Thule Racks Total LowDown on Thule Xadapt Adapter Kits

«return to previous page

Thule Racks developed the series of Xadapt adapter kits as the solution for connecting certain Thule kayak racks, roof mount Thule bike racks and Thule ski & snowboard carriers to the elliptical Thule Rapid Aero load bars, Thule Xsporter truck rack bars, Thule Pro Series commercial truck racks & van racks and Votex roof rack bars (Votex racks have silver elliptical bars with a channel in them & are found on certain model Volkswagen, Audi, Saab, BMW, Volvo cars etc.).

The need for Xadapts began when Thule Racks started manufacturing car and truck rack multi-purpose systems that did not use the traditional square Thule load bars. The new european styled elliptical Rapid Aero load bars that Thule Racks designed for use on the Thule Rapid Series multi-purpose base rack systems include a t-slot channel that runs along the length of the bars. The Thule Xadapts insert in the t-slots and the Thule gear carrier is then mounted to the Xadapts. The Thule Pro Series commercial truck racks & van racks and the Thule Xsporter truck rack bars also have t-slot channels in their load bars that the Xadapt Kits can slide into. The european style Votex roof rack bars found on many Volkswagen, Audi, Saab, BMW, Volvo cars etc also have t-slot channels that the Xadapters are compatible with.

It is important to note that Thule Racks is constantly engineering new gear carriers and upgrading current ones so that they can install directly on both factory rack crossbars as well as on these base rack load bar styles without the need for Xadapt Kits. Hence, we highly recommend reading the product details on each Thule gear carrier product page to determine mounting requirements. Additionally, we suggest clicking the link below to view compatibility specifications of the most popular roof mount Thule gear carriers when used on various base rack crossbars:
» complete Thule gear carrier compatibility chart

Bottom Line:
Thule Xadapt Kits are an excellent way to mount certain Thule roof mount gear carriers to crossbar styles other than the traditional Thule square load bars. It is important to read the details of each carrier for specific mounting details however, as Thule Racks is constantly upgrading current products and releasing new ones that can mount directly to these styles of load bars, as well as factory racks without any additional Xadapts or other adapters necessary.

ADDITIONAL GENERAL INFORMATION

• Thule Racks is constantly working to make their roof mount gear carriers directly compatible with both factory rack bars and their own non-traditional cross bar styles including the elliptical Thule Rapid Aero load bars, Thule Xsporter truck rack bars, Thule Pro Series commercial truck racks & van racks and Votex roof rack bars. Many now are packaged with universal adapters included, no Thule Xadapt Kits or other adapters required.
  
  We highly recommend clicking the link below to view compatibility specifications of the most popular roof mount Thule gear carriers when used on various base rack crossbars:
  » complete Thule gear carrier compatibility chart
• Using our easy Thule Racks automated fit guide is often a convenient way to determine if Xadapts are required for the base rack system you are using, as well as selecting the Thule gear carriers that work with Xadapts:
  
• And as always, please contact us with any additional questions you may have.