I have a '04 WRX wagon.

I noticed that there are two types cross bars for the roof rack, flat and round. What the heck is the difference?

I plan to use my roof rack for kayaking, canoeing, skiing and snow boarding. Which cross bar is BEST for this type of equipment?

Thanks for your response in advance.

 

IIRC flat are more aerodynamic and therefore quiter when nothings on them, also, IMO, they just look better. Round can hold more weight I believe, and might be cheaper, however, i don't like their look, and feel that the "flat" ones are better all around unless your kayak is an ocean one (and therefore quite heavy) - Hope that helped, Good Luck

 

i have round yakima bars for my snowboard and when i put the risers on so i can hold four boards, my rack falls down. it rotates on the round bar and falls parallel to my roof. anyone else have this prob?

but i'd rather have the round bars, beacuse, like kravdra said, they are stronger and look better, IMO. BTW, i have an 04 wagon too

 

i have a sedan, but i have the round yakima bars as well, i havent had a problem with my rack falling down. maybe you need new rack hardware. seems like when i put the clamps around the round bars nice and tight and screw them in they are pretty sturdy. and how does it fall with 4 boards in the rack? doesnt make sense.

 

The round bars are the way to go for security and weight holding. Flat cross bars are just plain stupid from an engineering perspective...I'm positive they were invented by a marketing guy at a car company. Even square bars are pretty dumb...but Thule has to do that so they're different than Yakima. Get round, it just makes sense.

 

Round bars will allow the ski/snowboard mounts to be rotated flat when not in use. This will make a huge difference in reducing highway wind noise. And might help with gas milage too. In general, it seems that the roundbar company- Yakima has more user-friendly design for all their products. Their hardware also seems to be more durable. This is based on personal experience.
If you get a chance, evaluate the different products' fit, finish and useability. I think that the round company's got the edge.

 

One more thing. Take a look at Suraru's racking accessories. They look exactly like Yakima's.

 

They are Yakima

 

Yeah, but then you don't get to advertise to the world that you snowboard!