Wass

I want to attach Thule bars to my OEM racks to extend the width of the bars so I can fit two canoes side by side. Does anyone have a source for quality T Bolts? Preferably stainless? Im open to any ideas to increase the width of the bars. Thanks.

fonseca_Q5

Your best bet is to purchase thule feet that mount on the side rails and then you can attach the thule bars.

Wass

Thanks. Do you know If the feet give the ability to increase the distance between the bars? I probably need more space than the preset distance between the OEM bars.

mtberman

I went through this on my A4 wagon. Unlike the Q5, it didn't come with crossbars and the Audi set is nearly $500. Zowie.

The base rack feet recommended for the A4 Avant and Q5 all seem to be designed for the factory mounting points with the little holes, obviously due to the VSC interplay. I found that I was kind of stuck when it came to crossbar spread and ended up buying a set of used A4 Avant crossbars for $200 online (couldn't believe I found a set) and then using the factory cross bars when I got the Q5.

I'd check with a specialist store like Rack Attack if you really need something that will grab those weird Audi rails but doesn't use the factory pin hole mount points. I did a fair amount of research on this and didn't get anywhere. Please let us know if you find a product that works!

thetruewheeler

I was looking into the same issue, extending the bars to carry a wider load. I tried the Thule site in the UK. It had a few extra bits, including the T bolts that thread into the extruded aluminum cross bars. Since the end caps on the Audi OEM rails are removable, I was thinking of running a long piece of square tubing through the middle. This was you can make the cross rails hang out to accept 2 canoes... or whatever. Not sure how to secure it all but, it's just a thought.

ThunderDent

I've got Yakima racks on my Q5 for my mountain and road bikes. I think they are universal in the way they mount though (translating to luggage, kayaks, etc.)

The front clip is a front-to-back clamp that fits perfectly over the front cross bar. The back is an over-under clip that secures snug to the rear cross-bar.

The only thing I see that is a little bit of a pain is the fact that the cross-bar inserts (since they can only go in the preset locations to clip in) seem a bit far back to me. Not a huge deal. I can open the sunroof and have complete access the the front of the rack system if needed, and keep an eye on things. Since it extends further back however, you may run into the problem of not being able to open your lift gate all the way up. So when you have the racks on there, you have to reset the lift gate to stop short of hitting them.

The Yakima racks fit perfect onto the cross-bars though. Install was easy. Not an ounce of movement on a long trip of interstate and windy/curvy back roads at speed.