streetspee

Hi all

I had a tough time finding some pics of ISFs with ski racks while I was shopping around and piecing together my Thule roof rack system. I went with the ARB47 AeroBlade load bars, 480R foot pack, and KIT1426 . The instructions from Thule are tough to decipher, but once you get the gist of how it assembles, its not too bad. The metal clamps that hold the system in place are heavily coated in rubber, but I still taped up my white pearl paint for protection during the initial fitment.

Take lots of time measuring things with the included tape measure according to the Thule-supplied schematics ... surprisingly the ISF (all 2nd gens) seem to have grooves/depressions in the uppermost structural members that help guide roof rack systems ! If you don't know what I'm talking about, next time you open your drivers door, run your hand along the member where the upper part of your door seal touches the car .. you'll feel the slightest depression there more or less where you would clamp a roof system, and its true for all 4 of my doors. Thule conveniently includes 4 Allen keys with torque-indicator arrows for each clamp so as not to over-tighten. I'll be modifying my snowboard-carrier so it sits a bit more flush on the AeroBlades.

I spent about 3 hours assembling and fine-fitting this kit, including test-fitting with tape on the paint. Haven't taken it to highway speeds yet, but by my calculations, these should add at least 2,000 lbs of downforce .... or lift.

BS ISF

nice setup. looks pretty good.

caveman

that looks great.

so those window clamps are rubberized?
do you plan to apply any clear film protection under the tower feet those window clamps?

streetspee

Funny you mention that... I intended to, but after a close look at the rubber feet, and examining the fitment of the clamp, I am fairly confident that there isn't a big chance of any damage

I am getting a clear bra put on in 2 wks and will likely have them put strips where the feet connect anyways, just to be safe. I'll use these year round for boarding / biking so might as well. Think putting a clear film all along the top rails will look bad?

is300SD2

Looks good, is that a pinstripe on the side of your car? Did it come like that?

streetspee

Yes the car came with a hand-painted pinstripe along that edge

The pinstripe is interrupted only near the F emblem, where a tiny "L" Lexus emblem has also been hand painted in line with the pin stripe on both sides. I've never seen another of its kind ... I am the second owner, and both of us purchased at Park Place Lexus in Plano, TX

MisterSkiz

iTrader: (2)

be careful..previous owner of my car dinged the roof rail with those things. a ding on a roof rail is very hard or impossible to remove without body work.

MisterSkiz

iTrader: (2)

also I like your garage!

streetspee

Do you think it was a result of over-tightening or over-loading? Before I even committed to the project i called Thule and talked to the support techs, and they assured me that any fitment kits that result in damage during the development phase are classified as "no fit" by Thule.

Can you send me some pics? How bad?

Thanks ! Beer fridge is always full for strangers & visitors

kauaian

iTrader: (18)

Nice present!

Is that a brushed finish on your roof?

caveman

They love those pin strips down here in TX. Some dealerships here pinstripe every car that hits the lot.

caveman

i had a similar roof tower setup on my saabaru, with the difference being my tower "clamps" were attached to built-in mounts in the rain gutter instead of the doorway. no dings after 2 years of use.

streetspee

Looks nice ! By the looks of it, the feet I've got seem to distribute the clamping force onto a rather large thick rubber foot and the rubber-coated metal hook. I am hoping to get a few years out of this ... until something faster and newer finds its way into the garage

It's actually a CF roof wrap ... I kind of like how the roof contrast vs body color kind of goes with the Thule aluminum/black and is less of an eyesore but maybe its just me