R55 roof bars

[Output Flange]

Apologies if this has been covered - I can’t work out where the search function is on the mobile site!

I’d like some Thule roof bars for an R55 Clubman without raised rails, but the Thule website doesn’t list them.

Are they available, and if so, which ones?

Thanks

[vikingaero]

The Thule ones for cars without roof rails are fairly ugly as they have a massive side plate that goes down to the mounting point above the gutter. If you look very carefully at the rubber above the gutter, there is a perforation where you tear the rubber off to get to the mounting points.

You can still get the official MINI ones on eBay (£170 new, £75 used) and possibly secondhand on places such as Facebook Marketplace. The MINI ones have 22mm wide channel, compared to 20mm for Thule, but you can buy 22mm x 20mm aftermarket bolts to fix things on the roofbars.

If you do buy the MINI ones, it's better to fit them and leave them on. There are a few video guides and it's better to have someone help you who can squeeze the various bits together whilst tightening.