Lifestyle
Tesla Model S Roof Rack System (Whispbar) Review
The Tesla Model S Whispbar Roof Rack System is hands down the most technological and elegant roof rack system on the planet, period.
The designers and scientists behind Whispbar, a brand now under the Yakima umbrella, have long been known for designing the world’s quietest roof rack system through relentless pursuit of engineering perfection. We had a chance to review the new Whispbar Tesla Model S Roof Rack System over the last 500+ miles and came up with some findings that may surprise you.
Tesla Model S Roof Rack System by Whispbar
Initial Impression
The Whispbar Tesla Model S Roof Rack System is comprised of two individually packaged components – a universal Whispbar Flush Bar and a Tesla Model S specific mounting kit that secures the Flush Bar to four fixed-point mounts on the roof of the vehicle. Packaging is near Apple caliber and all around superb, with full color printed boxes psychologically gesturing that an amazing road adventure awaits. It worked. Before we knew it, the Whispbar components were unboxed, installed and off on an epic journey.
Features
- Aerodynamic design reduces wind drag and noise up to 70%
- Low drag results in negligible impact on EV battery range
- Low profile and tapered-wing shape makes for an ultra-quiet ride
- Super-lightweight and corrosion resistant aluminum construction
- Quick disconnect and built-in channel technology lets you mount a variety of carriers and accessories onto the Flush Bar
- Innovative SmartFoot towers ensure quick and easy installation on your roof
- Patented Yakima Same Key System (SKS) technology uses lock cores that lock and unlock with the same key, eliminating the hassle of multiple keys.
- Ultra-sleek design blends into the curves of the Tesla Model S and hardly noticeable
Whispbar Technology
Design and Aerodynamics: The unique wing shape of the Whispbar Flush Bar is what really makes this roof rack system stand apart form its competitors. We’ve never seen anything like this before, both from a design perspective and aesthetic point of view.
The beautifully sculpted shape, said to reduce noise and wind drag by 70% over other crossbars, is an art piece in itself, and frankly made us instinctively handle the component as if it were a piece of fine jewelry. We found ourselves constantly wiping our fingerprints off of the polished aluminum finish in order to keep it as pristine and elegant as it naturally is. But don’t let the gorgeous looks fool you. The Whispbar Tesla Model S Rook Rack System is as rugged and durable as they come – capable of carrying cargo and withstand up to 165 lbs (75 kg) of load.
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Installation
Having installed several roof rack systems before, we were armed with our usual Phillips screwdriver, Torx drivers and our folding hex key set, all which turned out to be valueless. Whispbar comes prepackaged with everything you’ll need for the installation which consists of a single T-handle hex key and some basic instructions.
Installation was fairly simple after we figured out how to mount the first of four mounting points, however documentation could have been a bit clearer especially when describing the procedure of replacing the Flush Bar slide-out plastic mounting blocks with those from the Tesla Model S SmartFoot kit (#K704W). We spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out this portion of the installation process, presumably because we received one of the earlier versions of the documentation right as it was about to hit market, or we have a much lower brain cell count than the average human (most likely). We’ll let you figure that one out.
Installation Summary
- Flip up factory mounting-point covers
- Attach stainless hardware to mounting-points
- Fit weather-proof Tesla Model S specific mounting pad and block over stainless clamps
- Hand-tighten plastic knob and secure Flush Bar to the vehicle
Installation video provided by Tesla Motors.
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Ultra-Quiet, Low Drag, Battery Efficient
Sound: The low profile mount and wing shape design of the Whispbar Tesla Model S Roof Rack System creates an amazingly quiet driving experience. At speeds below 40 mph (64 km/h) we barely noticed any noise at all, contrary to what we’ve experienced with other roof rack systems on the market. The Whispbar system exhibits some audible wind noise as expected during highway speeds, but the sound is much more soothing, and almost melodic in a way. It’s much softer, quieter and not the usual turbulent wind noise that’s often associated with round or square style crossbars.
The unique shape and design of the Whispbar is the result of extensive wind tunnel testing as seen in the video below.
Wind Drag Effect on Battery Range: This one surprised us the most. After 500 miles of testing with the Flush Bar mounted we noticed a negligible increase in energy consumption when compared against the vehicle’s lifetime average energy usage.
- Energy usage lifetime avg (10,180 miles):
318 Wh/mi
- ROAD TEST 1 with Tesla Model S Roof Rack System (~ 500 miles):
322 Wh/mi
- ROAD TEST 2 with Tesla Model S Rook Rack System + Ski/Snow attachment + 2 snowboards:
328 Wh/mi
(leave us a comment below if you’re interested in having us perform any special tests)
We concluded that the 1.26% increase in energy over the vehicle’s lifetime average is negligible and therefore it’s inconclusive that the change is a result of wind drag from the Tesla Model S roof rack system. Although we drove the same path over the course of the 500 mile sample, there’s not a large enough disparity for us to make a correlation. This is a remarkable testament to Whispbar’s pursuit of engineering excellence. We think they succeeded.
No Tools Required, Quick and Easy Attachments
One of the great features of the Whispbar QuickDock System is that it can quickly attach and detach accessories without the use of tools. Removing attachments (ski, snowboard, cargo, bike ..etc when not in use maximizes the aerodynamics and maintains the clean look of the Whispbar Flush Bar.
Below are pictures of the optional Whispbar SnowMount (#WB300) attachment mounted to our Whispbar Tesla Model S roof rack system. We loved the large integrated push lever, which was extremely easy to open, even while wearing heavy gloves.
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Conclusion
The aerodynamic Whispbar roof rack system brings innovative design and technology to deliver the quietest crossbar on the market.
To our knowledge, Whispbar is currently the only manufacturer that offers the Tesla Model S roof rack system. We know that there will eventually be plenty of roof rack systems out on the market for the Tesla community, but when compromise is not an option and you’re seeking unparalleled perfection, then the Whispbar Roof Rack System is the obvious choice.
Tesla Model S Whispbar Roof Rack System
- MSRP: $519.00
Note: Use the vehicle selection dropdowns from the Flush Bar page.
Whispbar Snow Mount Attachment
- MSRP: $249.00
NOTE: The Whispbar Tesla Model S Roof Rack System is only available for models that have the panoramic roof option.
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Firmware
Tesla unlocks in-car web conferencing to extend Google Meet, Teams and beyond
Tesla’s Summer Update lets owners join Google Meet, Teams, and Discord calls via cabin camera.
Tesla’s 2026 Summer Update, which just began rolling out to customer vehicles, now links the built-in web browser with the in-cabin camera feed and microphone input, thereby letting owners join video calls on nearly any browser-based service instead of just Zoom.
The change appears in Tesla’s own release notes for software version 2026.26 under “Web Browser,” which states that the vehicle can now use its interior camera and cabin microphone when a website requests access, with permission granted the same way a desktop browser handles it. As NotATeslaApp notes, this feature opens the door to Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Discord, and other webcam-enabled sites to activate the in-car cabin-facing camera. The feed automatically crops and zooms to center the driver in frame.
Tesla has offered in-car video calling before, but only through a dedicated Zoom app that launched at the end of 2022, a stripped-down browser preloaded with Zoom’s own web client and gated behind Premium Connectivity. Opening the full browser to any camera-requesting site removes that walled garden. Elon Musk first called video conferencing “definitely a future feature” back in 2020, when the pandemic pushed remote meetings into daily life, so this update effectively finishes something Tesla has been promising for six years.
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
The feature keeps the same restrictions that applied to Zoom on Tesla vehicles. It only works while the car is parked; shifting into Drive disables the camera feed, according to the release notes. It is also limited to vehicles running Tesla’s AMD Ryzen infotainment hardware, meaning older Intel-based Model S and Model X units, along with early Model 3 and Model Y builds, don’t get it.
Turning the browser into a general entry point for the in-cabin camera, rather than routing everything through one local app, widens the number of third-party sites that can ask for access, even though Tesla’s permission prompt.
With the Summer update only days into its rollout, be sure to stay with us on TikTok and X to see the latest video demonstrations.
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Elon Musk escalated his monthslong feud with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey this week, pledging that his own AI video tool will produce a competing version before the year is out. Responding to a fan-made, AI-generated clip of the ancient epic, Musk wrote on X, “Before this year ends, Grok Imagine will make a full-length movie of The Odyssey that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer.”
In June, Musk quoted an xAI-shared trailer built entirely with Grok Imagine Video 1.5, a two-minute-plus reimagining of The Odyssey styled after a 1970s classical Hollywood epic, and predicted “full movies by the end of the year,” as Teslarati reported at the time. That trailer, built from 36 consistent shots by a single creator, was Musk’s proof of concept. This week’s pledge turns that prediction into a specific commitment, tied directly to Homer’s text rather than a generic demo.
Before this year ends, Grok Imagine will make a full-length movie of The Odyssey that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer https://t.co/bVHzUmY9WN
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2026
When a fan separately proposed that Musk fund a live-action alternative, to “give Mel Gibson $100 million to film an Odyssey adaptation with painstakingly historically accurate ships, armour, weapons, and casting, with all dialogue taken straight from the original poem and delivered in Homeric Greek,” Musk replied with two words: “I’m down.”
The Grok Imagine pledge lands as the tool’s underlying infrastructure has changed hands. Grok is no longer a standalone product, it folded into SpaceXAI after SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI closed in February, meaning the compute behind any Odyssey production traces back to the same Colossus supercomputers now bundled into SpaceX’s pitch to investors. Musk has separately said SpaceX’s own engineering data is being fed into the next major Grok training run, a two trillion parameter model he’s called the “2T run.”
Whether Grok Imagine can sustain a feature length narrative, rather than a series of impressive individual shots, remains the open question.
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Cybertruck
Tesla Mobile App gets a new feature that wrap fans are going to love
Tesla’s Summer Update removes the USB drive step from customizing your car’s digital wrap design.
Tesla’s latest 2026 Summer Update quietly closes out one of the more tedious steps in personalizing a Tesla’s digital appearance. Uploading a custom wrap design used to require a USB drive. Now it doesn’t.
The feature is listed in Tesla’s release notes as “Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App.” The company described it plainly: “Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
The digital wrap tool has been around since Tesla’s 2024 Holiday Update, when it launched for Cybertruck owners first, as Teslarati reported at the time. Getting a design onto the car meant formatting a USB drive, creating a folder named exactly “Wraps,” dropping in PNG files sized between 512×512 and 1024×1024 pixels and under 1 MB each, then plugging the drive in and applying the wrap through Toybox. Tesla expanded the tool to other models and renamed it from “Colorizer” to “Paint Shop” with the 2025 Holiday Update, while also adding license plate and window tint customization alongside the wraps.
Custom wraps via mobile app https://t.co/5OydZ26g9p pic.twitter.com/uexU0ZePxu
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 22, 2026
The latest Summer Update removes the USB step from that process. Owners will be able to pull a design from wherever they saved it, whether that’s a download from social media or something built from Tesla’s own GitHub templates, and push it to the car directly through the app.
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
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It’s a small fix relative to the rest of this latest release, which also included expanded Grok voice commands, automatic navigation that learns regular routes, and self-driving stats inside the mobile app, all detailed in our rundown of the full Summer Update. The USB requirement was one of the more common complaints about Paint Shop since it launched. Tesla did not say when the wrap upload change would reach individual vehicles, only that the broader update is rolling out now in waves.
Tesla unlocks in-car web conferencing to extend Google Meet, Teams and beyond
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
