get their hands on some of these bad boys. I encountered one small problem: there are currently no Whispbar retailers in the United States [EDIT: Prorack Whispbars are now available from Rack Attack in the U.S.], none of the UK retailers would ship to the U.S., and Hubco is based out of New Zealand. Turns out that wasn't a problem at all. Hubco already has plans to expand into the North American retail market, and were happy to ship me some bars at the same retail price one would expect to pay once they do arrive on our shores. But now I had to decide which product configuration I wanted to order. Prorack offers 3 styles of bars (that use the same modular components):





The bars can be combined with an assortment of detachable feet, depending on the application. This is not a novel concept, but does enhance the value of your investment should you want to transfer your bars to another vehicle.



I opted to go with the flush "OEM-style" bar for aesthetic reasons even though they give up a few inches of mounting area to the longer "through" bars. The "rail" bars don't fit the B8 factory rails, so those were not an option. The parts I ordered included the following:

- S5 flush OEM-style bars
- K669 foot adapter kit (replaces K421 per safety recall)
- Generic roof box adapter kit with dipped u-bolts shaped to the profile of the bar (not needed for my particular roof accessories, but thrown in just in case)
- Foam inserts (more on this later)

Prorack shipped my package via FedEx with tracking, and they were on my doorstep 3 days later (gotta love the speed of international freight these days).





Here are the contents of the single package, which was sufficiently protected with bubble wrap.











The K421 foot adapter kit, roof box adapter kit, and other accessories were carefully packaged inside the S5 roof bar box.





Here are the bars installed on my 2009 A4 Avant, in the factory specified locations (as indexed by the female keyholes in the back of each factory roof rail)



















A reasonable amount of sunroof clearance, depending on the clamping mechanism used by your roof rack cargo accessories.