# Yakima Whispbar's . . . verdict?



## 007 (Jun 16, 2005)

I just got a new ride and need to get something to haul the bike around. Don't want it going in the car. Can't get a hitch. Leaves me on the roof.

I've been a long-time user and fan of Yakima products. Currently have an entire Yak-rak setup from the old car and to transfer it to the new car would cost me ~$200 for new control towers+landing pads.

So as I was searching, I saw Yakima has finally re-launched the Whispbar brand and must admit, it looks legit. I LOVE the idea of a) less noise and b) better fuel economy. I'm looking for some first hand experience here . . . . anyone using it? What bike trays are currently available for it?

I would have to buy an entire new setup for the Whispbar vs. just buying control towers to transfer the roundbar system. However, if the added fuel savings (and noise reduction) is enough, its worth it to me . . . plus I can sell the rest of the current system.

Oh, and new ride is a 2013 WRX Hatch :devil:


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## distro (Feb 14, 2009)

I have it on my 2010 sti and only noticed between .5 and 1mpg difference on average compared to the OEM bars Subaru sells. Down about 2ish still from no bars. Only downside to the whispbar vs round bars is the ability to swap out the bars if you want to carry more than 3 bikes.


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## 007 (Jun 16, 2005)

distro said:


> I have it on my 2010 sti and only noticed between .5 and 1mpg difference on average compared to the OEM bars Subaru sells. Down about 2ish still from no bars. Only downside to the whispbar vs round bars is the ability to swap out the bars if you want to carry more than 3 bikes.


What bike tray do you have?

How's the wind noise?


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## distro (Feb 14, 2009)

I use front loaders but take them off when I am not using them. I don't notice any wind noise with them on.


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## cracksandracks.com (Oct 22, 2009)

The Rocky Mounts Euro Pitchfork is the sleekest setup for any of the Aerodynamic bars. No hardware below the bar at either the front or back of the tray. Super low profile and nice.
We have had great success with these racks.


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## 007 (Jun 16, 2005)

cracksandracks.com said:


> The Rocky Mounts Euro Pitchfork is the sleekest setup for any of the Aerodynamic bars. No hardware below the bar at either the front or back of the tray. Super low profile and nice.
> We have had great success with these racks.


I'm not terribly fond of fork mount racks though . . . I feel like they put a lot of added strain on the fork dropouts. Plus the past time I had a fork-mount it required an adapter to run with a 15mm TA.


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## wheelgunz (Oct 18, 2009)

cracksandracks.com said:


> The Rocky Mounts Euro Pitchfork is the sleekest setup for any of the Aerodynamic bars. No hardware below the bar at either the front or back of the tray. Super low profile and nice.
> We have had great success with these racks.


Have a set of whispbars and euros on the way. Paid 345 for the whole deal brand new. Thank you black friday!! (MSRP of 707!!)


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## 007 (Jun 16, 2005)

wheelgunz said:


> Have a set of whispbars and euros on the way. Paid 345 for the whole deal brand new. Thank you black friday!! (MSRP of 707!!)


Wow. Can you share the details?


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## wheelgunz (Oct 18, 2009)

Found the S7 bars on an open box deal. Autoanything.com has the trays plus 15% off and free shipping through end of today.


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## geardoc (Jan 15, 2004)

These flat bars kinda suck when you have a car with a curved roofline since the bike rack attachment must then adjust to the curvature. I tried 3 different bike racks and was not happy with the attachment. I'll be going back to the round bars and adjust them to minimize road noise.


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## 007 (Jun 16, 2005)

geardoc said:


> These flat bars kinda suck when you have a car with a curved roofline since the bike rack attachment must then adjust to the curvature. I tried 3 different bike racks and was not happy with the attachment. I'll be going back to the round bars and adjust them to minimize road noise.


You know what, I thought of that exact issue. On my WRX, there is a slight curvature . . . probably not enough to cause a problem, but I can see how on other cars it would be a problem.

I went with RoundBars (thanks Cracks and Racks!) and am quite pleased.


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## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

I have the whispbars on my BMW530 wagon - the ones that fit between the roof rails. On them, in the summer, I have the Thule Aero Echelon trays. 

I will say this - I think the Whispbars are actually quieter than having no bars. I now it sounds strange but I took them off twice to verify. They do something to the airflow over the car that makes them quieter than none at all. I added them to our BMW X5 and they are neither more quiet or more noisy than without. 

Adding the very aero Thule Echelons adds no discernible noise. Very quiet and like the setup very much.

I like them a lot and they look great.

J.


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