Thule Force Cargo Box + OEM Rack = Can't open the trunk

acrossthec · Apr 25, 2014

So, needless to say, I guess I should have done a bit more research and test fitting before making this purchase. Last week I picked up a Thule Force Alpine cargo box for my CX-5. My current roof rack setup is the OEM rails and cross bars. With this setup, and this box, I cannot open the trunk hatch without it hitting the box and potentially damaging the box, hatch, or both.

Congrats to mazda for making a truly useless OEM roof rack system.

Looking for any ideas on solutions/fixes. I cannot slide the front clamps any further back inside the box, and I cannot move the front cross bar any further forward, which means it simply will not work with the current hardware.

I'm looking at getting the Thule 450r feet and thule crossbars as one option, but I'm not sure I'll be able to bring it forward enough with this solution. The other would be to replace the rails with fixed point feet and bars, but I really prefer the look of the rails.

Thoughts or guidance anyone? Has anyone else been through the same ordeal? Searching online, the only other CX-5 I could find that sports a Thule box was the Dempsey concept, which is sporting a discontinued Thule Atlantis box.

RedBaron · Apr 25, 2014

No idea if this is possible, but can you redrill the box and re-mount the clamps to place them further back?

JonW · Apr 25, 2014

Don't blame Mazda. Did Thule claim it would fit? If so, blame them and return it for a refund.

The idea of re-drilling the holes is a good solution IMO...

cwstnsko · Apr 25, 2014

It looks to me like the front bar is what is preventing the box from moving farther forward. It might be possible to drill and tap a hole in the forward rail end that would allow you to move the front bolt of the front bar mounts forward several inches.

biking4jesus · Apr 25, 2014

def would recommend just redrilling holes further back as well.

acrossthec · Apr 25, 2014

I thought about modifying the box, but 1) the clamps are mounted in a track inside the box. This makes them adjustable, but only within the confines of the track. and 2) if the clamps are mounted further back, I'm worried about the stability of the box. I assume a certain amount of engineering went into defining the clamp points so that there's not too much upward force on the nose, I'm concerned if I moved the clamps further back that the point where they are newly mounted would be under more stress. Here's a stock photo of the inside of the box:

I do blame Mazda, because I also have the same issue with my Rockymount bike racks, in that there is not enough space between the forward cross bar and the hatch clearance, so it interferes with it. At least with the bike racks I can just mount them backwards (forks on the rear cross bar, rear tire facing forward).

I can understand Mazda designed the roof rack to not interfere with the sunroof and that is why the forward bar does not extend any further, but they really limited how they are used. This is a bit of a non-issue anyways, since even if the sunroof was open it wouldn't hit the cross bar at that height.

Anyways, I may just take the setup to Rack Attack (local dealer) and see if they can come up with a solution. Just thought I would try here first to see if anyone has had a similar issue.

nXt · Apr 25, 2014

Gotta get 3rd party Cross Bars, then you'll be ok. You'll be able to set the cross bar much more forward to be able to open the trunk and most 3rd party crossbars wrap around the rails so it's higher and won't interfere with sunroof or antenna also.

CX5racer · Apr 25, 2014

Those look like Thule cross bars, it appears to me that particular box simply will not work on this car. There are other boxes that will fit as I've seen them, there is a guy who has a Thule mounted on his CX-5 in this thred.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123812973-CX-5-Photos-Share-your-shots-with-us!/page68

acrossthec · Apr 25, 2014

CX5racer said:
Those look like Thule cross bars, it appears to me that particular box simply will not work on this car. There are other boxes that will fit as I've seen them, there is a guy who has a Thule mounted on his CX-5 in this thred.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123812973-CX-5-Photos-Share-your-shots-with-us!/page68

Yeah, the stock photo they have used Thule cross bars. The box clamping system does work with the OEM bars, just doesn't give me enough play to get far enough forward to avoid the hatch.

Thanks for the link to the thread though! I PM'd them to see which model they mounted. It looks similar to the Thule Atlantis that the Dempsey concept had mounted, as it's significantly shorter.

acrossthec · Apr 25, 2014

nXt said:
Gotta get 3rd party Cross Bars, then you'll be ok. You'll be able to set the cross bar much more forward to be able to open the trunk and most 3rd party crossbars wrap around the rails so it's higher and won't interfere with sunroof or antenna also.

That's likely my next step, just want to see if anyone else has gone through this so I can avoid the rather expensive learning curve.

biking4jesus · Apr 28, 2014

@across - that's a new design for the internals of how the box clamps to the bars. I recall seeing many many boxes use a simple U bolt and small metal plate w/ nuts/bolts to attach.

acrossthec · Apr 28, 2014

biking4jesus said:
@across - that's a new design for the internals of how the box clamps to the bars. I recall seeing many many boxes use a simple U bolt and small metal plate w/ nuts/bolts to attach.

Yeah, it's supposed to make it more adaptable for multiple sizes and dimensions of cross bars (e.g. the OEM mazda bars which are elliptical).

Spotted a Subaru Forester with the Thule 450r cross bars, looks like they might give me the added height to get away from the fin antenna and also about 5-6 inches further forward. I'm going to see if I can test them out before buying, I'll report back in the next couple weeks if I figure something out.

In the meantime, if anyone else has had experience with this problem on the CX-5, please let me know how you worked around it.

acrossthec · Apr 29, 2014

So after chatting with another member over PM, and going back to Thule site, I found that I should have known from the get-go that this box wouldn't work with the factory bars.

The distance from the front OEM crossbar to the hatch is roughly 43 inches at it's maximum (measured from the rear edge of the bar to the fin on the hatch). Based on this fit guide from Thule, the only Thule box that will fit on the factory bars is the 'Force L' and the 'Sidekick'. However, only the Force L has the adjustable clamping mechanism that will fit around the elliptical bars.

This essentially means, if you want a cargo box from Thule, using OEM mazda roof rack, your only option is the Force L model. Hope that helps someone in the future.

A quick look at the Yakima website, and based on their fit guide the only models that would work are the 'Rocketbox 15' or 'Rocketbox Pro 12'.

I'm still going to look into the non-OEM crossbar options and see if anything works.

Beefy · Apr 29, 2014

Your pain is our teaching moment. Many thanks.

In all seriousness, why not switcheroo for the Force L then? It has an extra cuft of space and is only $10 RRP more......

acrossthec · Apr 30, 2014

Beefy said:
Your pain is our teaching moment. Many thanks.

In all seriousness, why not switcheroo for the Force L then? It has an extra cuft of space and is only $10 RRP more......

My end goal was to have 2 x bike trays and a box on the roof, so that I can fit everything in for my annual family camping trip. That's why I originally went with the skinny box (Alpine), rather than the L.

Further complicating the mess is the fact that I purchased the box in the US, and simply returning it and forking out the cash for the bigger size isn't an option.

If I cannot get the non-OEM crossbar option to work for me, I'll likely sell the box and the bike trays I purchased earlier this year, get the L size box, install a hitch, and go with a hitch mounted bike rack. I loathe hitch mounted racks though (personal preference, I know lots of people use them) and I wanted to avoid at all cost, so it won't be an easy pill to swallow.

Beefy · Apr 30, 2014

Right, that makes sense. Good luck!

biking4jesus · Apr 30, 2014

why not keep the factory bars, get a bike rack for the roof (2 bikes), and get a high mount plus a cargo basket for the hitch to keep the gear in https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

acrossthec · Apr 30, 2014

biking4jesus said:
why not keep the factory bars, get a bike rack for the roof (2 bikes), and get a high mount plus a cargo basket for the hitch to keep the gear in https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Not really the look I was going for. That, and the two racks I have for the roof (Rockymounts Tierods) experience the same issue with the hatch clearance as the box, which I've been getting around it by mounting them backwards. I'd take some pictures to demonstrate but the weather is garbage outside, maybe if it clears up this weekend. It works mounting them backwards, but I feel like it looks a little stupid.

Part of my beef with anything hitch mounted, is that it's usually in the way when you're loading/unloading the trunk. I really wanted to avoid having anything obscuring the trunk access, but it seems like I got that anyway since the box and roof bike racks all prevent me from opening the trunk. At least with most newer models of hitch mounted bike racks they will either swing down or away to allow access to the trunk (though the bikes are still a pain and in the way).

biking4jesus · Apr 30, 2014

make sense.

ive seen it where one bike is mounted forward, the other backwards due to handlebars not fitting. so backwards isnt that odd. don't htey make some hcartgo hitches that swing out of the way? i feel ike ive seen those.

MazdaCA · May 7, 2014

I've gone through the same dilemmas.

I have the factory roof rack and cross bars.

I purchased a Yakima Skybox 16/16s and it cleared the shark fin with no problem.

Moving the box and crossbars as far forward as possible, the rear hatch spoiler would still hit the box and not be able to open.

I considered drilling new holes for the clamps, but found that it would mean drilling holes for both the front and rear clamps on the box. This was turning the box into a serious kluge. Not something I wanted to do on a box I just spent $400 on!

I returned the box without issue at Any Mountain.

But I am finding the same, that there are only a couple options from Thule or Yakima that will fit the CX-5 with OEM roof rack - none of them will fit my skis.

Alternatively it looks as though aftermarket Thule crossbars and crossbar mounts may allow the box to be a few inches further forward but that's dumping another $300 on the top of the car.

Now I am settling with using my Thule ski racks for going skiing. Purchasing a "short" cargo box for hauling crap for camping, etc. And I have a Yakima ACE Double Down 4 bike hitch carrier that works really well for me.

Thule Force Cargo Box + OEM Rack = Can't open the trunk

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