by Rack Magic Woman on September 1, 2011
Q: I would like to carry an 80 lbs, 17 foot long, 42 inch wide Alumacraft canoe on the roof of my 2002 Lexus RX300. The RX300 has factory installed roof tracks and cross rails. Unfortunately, the canoe is as wide as the roof tracks are apart and the cross rails do not seem sturdy enough to carry 80 lbs at highway speeds.
Can you give me some advice on which of your products would be workable for me? I tried working through your equipment selection guides and it suggested foam blocks, but I’m not sure that is the best solution.
A: I looked at both the Yakima and Thule fit guides and here are your options:
Yakima Q-Tower system: This option uses Q-clips which fit under your doors to hold the Q towers down and offer a weight limit of 125 lbs.
Thule 430 Tracker II system: This option uses the Tracker Kit 4 which uses your factory tracks to attach the foot and offers a weight limit of 75 lbs.
With either option, you can select the bar length you need (I’d say the Yakima 48” crossbars or the Thule LB 50” crossbars would do) to carry your canoe. If you want to stick by the rules, you should go with the Q-Tower option. Otherwise, the 430 Tracker II is a cleaner interface.
by Rack Princess on July 15, 2010
by rackdawg on March 14, 2010
A very good looking ORS Racks Direct customer installation photo featuring a 2008 Lexus IS250 car rack and snowboard-ski rack setup using the Thule 400XTR Rapid Aero roof rack with Thule 2176 Fit Kit clips. The Thule Racks 91725 Universal Flat Top ski-snowboard carrier is attached to the Rapid Aero cross rails. A wind noise deflector fairing is also mounted to the cross rails.
Check out this customer install picture showcasing a 2008 Lexus IS250 snowboard roof rack setup that is configured with the Thule 400XTR Rapid Aero roof rack (attaches to the car top using a set of Thule 2176 Fit Kit clips, the Thule RB47 Rapid Aero load bars are also used) and Thule 91725 snowboard-ski carrier mounted to the load bars. A Thule Racks 872XT roof rack fairing is also installed onto the front Rapid Aero load bar. Thule locks are included with the ski carrier to secure skiis and snowboards, while an extra 4 pack of Thule locks is used to lock the base rack system to the Lexus IS250 roof top.
2008 Lexus IS250 car rack snowboard carrier install details
Tagged as:
Lexus IS250,
roof rack,
ski snowboard carrier,
Thule 91725,
Thule Fit Kits
by rackdawg on March 9, 2010
Thule 916XT T2 review by 'Dennis'. He is using it as a 2008 Lexus RX400h hitch bike rack.
Overall Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5)
“Spent about a week reading reviews between the Thule 916XT T2 and the Yakima Holdup since they are the popular 2 that does not touch any painted part of the bike. I then decided to stay with Thule because of the convenience of the locking mechanism and the availability of smaller parts (like locks or accessories) at local retail shops. The 916XT T2 rack has a very solid feel and is very stable. The bikes can be mounted and locked with 10 seconds and have enough space between them so that no parts are touching each other. With the addition of the Thule Snug-Tite hitch lock, the bike rack does not sway side to side (although it bounce once in a while). The assembly is pretty simple and real easy as well. Lastly, I had to decide where to order the rack. ORS seems to have their act together and have good customer service so I went ahead and placed the order with them.”
all Thule 916XT T2 platform bike rack reviews
Tagged as:
bike hitch rack,
Lexus RX400h,
Thule 916XT 917XT T2
by rackdawg on September 29, 2009
Q: I am looking at installing a 2008 Lexus IS 250 roof rack for carrying snowboards. The 2008 Lexus IS250 roof top currently has no raingutters, side rails or faactory rack, just a smooth roof top. What car rack do you recommend that I can then attach a snowboard carrier to?
A: The complete Thule 400XT Aero roof rack system is engineered to fit your vehicle perfectly and is very quick to install. The Thule 400XT Aero system includes four 400XT Aero feet, four 2176 Fit Kit Clips (these Fit Kit Clips are specific to your 2008 Lexus IS 250) and two load bars (the 50″ load bars are the recommended length for your vehicle). You can then attach any Thule snowboard carriers to the 400XT Aero front and rear load bars.
Tagged as:
lexus,
ski snowboard carrier,
Thule Fit Kits
by rackdawg on September 29, 2009
Q: I really wanted to use the Saris Bones 3 bike trunk rack on my 2008 Toyota Highlander. But it looks like it is not compatible with this vehicle? Can you confirm this? Also, are there any other trunk bike rack models you could recommend? I’m open to bike rack options for the 2008 Toyota Highlander factory rack if no trunk mount bike rack options are available.
A: Unfortunately there are no trunk bike racks compatible with your 08 Highlander. You do have some great options for factory rack mount bike racks however. A very popular model is the Yakima ForkLift bike rack. This carrier offers the industry’s best factory rack mount engineering and has a host of features for easy bicycle loading and unloading. If you are looking for more economical options we recommend the SportRack ABR611 Nomad bike rack and SportRack ABR622 Nomad bike rack models.
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Q: I have a 2007 Hummer H3 and it appears to have some type of side rails on them. But they are not typical siderails I don’t think. It doesn’t look like I can just attach a roof rack to the siderails so that i can have crossbars to then attach gear carriers for carrying bikes and snowboards. What system do I need for a 2007 Hummer H3 roof rack systemthat would include crossbars?
A: You are right. You would not install a typical roof rack system designed to attach to factory side rails. In fact your 2007 Hummer H3 has factory installed fixed-points located on the side rails. You can attach a roof rack to the fix-points. We recommend the Thule 430 Tracker II with the TK12 Tracker Kit. The Thule TK12 Tracker Kits connect to the fixed-points on the siderails. Then snap the 430 Tracker II Feet to each TK12 Kit. The Thule 58inch load bars are the recommended length for your roof top. You can then mount any gear carriers to the load bars.
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Q: I need a 2007 VW Passat wagon roof rack. The Volkswagen Passat currently only has the factory rails on the sides of the roof. What do you recommend?
A: The complete Thule 450 Crossroad roof rack system is engineered to fit your vehicle perfectly and is very quick to install. Attaches directly to the 2007 VW Passat factory rack side rails, converting your factory rack side rails into a sturdy base rack system capable of safely transporting all your gear. Includes a set of four Thule 450 Crossroad Feet and a pair of load bars. The 50″ load bars are the recommended length for your vehicle.
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Q: I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a 2010 Lexus RX350 hitch bike rack for the 2 inch receiver hitch that is already installed on the 2010 Lexus RX 350. I need to carry 3-4 bikes at a time and I will be transporting both adult and kids bikes. What do you recommend?
A: A great 2″ hitch mount bike rack option that is both economical and easy to install and use is the Sportrack A30902 4EZ hitch bike rack. Holds up to 4 bikes and will make a great 2010 Lexus RX350 bike rack for your receiver hitch.
by rackdawg on September 28, 2009
