Roof boxes

[segakid]

Looking to get a roof box for my V60. I’ve mainly been looking between the Volvo ones and the Thule ones available but I’ve never actually had one so I am not sure if there is anything I should be considering. Has anyone got any particular recommendations for brands to go for or not? And if the Volvo ones are even worth considering or not.

[jockonabike]

I’ve got a kamei Delphin box that I bought from roofbox.co.uk about ten years ago. It still looks great and fits well on the roof of my v90 these days. I use Thule roofbars, also from the same site.

Before you fork out for a branded box from Volvo or Thule I’d suggest taking a look online.

The other bit of kit that I bought was one these car door latch steps as it makes getting the box up and filling it very easy . https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doorstep-Ve...13771916&psc=1

[TaffyJerseyBean]

Another vote for roofbox.co.uk. I bought a Thule 780 box and aero roof bars a good few years back. Thule not cheap but you do get what you pay for. Well made and simple to install.

Later on I needed new roof bars after a change of car so went for site’s Cruz aero bars which are very similar and a lot cheaper to the Thule version. Only drawback is that Cruz bars are not as simple to fit but once on the car they do the job very well.

Volvo’s boxes are rebadged Thule offerings and have a mark up so if your heart is set on a Volvo box shop around for the Thule equivalent. Having said that Volvo do have offers from time to time so they can on occasion work out cheaper than Thule.

A recommended tip from me would be to purchase a couple of hooked bungee ropes to wrap around the roof bar at the front of the car. I find it disrupts the airflow between the car’s roof and the underside of the roof box enough to detune and reduce the high pitched turbulence noise that can be very loud over 40-50mph. This is a good trick if you have a panoramic roof as for me the whistling noise was quite distracting over a long distance and the rope reduced the nuisance from unbearable to acceptable.

[Bonefishblues]

Originally Posted by jockonabike

The other bit of kit that I bought was one these car door latch steps as it makes getting the box up and filling it very easy . https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doorstep-Ve...13771916&psc=1

That's a clever piece of kit.

OP, if storage space is at a premium and you'll only be an occasional user, then hiring is a good option, I've found - either that, or a roofbag, which has also worked very well on our XC70, being very capacious and surprisingly secure.

[scotdoc72]

Volvo Uk are offering free roof bars when you buy a roof box before the end of June.

[mark1400]

I got a Volvo space design roof box about two weeks ago from Volvo with the roof bars.
The box looks great and opens from both sides which is very handy and comes with two keys for the box and four keys for the bars.
The box is a bit flimsy so the lid twists a bit when you open it but I had no problems with noise and I'm very happy with it.
It is expensive and other makes of box look a bit more sturdy and quite a bit cheaper.
In my opinion the space design box is the best looking of the boxes I've seen but do I think it's worth the cost... Not really... But I am very happy with it and glad that I got it.
If I was sensible I would have got one of the alternative roof boxes available.
Cheers

[TaffyJerseyBean]

The Volvo Space Design 520 is very similar to the old Thule 780. It looks great but certainly not cheap.

[BlueDevil]

Originally Posted by jockonabike

The other bit of kit that I bought was one these car door latch steps as it makes getting the box up and filling it very easy . https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doorstep-Ve...13771916&psc=1

Been wondering about those mysef. I could use it for the roof access, but it doesn't feel like a safe way to do it. I have some 95 kg, and it just seems to me that door latch is not made for that kind of loads.
Or am I completely wrong?

[TaffyJerseyBean]

Originally Posted by BlueDevil

Been wondering about those mysef. I could use it for the roof access, but it doesn't feel like a safe way to do it. I have some 95 kg, and it just seems to me that door latch is not made for that kind of loads.
Or am I completely wrong?

Also be sure to read the reviews. The metal orb at the side will leave a dent in the door frame which is not what you want unless easy and cheap access to the box is more important than looking after your car.

[BlueDevil]

Yeah reading through various reviews I found out that some users report the metal on the door pilar bending when more serious weight (90-120kg) is applied to it. They say under load it bends outwards and when you unload it it will bend back. Not by much, they say, but it's visible.