2017 CX-9 Crossbar confirmation

gerharmony

Member
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2017 CX-9 GT
Hi all,

I've seen a few threads here about the CX-9 crossbars and roof racks, but I'm still unsure if the OEM crossbar (0000-8L-N02B) can support a Thule-type rooftop cargo carrier. My CX-9 GT came with the roof rails already installed but no crossbars. I'll need the cargo carrier for a summer trip with the family and don't know if the Mazda OEM crossbars, with their gentle arcs, will correctly support the cargo carrier. Any thoughts on this? Thanks!
 
Hi all,

I've seen a few threads here about the CX-9 crossbars and roof racks, but I'm still unsure if the OEM crossbar (0000-8L-N02B) can support a Thule-type rooftop cargo carrier. My CX-9 GT came with the roof rails already installed but no crossbars. I'll need the cargo carrier for a summer trip with the family and don't know if the Mazda OEM crossbars, with their gentle arcs, will correctly support the cargo carrier. Any thoughts on this? Thanks!

Mine works perfectly fine. I have the oem crossbars and it holds the weight of my Thule cargo box. I’ve put a 100lb kayak on them, I’ve had my three Thule sidearm bike racks with three bikes and have been fine. I wouldn’t push it to much pass 125lb just to be safe. But I have had no issues with them. You might need a leveling adapter for the roof box depending on which on it is because of how the bars curve.
 
hi! I know it's a late response. I'm just going to echo what Tom has written. I have a Big Thule Cargo Box & I have no issues with it.
 
Just got the side rails installed but wanted to do some more research before buying the cross bars. Is there any downside to the OEM crossbars? As far as I can tell, aftermarket crossbars (Thule, Yakima, etc.) are 2X as expensive as the OEM ones. Why is that?
 
The aftermarket are probably stronger and give you more clearance below the bars for attaching things to them. I have the Mazda bars and they are fine for most modern cargo boxes. I have two boxes and the newer one fits fine while the older larger one is extremely tight under the bars due to bulky hardware. The Mazda bars look much better because they sit lower and probably allow for better milage too.

Aftermarket bars are designed for many types of attachments that fit perfectly within that system. If you want aftermarket bike carriers or whatever on the Mazda bars they will fit but not be as good a fit as they would be on the bars they were designed to fit. If you plan on several different types of attachments (cargo, bike, kayak, etc... then it would probably be best to go aftermarket. If you only want one or two and don't plan on switching often then the Mazda bars are fine.
 
Thanks for the info Bluechip... tough call for me. Realistically I will probably only ever carry skis and bikes so the Mazda ones would probabyl do the trick, but I've been reading some mixed reviews online so might just play it safe and go with the aftermarket ones.
 
Another question for you guys - the Mazda rails that I got installed have fixed mounting points. Are these just for the OEM crossbars? Would the aftermarket crossbars also have to be installed only at those points? From what I can gather from the Thule website I think the answer is yes unfortunately, seeing that the mountain points are only 28 inches apart, which seems pretty tight to me.
 
No, I would think the aftermarket could be installed anywhere along the rail. Another positive for them. They clamp on to the rail instead of bolting to it at least that's how they have worked on other cars I have owned.
 
Another question for you guys - the Mazda rails that I got installed have fixed mounting points. Are these just for the OEM crossbars? Would the aftermarket crossbars also have to be installed only at those points? From what I can gather from the Thule website I think the answer is yes unfortunately, seeing that the mountain points are only 28 inches apart, which seems pretty tight to me.

I've been researching aftermarket solutions as well, and Thule seems to offer the best solution and they are generally available used.

Thule builds their system to use common parts with a vehicle specific adapter. So, they make a bracket that connects the standard Thule foot to the Mazda OEM rails. They bolt together and then the foot and crossbar are connected.

Just to make it more complicated, Thule's top tier has an integrated foot/crossbar solution so you only need to add the adapter pack.

The Thule website does a good job of describing what you need, as does Rack Attack.

If you spend some time searching around Craigslist and eBay, you can definitely save some dough.
 
Hi all,

I've seen a few threads here about the CX-9 crossbars and roof racks, but I'm still unsure if the OEM crossbar (0000-8L-N02B) can support a Thule-type rooftop cargo carrier. My CX-9 GT came with the roof rails already installed but no crossbars. I'll need the cargo carrier for a summer trip with the family and don't know if the Mazda OEM crossbars, with their gentle arcs, will correctly support the cargo carrier. Any thoughts on this? Thanks!


Hey you are confusing the part numbers. 0000-8L-N02B is not the right part. The correct part number for 2016+ CX9 is 0000-8L-N11. This cross bar is rated for 209 pounds weight capacity. You can get this from Amazon or Mazda Swag at around 150$ with shipping.

Here is the user manual of this crossbar.
https://sep.yimg.com/ty/cdn/yhst-24809172479195/0000-8L-N11.pdf
 
The factory bars are an aggravation to get on & off. I like them off except when I carry the box--looks better to me & may save gas.

The Thule bars have two choices for feet to fit the flush rails, one with a 165# limit, the other with a 220# limit. The Thule bars have more functional width.
 
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