kbtmom

We're looking to put a hard shell cargo box on a 2013 RX350 with roof rails and crossbars already on it. Was looking at Yakima Skybox line. Thule would be good as well. (We have Thule back rack that mounts on hitch and swings out to open hatch. It works great.) My confusion lies with which box will fit (ie allow the hatch to still open)? I was hoping for Skybox Pro 16. But one on line tool says it will not fit yet another tool says yes.

We're taking the youngest to college soon and need a little more packing room! We used to have a Honda Odyssey minivan which would have swallowed his things no problem.

Any suggestions on which models will work?

JDR76

I have a Thule Force 624 and it works great. I can still open the tailgate without any interference.

kbtmom

After seeing the Thule Force in the photo, I was sure that the one of the Thule cargo boxes were going to work just fine. We went to the REI store, did some more measurements to be sure, then picked up a Thule Sonic 634S. The silver goes well with the Nebula Gray on our RX.

We mounted it in 5 minutes at the store. We took the expressway home to try it out. My husband commented that he didn't even feel a difference in the driving experience with the cargo box on top.

BTW, I removed the four rubber stops on the roof rails, then moved the cross rails to the outermost positions before we went to REI. We also noted that even though the REI people thought the Yakima Skybox 16 was going to fit, measurements taken at the store confirmed a NO - the hatch would not be able to be opened with that box.

Thanks for the Info and photo!

svidas

I have a Thule box 604 Ascent which works well on my 2010 RX450h. I bought it for my previous 2006 RX400h and had to remove the rubber stops at the front to get the needed clearance for the lift gate.. I don't have crossbars from Lexus but have Yakima bars that will work and give me more height from the vehicle's roof. My crossbars in the 2006 sagged at one side toward the front on a long camping trip which was worrisome on the drive home.

JDR76

Glad it worked out!

RXII

Does anyone know if any of the Thule boxes can fit two pairs of adult skis and two full size golf bags (not at the same time )

indwarrior

looking for cargo box roof top for my 2010 rx 350, any suggestions?

RX350NY

For the people who have the thule cargo boxes on the 2010 RX, does your box bounce up and down on the highway?

I have the Thule Sonic 634B in the Large size on factory rails with the box moved all the way back towards the rear of the car. I noticed when going 60+ mph on the highway, I see the front of the box bouncing up and down.

Anyone have the same issue or recommend a solution? Perhaps I'm mounting the box wrong? Any help would be appreicated.

JDR76

I do not have the issue. Mine is steady as a rock up there. I set the bars as far apart as they go, then bias the box towards the front (to ensure my rear hatch opens unobstructed). I'm not sure what to suggest. Do you have a picture of it mounted?

kbtmom

If your box is bouncing, I would check 2 things:

Make sure you have tightened the ***** until they click. Visually make sure the "claws" look like they have closed around the cross bars as much as possible.

You need to remove the rubber stops on the rails, so that the cross bars are moved to the outermost positions. In other words, the cross bars are as much forward and backwards as possible.

pmagnusson

Would confirm your observation - have a 2008 RX 350 - did the measurements - got a Yakima Skybox Pro 16 (to fit my 175 cm skis) - removed rubber strip and moved crossbars full forward - no go - the rear spoiler jams against the back of the box. Back to square one.

Sfcyclist

I have a Thule box(forgot the model) and works great. It's longer model which I can post detais on later. Only thing to watch out for is it will rub the shark fin IF it's not positioned correctly.

RX350NY

Update:

I can confirm that the rubber stop were removed and the turning ***** on the box were turned all the way till it clicks.

What I noticed and tried is to move the box forward towards the front of the car and it seems to work. I initially had it all the way towards the back of the car. Who would have thought hat moving the box forward would solve the issue of it bouncing.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help.

BobAgain

This discussion has been very helpful - thanks everyone! I'm about to get a box and crossbars and I wonder which crossbars to get. Are OEM bars better/worse than third party products?

Thanks again for the help.

BobAgain

For the record, I picked up OEM cross bars at the dealer - $229 plus tax. They're rated at 165 lbs.

Installation, which involved removing the silver plastic cap on the back of the rails, was EZ-PZ:

1. Bought a plastic trim removal kit ($7 at Harbor Freight) and used the widest tool - it has a crow bar look of sorts. I used the hooked end.

2. The plastic (silver) caps on the rear of the roof rails fit over structural interior supports. (They look a lot like the tupperware on my Honda NT) There are 4 tabs on each cap that fit into guides (one in the front that slides into the rails themselves and three vertical tabs that slide into guides on the support pieces.) There are also two small catches on the inside edge of each cap just above the cap/roof juncture and roughly in the middle. These clip into slots in the structural support and serve to lock the caps down and in place.

3. Gently insert the hooked end of the pry bar between the cap and roof on the inside edge of the cap (I used a couple of sheets of paper between the roof and bar to protect the paint). Pry the catches out of their slots. (Since the tool is hooked, pushing the free end down pulls the plastic cover away from the inside rail / slots and frees the tabs.)

4. Repeat this process on the outside of the caps. This frees the caps entirely and allows you to remove them.

5. The crossbars slide right into the rails (after loosening the thumb bolts).

5. Insert the caps' front tabs into the rails and then push down on the rear portion of the caps. They snap right into place.

I marvel at the quality of modern plastics and the molding process. These are precision made pieces. Very slick.