Hi, I have a question. I was about to order the RB53 Thule that I have seen. I was informed that it won't work for my "2002" Mini Cooper and the seller was not sure if it will work cause he said that the Thule rack was tested on a 2003 model Mini Cooper and not 2002.

So is there a different design made for the 2002 and newer year model coopers?

Let me know thanks.

 

My car is a 2002...

 

Thanks, I did see your Thule rack. So I suppose there is no different design for a 2002 model and newer model years. So it all the same from the 1st gen Minis.

What model Foot Thule are you using?

 

Mine is the 400XT, but I think the 480XT will work just as well. The locking mechanism is different.

 

Ahh okay great thanks and that good to know.

 

I finally had the chance to installed the Thule on my 2002 Mini Cooper. I drove it with 10 hours and no problem. At first I was nervous, but it turned out okay. I was surprised that I lost a bit of gas.

Also the antenna was in the way with the cargo box, but it was not a problem since the antenna was flexible. I will have to look for a short antenna with a max of 3.5".

Last, the back door will not open since the 1200 box was in the way and the MCS spoiler touched the box.

Here are the following I have on my car:
480R
ARB53
Fit Kit #1366
Short Roof Adapter #487
599XTR Big Mouth => Thule XADAPT2 Adapter Kit
685XT Atlantis 1200

I could have went with the 50" length bar instead of the 53" length. That would have be enough room for all that stuff on the roof rack.

 

Here are the last three photos.

 

I was thinking the same thing... Will a Thule 1200 fit with two bike racks?

It appears to fit with aftermarket racks... wonder if it would fit on my OE MINI rack (R56 rack, might be slightly different width from R53).

How close to the box do you think you could put both of those bikes if they were both adult sized?

 

Yes, it will fit.

I am sure it will work with your OEM R56 racks, but make sure you double check on it.

If putting the two adult bikes and the 1200 box would not be a problem and you would able to open the box, but it was easier for me to move one of the bike off the roof to have access to the 1200 box. I feel I could put another bike on the roof by having two adult bikes and a kid bike. Keep in mind that is with the 53" length bars that I had on the roof. I am not sure what is the length of your OEM rack bars.

Also warning, if you use the "1200 Thule box". You might have issue with the back door opening touching the box with the spoiler or without spoiler. I am not sure if that will be a problem on the R56, but def will have problem with the R50 and R53.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks scottwrightF1 - your comments do help. I will measure twice, cut once, so to speak before buying but it does look promising... Will measure the R56 bars this week.

Although buying from Amazon in the States would be cheaper, it will probably be a better idea for me to go to the RackAttack store down the street and get things measured up properly and perhaps try things out (and support a local business).

 

Anytime, I didn't see that you were from Toronto.

I try to order some Thule stuff from the USA from different websites online, but they wouldn't ship into Canada due to Thule safety reason.

I have only ordered a Thule adaptor kits from RackAttack, but they are a little expensive. I ordered some used from some people from the USA & Canada. I also ordering some from ebay as well. I don't think it would be a problem to order some stuff from ebay that they can ship to Canada.

That is a good idea to go to the store to try some measuring before ordering it.

 

I've ordered a number of USA-only shipping items from the States. I just have them shipped to the border in Niagara Falls and drive them back home over the border paying taxes along the way. Last Christmas I had 4 winter tires/wheels and a whole boat load of gifts of either items significantly cheaper than Canada or just not available for sale. I expect I could do the same with a Thule roof box and/or bike carriers, or even the bikes.

Both REI and Amazon.com will ship for free to the border and I typically use CBIUSA @ US$5.95/package in Niagara Falls. I think the Ottawa-area folk (I used to live there ) tend to go to Ogdensburg to pick-up cross border shipped items.

 

I measured my R56 roof rails and they are 32" wide (30" on the bottom due to the arm bracket bolt).

Considering scottwrightF1 needed 50" wide bars to fit the roof box and two bikes, 32" may be too small. I suppose a hitch and bike holder would be an option for me to consider.

 

Wow, I didnt realize it was that small 32". I thought it would be somewhere around 40" something.

Yes, a hitch bike holder would be on an option, but could you get a longer length bars to replace your 32" bar length?

 

It was dark in my storage locker and the racks were high up hanging on the wall so maybe I should re-measure.

If I were to go with wider bars, I would have to ditch the OE setup and go after-market. Not a big deal... If I were to go the hitch route, that opens a number of other possibilities down the road. Not to mention there are a couple wider/shorter roof boxes that I could consider. The other added bonus of a hitch mount is that I don't have any risk of forgetting to remove the bikes before entering my parking garage.

 

Yes, there are different option for size boxes that you could choose.

Yeah, the hitch would be less worry, cause I almost ran into a car wash top ceiling wall and it almost hit my bike at the top. Also another bonus, you wouldnt have to worried about washing all the bugs off the bike if you have the hitch in the rear, but for sure you would need to wash the box.