Audi S5 Roof Rack – The SeaSucker Monkey Bars

Kev contacted us as he was looking for an Audi S5 Roof Rack. Kev was faced with the typical difficulties involved with modern vehicles. His Audi S5 has no roof rails and also has a Panoramic Roof. Furthermore, Kev needed the ability to transport surfboards, SUP boards, and a roof box.

 

 

 

 

 

With requirements clearly laid out, we recommended the SeaSucker Monkey Bars – 2020 Edition. With its adjustable support towers, The SeaSucker Monkey Bars – 2020 Edition will easily overcome Kev’s concerns. It has the ability to mount almost anywhere on the roof of your car. With a load-carrying capacity of 60 kg+ and a speed rating of 115 kph the SeaSucker Monkey Bars – 2020 Edition can handle almost anything you throw at it.

 

 

 

Where To Mount The SeaSucker Monkey Bars

As the panoramic roof spans almost the entire width of the roof, mounting the SeaSucker Monkey Bars – 2020 Edition on glass is as simple and easy as mounting on your car’s panels. The challenge with Kev’s Audi S5 is the sloping roof and keeping your gear straight and level. Therefore, we started out placing the front crossbar such that one vacuum mount was installed on the opening Panoramic Roof and the other vacuum mount was installed on the fixed glass. This is perfectly acceptable,  as each vacuum mount is installed on an unbroken surface. The only concern with this mounting location is the Panoramic Roof must remain closed whilst the roof rack is installed.

 

 

 

 

Given the length of the gear Kev wishes to transport we ended up placing the rear crossbar behind the Panoramic Roof. This gave us a good spread between the front and rear crossbars. Unfortunately, when we placed a SUP board on the roof rack we quickly discovered the SUP was sitting nose-high. This is a concern, as it exposes your gear to greater aerodynamic load. As a result, we suggested adding a strip of “Stick-On Foam Padding” between the roof rack pads and the SUP. This type of padding can easily be found at your local Clark Rubber store. After a quick trip to Clark Rubber, Kev returned with a length of Pool Noddle which he spliced in half. This worked a treat and ensured his gear remained straight and level.

 

 

Alternative Mounting Location

Upon examining Kev’s photos, we identified a potential location that would allow Kev to open the Panoramic Roof with the roof rack installed. Taking a similar approach as mentioned above, you could place one vacuum mount on the top of the windscreen and the other vacuum mount will end up on the roof. This will further exaggerate the slope, however, as we will be using some form of padding to overcome this, it’s a matter of selecting a foam section that will provide adequate correction.

 

 

 

 

 

Customer Feedback

A few weeks later, Kev sent us his photos along with his feedback.

Road tested. 5 trips to the beach all went very well. I’d be interested in hearing about the customer on your website who mounted the rear crossbar on the front of the car and visa versa. 

This is a huge NO! NO! Why is this the case? The front crossbar has 4 x SeaSucker Vacuum Mounts with the rear crossbar only having 2 vacuum mounts. The front crossbar is designed to withstand much higher aerodynamic loads than the rear crossbar. Therefore swapping positions could compromise the integrity of the roof rack. Given Kev’s main concern here is being able to use the Panoramic Roof we would suggest moving the front crossbar further forward as described in the previous section.

 

 

Buy Online the SeaSucker Monkey Bars – 2020 Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like our motto says! NO DRILLS, NO SCREWS, NO PROBLEMS!!!