Yakima Whispbar S46 Rail System

  • Thread starter Thread starter davidcarson48
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davidcarson48

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Hi,

Is anyone using the Yakima Whispbar S46 rail system on their 09+ FX? I have been using the factory crossbars to mount my bike trays. They are fine, but they have some drawbacks:

1) They are fixed, so you cannot adjust the location of the crossbars
2) The curve of the crossbars causes the bike trays to sit crooked (bikes lean to outside edges of vehicle)
3) The front crossbar is noticeable higher than the rear, so the trays don't sit level (front to back)
4) With a MTB on the tray, I can't open the tailgate (unless I want to bump the MTB tire)

It looks like the Yakima Whispbar would solve all of these issues for me. Anyone care to share some thoughts?

http://yakima.com/shop/baserack/whispbar-s46-rail
 
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Could you post a few pics for me?

---------- Post added at 09:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:04 AM ----------

Welp, I ordered them from Rack Attack. They seem to fit the bill for me. If so, I'll have a set of OEM crossbars used less than 3 months to sell of on here.
 
Yeah, I'm hoping the flexibility will sell me. The Whispbars will also be lower to the roof line and should help with wind, looks, loading, etc. They arrive Monday, so hoping I can get them installed on Tuesday.
 
The S46 Whispbars did not fit my 2nd gen FX35

davidcarson48 said:
Yeah, I'm hoping the flexibility will sell me. The Whispbars will also be lower to the roof line and should help with wind, looks, loading, etc. They arrive Monday, so hoping I can get them installed on Tuesday.
Click to expand...

I bought the S46 system and I found them too be too big by a few inches. How did yours fit?
 
Nope, too big. Yakima told me they are working on a solution in the next few weeks. We shall see. Worst case is I continue to use the factory cross bars.
 
Thanks, at least I feel a little less crazy.

---------- Post added at 08:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:28 PM ----------

Did you look into using S45 Whispbars? Those seem to be a little smaller. If I dont get these kayaks on the roof soon my wife is going to have a fit.
 
I talked with a tech from Yakima, who was actually going to head to the Infiniti dealer to take measurements of the FX. He got back to me and said the S45 had "issues", too, and he wasn't confident with recommending that model, either. He is supposed to get back to me this week about a possible solution. I'll post it up here when I find out.
 
Update: Yakima told me the S54 Whispbars are the solution. They are two different lengths, which they feel is the best fit since the rails on the FX aren't exactly parallel to eachother. They are shipping them out today and I should have them next week. I'll let you know if they fit!
 
Good news and bad:

I got the S54 Whispbars today. Good news is they are a perfect fit! They are really low profile, which looks great when attaching accessories. Bad news is the ones they sent were damaged in shipping, so I have another set coming to replace them.

TK628: Call Kenny at Yakima Support at 971-249-7621. He worked with getting the correct fit for the FX and he realizes the online fit calculator was wrong. He'll send you out the correct bars and give you a shipping tag to have the other ones returned free of charge.
 
I am in the market for a cargo box and need cross rails for my FX. I was torn between the Yakima Whisbars and the Thule Aerobars. I've always been a Yakima nut, but I was having problems with the Yakima fitment guide. On the Yakima site, there is a 5 series BMW with the Whispbars installed...looks really clean! Can you please post pics? I'm really curious how they look on the FX.

Thanks!
 
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Looks really good. I have the factory crossbars on now and I know what you mean by them being offset and crooked. I think i'm gonna go the same route and get the whispbars.
Also which kind of bike rack do you have ?
 
The bike trays are made by 1up USA and are fantastic. Just make sure you get the longest brackets from them so they fit on the Whispbars.
 
Oh yeah, I remember now. I'll just stick with the Yakima forklift I have, maybe I'll just paint it silver to match. I have the Thule Echelon 518 tray but I didn't want to get the ride-on adapters because it raises it a few inches and I don't like the looks. Its too bad because it would match perfect it if bolted on the factory crossbars.
 
Yeah, I think the Yakima racks would bolt right on the top of the load bars. That would look slick as hell.
 
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