Space goes quick inside when we travel, and with a second kid on the way I realized a roof rack would really be useful gain back some interior space.
I went with the Backbone for increased static load capacity, lower over all height, and maybe a bit more aero. But seriously....I think it looks more integrated/ finished.
Its worth noting that the Backbone limits your choices in rack dimensions to 84" x 49"/ 1928 x 1236mm. If you select the RCLP23 foot mounting kit, I believe you can go with a shorter rack (a 60" x 49"/ 1528 x1236mm, for example). The larger rack completely covers the sunroof, but the glass does not contact the rack in "tilt" mode.
Jonathan and Rob at Rhinorack USA were hugely helpful - always great to deal with people that get outside and use the products that they are selling.
INITIAL CONCERN - loss of satellite antenna reception and exposing "holes" in the roof (leaks)
The Lexus rails came off without a fuss. I went slow, and the three plastic caps that cover the mounting bolts popped right out. There's some YouTube videos of guys removing Prado 150 racks and its essentially the same.
As you can imagine, Lexus is quite thorough in preventing water from entering through the holes. Rhino Rack includes some little two-sided adhesive squares (with a hole in the middle) for sealing between the base of the rack and the roof of the vehicle. Seems to be a pretty sound solution, but since Lexus saw fit to add some red sealant on the bolts i went ahead and added a dab of silicone as well. Apparently you will know you have a leak if you get wet seat belts! Its sat in some pretty hard rain and seems to be holding up well (knock on wood).
Rhino Rack also includes an Allen wrench for the install, but it really should have been a ball end allen wrench for the bolts pictured below. I used my own ball-end wrench and it went on smoothly. There are three attachment points like this on each side
Heres a shot from the front of the vehicle looking directly at the leading edge of the passenger side Backbone mounting rail - pretty minimal wind resistance.
The only hiccup with the Backbone/ Platform combo is contact between the rear tip of the roof mounted satellite antenna ("shark fin") and the rear cross bar. In the picture below, taken while standing near drivers side taillight, the red arrows mark the attachment point on the Backbone, and the blue arrow shows the shark fin. When initially installed, the rear cross bar on the platform was "pushing" forward on the antenna, so i trimmed/ primed/ touch-up painted to get a smidge of clearance (picture of trimming to come).
There are an even number of slats running lengthwise on the main portion of the pioneer rack, so the Antenna can see the sky. Reception seems unchanged.
a shot from the rear of vehicle with both sides installed
Final shot from front passenger side/ Rhino Rack plaque - Much nicer than the stickers on the actual platform, which I will pull off shortly.