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Well, I don't recall the numbers and the crossbars aren't currently installed since I'm not traveling these days. But if you look at the attached annotated photo, you can see that the front bracket is centered on the forward edge of the door frame. Such a positioning will be safe and secure, my experience on a 1400-mile trip tells me. I hope that this helps.
Thank you for the photo. After a second thought I think that won't be an issue anymore because even though I can clear the roof with the crossbars only, once I will install the ski rack looks like there would be contact anyway. I will just need to keep the roof closed I guess!
For anyone without a pano roof, can you tell me your mounting locations?
I believe the inside if the rail should be pre-drilled, that might be the best location (according to Lexus).
Hi I want to confirm that the OEM roof rails do fit on the 2016 RX350 FSport with pano glass. The set screws can be removed with a torx driver to allow the bars to be used in a clamp fashion. Note that the torx screws are set with some sort of thread locker so it takes quite a bit of force to get them moving. The moon roof will still open free and clear of the cross bars if you position them as shown in my picture. The rails are very sturdy if you follow the instructions for install and use the provided torque wrench. This is the cheapest and by far best looking option for cross bars for the RX350. I purchased the OEM rails from ebay (PT278-48160) for 269$ shipped and the Yakima FatCat6 ski carrier from Amazon for 180$ shipped Total cost of setup: 449$. The rails and ski carriers took about 2 hours to install. I positioned the rails 36" apart from center to center to allow my snowboard bindings to fit between the rails (you could put them closer together if you wanted) My advice would be to open the sunroof all the way, put a blanket on the roof for protection and then play around with the spread to see what works best for your setup.
when you say “clamp fashion” does this mean these racks are safely secured without the screws? Is it strong enough to not move around and hold a cargo box without screwing it in? I have the same exact rx as you and same roof racks and haven’t been able to install because I’m concerned they aren’t secured in with the screws. But if you say it works without them and are safe I will try that. Thx!!
Hi - thanks for the great post - did you use two 7602 bars or one 7603 and 7602? What fit fit did you get. How long do they take to install. how is the roof noise with and without the roof open with only the racks on (nothing on the racks). Thanks in advance for your reply
Originally Posted by PersianGuy
I just purchased a 2019 RX350 with the panoramic roof and assumed factory cross bars would work great with my Thule box. After checking with the dealer and learning they would not install, I was really happy to see someone had come up with a solution. I’ll be getting this exact setup. Thank you for all of the pictures and info. Mine is the same color so the visuals really helped.
Hi - thanks for the great post - did you use two 7602 bars or one 7603 and 7602? What fit fit did you get. How long do they take to install. how is the roof noise with and without the roof open with only the racks on (nothing on the racks). Thanks in advance for your reply
The bars are currently on loan to a friend, so I don't have access to get the model #. They are both the same model and I believe it is 7602. They fit perfectly. I didn't install them; the bicycle shop I bought them from did the job. I'm guessing ½ hour or less. They are fairly noisy with the roof open, less so with the roof closed. I needed the bars for a single trip from Maryland to Tennessee for the 2017 solar eclipse and am unlikely to reinstall them.
Does the Thule 7603 still fit the front of the vehicle or do both of them have to be 7602 now?. I know there is a bit of an overlap in the length between the two.
Does the Thule 7603 still fit the front of the vehicle or do both of them have to be 7602 now?. I know there is a bit of an overlap in the length between the two.
I'm sorry, but I don't know the answer to your question.
I called my local Lexus dear they told me it's not recommended to put roof rack on my pano roof has anyone put them on I really just want them for looks to make the suv more Sprorty looking
I have a 2021 rx450h with pano roof, i recently bought the oem rails from lexus (https://parts.lexus.com/p/lexus__RX-...T27848120.html ) but am reading that i cannot just drill the holes, that it could possibly shatter the glass. I do not plan on using the sunroof at all, but is this true? If I drill the holes to align with the tips in PT27848120 will it cause stress to the pano glass and break it?
I have a 2021 rx450h with pano roof, i recently bought the oem rails from lexus (https://parts.lexus.com/p/lexus__RX-...T27848120.html ) but am reading that i cannot just drill the holes, that it could possibly shatter the glass. I do not plan on using the sunroof at all, but is this true? If I drill the holes to align with the tips in PT27848120 will it cause stress to the pano glass and break it?
I really don't know the answer, but are there RXs from the factory with pano and roof rails?
I was considering drilling the holes as well, also thought about just buying new non pano rails and swapping if the specs matched depending on the cost. If you look the factory setup vs thule in person imo Thule seems more secure and heavy duty. Yes the holes help, but the factory cross bar setup is so thin. So depending on what you want to carry up top could affect your decision. Yes it is a cheaper option to go factory, if I didnt not have my Thule hookup I would be doing the same as you. Also note others have said the factory crossbars can pinch without going in to holes.
If you have reg moon roof you have 2 options. Factory crossbars which can be found cheapest on eBay or go Thule route. Depends on what you can afford, but affordability is the factory lexus crossbars. Main reason why pano roof owners like myself went to Thule solution because thats the only solution unless you decide to drill holes.
What are the concerns with drilling the holes? Will this have any bearing on the weight on the roof causing stress to the glass? I have seen comments here about it causing strss on the glass once I install the rails and put a thule cargo box on top
The cross bars are low and will context the Pano roof , if you open the Pano roof and potentially break the glass.
Isn't Thule a pinch style that doesn't need any holes?
Yes, Thule cross-bars (recommended by me) clamp to the rails with sturdy hex-bolts, no drilling. I can open my pano roof with the Thule bars in place—please see photos above for positioning.
Truth is that while I sometimes slide the cover back on gray days or in the evening, I don’t much like sunroofs and I almost never open the glass.
If I were going to use OEM cross bars I would have my Lexus dealer install them and let them be liable for any problems. Cheap insurance.
11-11-20, 10:30 PM
