I would not want to take the chance of busting a crossbar and denting the roof. I would add a third crossbar and drive very slow

 

I had a 220 pound table on the roof of our Outback last summer. There were some "interesting" sounds coming from over my head but no damage...

 

I'm sure the 150lb is a conservative limit. That said, I can't recommend going over it since I have never done it myself. If you try it, please let us know!

 

There's a big difference between standing weight and moving weight. The rack is SAFELY estimated to hold 150lbs moving, it'll hold more than that just sitting there. We used to have a roof top tent on my Forester. Keep in mind the shape of the object as well. Something with a ton of drag is going to be harder to handle than something nice and aerodynamic.

Moral of the story here is I don't know. The most weight I've had on my XV rack was about 100 LBS. It did make a creak or two but nothing to worry about. If you do slap something huge up there avoid high speeds as well as sharp turns and heavy braking/acceleration.

 

I have the Yakima Whispbar HD bars on my XV. They are rated at 220 compared to 150 and look like they could do 300 if they had to. They look pretty beefy.

http://www.yakima.com/shop/baserack/whispbar-t16-hdxb

They have some pretty nice extra features too.

 

I have the Yakima Whispbar HD bars on my XV. They are rated at 220 compared to 150 and look like they could do 300 if they had to. They look pretty beefy.

http://www.yakima.com/shop/baserack/whispbar-t16-hdxb

They have some pretty nice extra features too.

These do look beefy and sturdy. I like the fact that they can attach directly to the roof.

 

Yea there are different ways to attach them I think. Mine are mounted to the side rails. For some reason the link above doesn't take me directly to the product, maybe this one will work for people:

http://www.yakima.com/shop/rack-systems/naked-roof/whispbar-t15-hdxb/

It is the "T15" rather than the "T16" which is what the XV uses, but I think they are pretty much the same thing.

 

I'll have to review my documents for the Rail Grab kit, but I don't think that is the concern. I just remember reading that the Subaru can only handle so much weight on top.
I do remember reading (since the manual shares some information about the standard Impreza) that without the factory rail system, it can handle more weight. Anyone else notice that?

Thanks for all the help!

 

I'll have to dig through the manual and see. I imagine their limit is based, at least partially, on the side rails and not the cross bars. The mounting of those side rails can probably only hold so much weight shifting before you run the risk or breaking something.

 

I have the Yakima Whispbar HD bars on my XV. They are rated at 220 compared to 150 and look like they could do 300 if they had to. They look pretty beefy.

http://www.yakima.com/shop/baserack/whispbar-t16-hdxb

They have some pretty nice extra features too.

I'll have to dig through the manual and see. I imagine their limit is based, at least partially, on the side rails and not the cross bars. The mounting of those side rails can probably only hold so much weight shifting before you run the risk or breaking something.

I'm of the same mind with Subir_roo... its my understanding that the weight capacity is the maximum weight that the weakest part of the roof can handle, whether it be the siderails or the roof itself. Putting higher rated crossbars on lower rated rails would not improve your hauling capacity.

I may be mistaken in this, but its always been my understanding.

 

I have 2 85 pound ocean kayaks that are 170 total. That does not include the J racks, nor the aero cross bars. Im sure I am over 200 total. I have had no issues whatsoever. Ive taken it on many trips, the most recent I am now in Sanibel, FL. 15 hours riding time at up to 75-80mph... no issues. Its all very solid.

Also, I took these to Cape Lookout and did not drive slowly off road because of the kayaks on the roof. I was going over big humps of sand, through deep ruts with sand... no issues whatsoever.

Id say the 150 pound weight is BS... Im way over that and have had zero problems.

 

Awesome! Thanks everyone
I'll try to post a pic when I finally get around to making the drive to Burbank for it (nearest IKEA).

 

We put our Skybox on the factory aerobars to move between apartments. Probably around 200lbs of stuff in there and you could see the aerobars bend slightly. As I was only moving around the corner, I wasn't too concerned. I wouldn't take that load on the highway though.

I had the same Skybox on my Outback with a Yakima Q tower, round bar set up. Had 300+ in there and it was solid as a rock. Took that from NC to NM. No problems.

My aerobars are making a strange whistling sound around 75-80 mph. Have moved them around, can't figure it out.

 

Terrible photo (attached), I know ...

But turns out the 'package' actually came in two slightly smaller boxes than originally expected. It was still darn heavy ... but I could lift it myself if that says anything. Although it probably would have fit diagonally in the back, there was no room since I had six more smaller boxes in there.

I definitely will need to work on my strap/tie management next time though!

Thanks for all the help!

 

I was once told by an older guy that the usage weight limit is typically 1/2 of what it can handle. *Take this advice with caution.*

 

The side rails can only hold 150lbs. The crossbars can hold more than that but I'm not exactly sure what the maximum load capacity is. Keep in mind this 150lb load limit is based on a forward speed of around 70mph so the slower you drive the more weight you'll be able to carry in theory. Just try and distribute the wight as evenly as you can. The load limit can easily be exceeded way before 150lbs if it's all concentrated to one area of the roof.