Thule 625 Force XL and 460 Podium Roof Rack
Recently Thule released 3 new series of ski and cargo boxes called the Sonic, Force, and Pulse with multiple sizes within each series. Over the weekend we had a customer looking to mount a ski and cargo box to the roof of their 2008 Jeep Compass. The Jeep Compass has a factory flush side rail with 4 hooks located along the rail for different mounting points.
The customer chose to use the 460 Podium roof rack system from Thule which uses 460 Podium Towers, LB50 Rectangular Load Bars, 3067 Podium Fit Kit, and 544 Locks. The 460 Podium system allows the customer to carry many accessories such as skis, bike, kayaks, and canoes! The 3067 Podium Fit Kit is customized to fit the unique flush rail on the compass as you can see in the picture below.
Since the customer wanted to carry skis as well as luggage they chose to go with the Thule 625 Force XL which is able to carry up to 206 cm skis and offers 17 cubic feet of carrying capacity. The Force XL was a nice size for the vehicle as it doesn’t overwhelm the vehicle. Its sleek design also looks great while adding great cargo carrying ability.
The Force XL was also able to be positioned far enough forward that it did not contact the back hatch when it was opened. This is an important consideration when choosing the right Thule box as you do not want to limit access to existing cargo space.
The Force XL is capable of being opened from both sides of the vehicle which makes it very easy when attaching and removing the box as well as when loading and unloading your skis or camping gear.
Thule designs their boxes to be easy to remove from the crossbar system. The Force series uses Thule’s quick-grip mounting hardware which uses a hand held knob that controls a jaw system under the box. The installation of the ski and cargo box is tools free and works with most roof rack systems.
Find a Thule system for your vehicle in our Thule roof racks section. If you would like advice on which box is best for your vehicle please contact us or come by either of our two Edmonton locations.
