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I was thinking about installing a Thule roof rack on my 2011 is350 and I noticed that inside all 4 doors there are notches. Were those notches put there as a placement for the factory roof rack Lexus carried for the 2is? And if so if anybody who has installed a thule or yakima roof rack did you use the same notches as guidelines for the aftermarket roof rack or was the placement of the foot pack at a different location. Thanks
My Inno rack falls pretty close to those spots but the lip on the towers that wraps under the door isn't deep enough to really make it to that flat spot. I bet those spots are lift points for the chassis at the factory on the line.
Do yourself a favor, if you buy a rack put some clear bra vinyl strips under the towers to protect the paint. I took my rack off a couple weeks ago and the paint looks perfect here the vinyl was. It did have minor light scratches in the clear where the rubber pads were though. They buffed out but I'm going to put vinyl under them when it goes back on.
Awesome thanks for the info. Yeah i looked at my wifes car and it has those notches too so your probably right about the lift points. Ill find some of those clear bra strips and put them on when I mount the bike rack.
Nice IS btw.
It looks like the hinges put alot of pressure on the door seals. You experience any leak or wind noise?? Im kind of worried over time the seal will eventually tear or crack??
I haven't had any leaks. The rack was only on for a couple months so they've pretty much spring back into shape. As far as wind noise, the rack itself creates enough noise on its own that it's hard to tell. The fairing helps but it's still a little noisy.
It would still be on the car if it wasn't parked due to the airbag recall. I can't put the car cover on with the rack attached.
Anyone with a roof rack notice a significant drop in mpg?? Ive read that having a roof rack with 1 or two bikes loaded can drop mpg down 35%-50%. Ive read that some didn't notice a loss but other cars did but these were other cars that were studied and not the IS. I also read that it also varies on car's engine.If a car has a small engine it will use more gas because of the air flow drag. Not sure how true this is??
If the loss of mpg is really significant I might just go with a Curt hitch and saris freedom bike rack
08-24-16, 02:16 PM
Notch inside door for bike roof rack??
