E53 X5 Roof Bars

[scz4]

Evening all,

I'm thinking of fitting BMW OEM roof bars to carry a few bikes on holiday. On past cars I've used tow bars, so have a couple of questions:

Since I have the panoramic sunroof, do the rails whistle when no bike rack is fitted? Ideally I'd like to leave them on all the time and just slide the bike racks in when required.

If not, how quickly can the rail be removed\fitted?

Graeme

[sid10]

Hi if you buy original BMW ones they don't whistle ! the bike carriers take 5 minutes to fit again original ones , thule ones need an adapter as they are slightly wider on the T tracks .
you can pm me if you need pics .
I have the BMW  hydraulic bike lifts aswell as the normal BMW ones  that again fit in minutes and assist the bike onto the roof they make the job a whole lot easier if you have heavy mountain bikes . They can be left on all of the time just removing the upper part when not in use .

[scz4]

Thanks for your response!

I'll PM you my email address for some pictures. The hydraulic bike lift sounds interesting, especially being a short ass

I think the bars are about £120 new, but can't find a price for the bike lift.

Graeme

[TheHerd]

How many bicycles can be mounted on the roof bars?
I suspect only two so I'm probably better off installing a PF Jones towbar and buying a 4 bike tow ball mount.

[sid10]

Hi if you mount the BMW bike carriers like the 591 thule click lock system 4 bikes , the hydraulic lifts 2 plus a BMW bike carrier in the middle .
    The best thing is you can still tow a caravan , camping trailer or access the boot without all of the hassle of the bikes being in the way .