Does the fitting kit have a number? The standard clamps for mine are K455. Must admit I'm very impressed with the (lack of) wind noise at high speed with these bars whilst I wait for the proper fitting kit to be available in the UK.

i contacted Prorack yesterday. The accessory is still at research stage and possible on hold. She cant confirm if it will be released and wont deny that it may not happen. Anyway it doesnt sound positive !
I was wondering if rin (the original poster) could update us on how his racks are going and maybe provide some more pics specifically explaining what they did so possible we could all copy the modification !!!!!! laught more folks !

I rang Prorack yesterday and was told another two months....

So did some research myself. I ended up doing the modifications myself and have exactly the same result as RIN. Thanks to RIN for the initial idea.

You need vehicle fitting kit K340 to do the modifications yourself. The only additional modification you will have to make is that you will have to drill your hole in the rail plastic cover yourself otherwise good to go.

Worked a treat, looks good and is very quiet.

Cheers

have you any pics you"d like to upload for comparison ? laught more folks !

Hi all,

Just took the matter in my own hands and mounted these. Had the flush bars with the K455 fitting kit, and was very annoyed by the clamps - in my view they don't look good and add a bit of noise at speed.

Therefore I've ordered the K340 fitting kit, and fitted myself. Steps here:
1. remove only the aluminium cover above the doors, as I was using the two fixing points underneath. Not complicated, although a bit nerve - wracking when drilling and removing protections on top. Start at the back, using a piece of wood or cloth to not damage paint. It will come out relatively easily, and then you work your way forward. First pic is not a great angle, I'm using a screwdriver to lift the cover.



Rear and front segment of the cover remain in place. Result:



2. next, remove the two plastic screws that mask the fixing point. These are pushed in when assembled, but the easiest way to take them out is to unscrew as with a regular bolt. Here's how I did it:



Result:



and front:



3. Next - we'll need to drill the covers. The trick here is to drill exactly where needed, and we'll need to mark the precise location of the hole somehow. Created a pin from a bolt (two of these actually):



We need one in each hole:

rear:



front:



4. Place the cover in place on top of the two pins (make sure it fits perfectly with the other two covers - front and back), and using a wood hammer or some other non-damaging device, gently hit the cover so that you mark down the exact location of the holes.

5. Drill. I used a 6 mm drill as that's exactly the size of the bolt that will go through. It requires max accuracy as you have no room for error when fitting. Result:



6. Test



7. Place the cover in its place, clamp everything; holes should be aligned, and from here follow the instructions on the K340 fitting kit and the bars

Word of warning - and this is where my problems started - this install only works for cars without a sunroof!

Hope this helps, and if I can provide any further info to anyone, will be happy to! MY2011, TD4 Auto, Xenon headlights, fog lamps DRLs, sunroof, tinted windows, almond electric seats w/ lumbar support, leather steering wheel w/ audio controls, dog/luggage guard, ambient lights, flush Whispbars, Mantec sump&tank guards, Xtrons Head Unit

Last edited by inaftanaila on 16th Feb 2014 5:36 pm. Edited 1 time in total

Now, here's where I got out of luck, was already dark(ish) and was trying to find a solution so did not have time for photos. The sunroof does not have enough clearance (lateral!) in front to be able to open properly. Even if open it does not have enough clearance (vertical) to go underneath the rear bar. I did not see this coming as previously (when mounted with K455) clearance was not an issue. In front the feet were wider, and the rear bar was mounted a bit further to the rear than now, leaving just enough room for the roof to open.

So the roof is acting really strange now - just opened a new topic (http://www.freel2.com/forum/post217105.html#217105) asking for help on how I could fix it, apart from taking it to the dealer. MY2011, TD4 Auto, Xenon headlights, fog lamps DRLs, sunroof, tinted windows, almond electric seats w/ lumbar support, leather steering wheel w/ audio controls, dog/luggage guard, ambient lights, flush Whispbars, Mantec sump&tank guards, Xtrons Head Unit

Inaftanaila - Sorry you now have a problem with your sunroof.

I have the same Whispbars and was considering this mod. However, like you, I also have the panoramic sunroof.

Re the K340 smartfoot kit, I believe there may be other alternative smartfoot kits which would give greater height, and therefore clearance (verticle) for the sunroof to open. For example, maybe the PRK466 for the Peugeot 308. (There may be others too). If that is the case, and I am understanding you correctly, the remaining problem is the clearance (lateral) on the inner edge of the front foot for the sunroof to open. By how many mm does the foot intrude on the sunroof edge? Or is the problem not with the foot but with the angled inner edge of the crossbar leg?

Good luck with your sunroof fix! Let us know when (and how) you get it sorted!

Bob 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

After heading down to my local Auto shop yesterday to purchase a Prorack Whispbar setup I have found out they are making a fitting kit for the Freelander 2 it is #K631 available in May
http://www.whispbar.com.au/cars/landrover/...suv-133694

That's very good news, Monsoon! Though there's a slight error in the product description page on their site, the mouldings are aluminium not rubber.
Would be good to have a solution coming from whispbar as both fitting kits I used (see above) have their shortcomings. MY2011, TD4 Auto, Xenon headlights, fog lamps DRLs, sunroof, tinted windows, almond electric seats w/ lumbar support, leather steering wheel w/ audio controls, dog/luggage guard, ambient lights, flush Whispbars, Mantec sump&tank guards, Xtrons Head Unit

That looks really good! I want one! I wonder how long it will take to get to Europe! 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

Sod's law - after over a year of waiting for these and needing bars to collect 6m long reefing gear for my boat, this week I bought a set of Thule bars that clamp on the body.  - 2007(57) XS Auto, Rimini Red, Alpaca Leather.
- GCS Hawke - Sports, BRG, Vulcan 2.1 inj'. My toy - built it myself in 2001.

dunkley201 wrote:

Re the K340 smartfoot kit, I believe there may be other alternative smartfoot kits which would give greater height, and therefore clearance (verticle) for the sunroof to open. For example, maybe the PRK466 for the Peugeot 308. (There may be others too). If that is the case, and I am understanding you correctly, the remaining problem is the clearance (lateral) on the inner edge of the front foot for the sunroof to open. By how many mm does the foot intrude on the sunroof edge? Or is the problem not with the foot but with the angled inner edge of the crossbar leg?

Hi Bob,

In front, K340 is tall enough if you just measure vertically. The roof has plenty of space as it slides diagonally underneath. At the rear, vertical clearance is literally 1-2 mm, but given enough lateral clearance, it would go under without touching (when not loaded!)

Lateral clearance is another issue though. With K340 mounted, since the feet describe a bit of an arch, they protrude towards the centre of the car. Therefore in front the roof, when opening, hits the underneath of this arch (laterally) very quickly, and it gets stuck. At the rear, although it can (theoretically) go below the bar, it will still hit laterally on the feet (this arch I was mentioning).

Solutions:
- vertically: a slightly taller kit would do nicely, no issue
- horizontally: the arch needs to begin above the height of the open sunroof, so that the sunroof, when moving vertically, won't get squeezed between the two feet; at the back it needs to ensure enough clearance so that the roof does not hit the feet

I guess it's a trial and error thing, as I can't really measure. If the kit would have straight upright feet (or if the straight section of the feet would be taller) then it should work. How much taller - probably 2-3 cm. At this point probably the safest bet is just to wait for the new Whispbar kit. Or K340 if no sunroof  MY2011, TD4 Auto, Xenon headlights, fog lamps DRLs, sunroof, tinted windows, almond electric seats w/ lumbar support, leather steering wheel w/ audio controls, dog/luggage guard, ambient lights, flush Whispbars, Mantec sump&tank guards, Xtrons Head Unit

Thanks for that reply Inaftanalia. I guessed the problems were as you describe. It now makes me wonder whether the new kit as described above will accommodate the sunroof version. I think I will email Prorack in Oz for an answer.......
Bob 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

Bob, it's easy for them to manufacture - the only thing they really need to do for the new kit is to make sure that the feet are straight up instead of arched, and a bit taller (to allow the roof to slide under the rear bar). Would be good if you can ask though!
Ionel MY2011, TD4 Auto, Xenon headlights, fog lamps DRLs, sunroof, tinted windows, almond electric seats w/ lumbar support, leather steering wheel w/ audio controls, dog/luggage guard, ambient lights, flush Whispbars, Mantec sump&tank guards, Xtrons Head Unit

Trouble is, the arch design is common throughout the range, so that won't change. Therefore the only option is to raise the feet a few cm. Of course, on the original "clamp" fit there was no problem as the feet were further apart, allowing greater space for the roof to move. 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)