The LFD Off Road Thread

[Phil413]

LFD Bumper Install

Hi,
Just installed the LFD bumper on a 2022 TRD Pro. Is the bottom of the fender grill suppose to sit tightly above the top of the bumper or behind it? See pic for reference.

 

[jackson17]

Hey everyone, just got my first 4runner. pretty stoked! Looking at crossbars that I can attach to the factory rails and I really like the LFDs. They look pretty versatile and can attach most anything with all the available slots and holes across the bars. Been reading this board and have come across some pretty divergent opinions. Some people love them and others have had issues. No sure if it is just dumb luck on how your bars and wind fairing are built in whether it'll cause you an issue. A few questions did come to mind that I didn't quite see answered (although possible I missed it).

1) As far as the potential to dig into the paint, what is different about the LFD wind fairing compared to roof racks like the prinsu? I don't feel like I've seen as many people complain about a prinsu rack digging into the roof but when I see builds, it certainly looks like the fairing on the front of the prinsu is clearly resting on the roof. Is there something about the LFD fairing that digs into the roof moreso than other setups whether they be crossbar wind fairings or roof racks?

2) I am a little worried about the fairing digging into the roof and was thinking of just getting the crossbars. Definitely appears that there is some wind noise without the fairing. While there will always be noise when you have things attached to the bars, can you not just slide the bars farther back when not in use? Does that help with the noise? And what about other tricks like wrapping paracord around the bars? Has anyone tried that?

 

[91foxbody]

Get the fairing, you'll hate the bars without it. No issues with rubbing on my fairing purchased in spring of '21, but the supplied weather stripping did sit directly on the paint.

 

[Finslayer83]

 

[Humble Leader]

Has lfd fixed the fairing contact issue with the roof ? Seen some post about paint wearing off. Even with rubber on the bottom vibration will wear it down and impact the paint. It doesn’t take much vibration in fact it might not be noticeable. You could put some xpel ppf down but that too will wear eventually. Dust and dirt trapped up there is also a concern

I have two crossbars coming and I put off ordering the fairing for this reason. I know the bars are noisy with no fairing but mine will be loaded with 2 pelican cases at all times. They will extend the length of the side rails and will run right to the top of the fairing and cover most of the crossbar width. There’s probably enough disruption of air flow on the roof to help cut down noise. I have them mounted on my thule crossbars with little noise. I’d still like the fairing but am still unsure about direct contact with the roof. anyone know if the current one piece fairings still contact the roof ?

 

[Polyguy79]

Put a piece of 3m paint protection film across your roof where the wind fairing will be. That will eliminate any potential contact issues with the roof.

 

[Humble Leader]

Put a piece of 3m paint protection film across your roof where the wind fairing will be. That will eliminate any potential contact issues with the roof.

have you done this? my concern here would be vibration will still wear on the components. likely the rubber piece first, then it would be metal on the ppf and will wear the ppf down to the roof

has anyone done this with long term success?

 

[Polyguy79]

have you done this? my concern here would be vibration will still wear on the components. likely the rubber piece first, then it would be metal on the ppf and will wear the ppf down to the roof

has anyone done this with long term success?

Yes I have done this and no issues at all. Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to simply replace the film every few years. The 3m film is very tough. The fairing (really the rubber piece) doesn’t touch the roof with much force, so there really isn’t enough motion or force to wear down the 3m film to the roof. Just make sure to check that your fairing is bolted tightly every few months, which you should be doing anyways, and you will be fine going this route.

 

[Humble Leader]

Yes I have done this and no issues at all. Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to simply replace the film every few years. The 3m film is very tough. The fairing (really the rubber piece) doesn’t touch the roof with much force, so there really isn’t enough motion or force to wear down the 3m film to the roof. Just make sure to check that your fairing is bolted tightly every few months, which you should be doing anyways, and you will be fine going this route.

ok thanks. so it seems maybe light pressure from the rubber is what to expect vs. the fairing 'resting' on the roof. I do have some XPEL that I can get so that should work fine. my boxes will actually sit just ahead of the fairing so I might not actually need it which is also why I didn't buy it. going to test first without it and see how it is

 

[Polyguy79]

ok thanks. so it seems maybe light pressure from the rubber is what to expect vs. the fairing 'resting' on the roof. I do have some XPEL that I can get so that should work fine. my boxes will actually sit just ahead of the fairing so I might not actually need it which is also why I didn't buy it. going to test first without it and see how it is

That is the case for me. If I didn’t have the rubber piece installed, the fairing would not touch. But it would be super close and I just didn’t want to take the chance of it contacting the roof in case it a mounting screws got just a little loose or if any added weight to the fairing crossbar depressed the crossbar onto contacting the roof. Good luck and let us know your results once you test it out!!

 

[Finslayer83]

Windrock with the LFD crew this weekend.

 

[007Tacoma]

Windrock with the LFD crew this weekend.

I can't wait till I can make it out there for one of these meets.

 

[Finslayer83]

 

[Dr_Egon4r]

I’m about to buy 2 wide SS bars and an integrated wind fairing SS bar. I’m thinking I might get a 3rd wide bar for more support (and not gonna lie, for aesthetic reasons).

Does anyone have this set up? I searched and couldn’t find any photos or info.

 

[01foreman400]

I recently bought stainless crossbars to put on my factory rails. Like others have mentioned I was also worried about the wind fairing rubbing my paint. After doing some research and looking at pictures I noticed that the bolt on wind fairing didn’t touch any of the roofs in any of the pictures I saw. There was always a slight gap in every picture I could find. I ordered the bolt on wind fairing and the fit was perfect. No rubber weather stripping needed and enough of a gap (but not too much) to where I didn’t have to worry. The bolt on wind fairing is $49.99. Loving the setup and highly recommend.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mkscrewy]

checking this thread to see if anyone has mounted lights on the sides of their LFD rack. the shape (i.e. not flat) side rails make it seem a little tricky. I fish a lot at night and could benefit from a side utility light.

 

[sactown]

Recently added the stainless full rack to my 5th gen and so far so good. There was something slightly askew when putting on the front support feet, I should have double checked that before tightening everything down. Instead of loosening it up and trying to shift things, I made some spacers from some scrap bar stainless and it solved the issue. No noticeable wind noise until I was going over 80. Sealed the mounting points with GE 100% supreme silicon from the big box store and after a few rains there are no leaks, hope it stays that way.

As an added touch I went ahead and had paint protection film put on the roof prior to install so I don’t have to obsess about a dirty roof.

Also painted the bolt heads for a cleaner look, YMMV. The close up of the mount uses my own bolts since the spacers required something longer than was provided.

Now I’ve got a foundation to build on, thanks for a quality product and great packaging that kept everything safe in shipping.

 

[sactown]

checking this thread to see if anyone has mounted lights on the sides of their LFD rack. the shape (i.e. not flat) side rails make it seem a little tricky. I fish a lot at night and could benefit from a side utility light.

I don’t know their entire product line but here’s a pic of the side rail of my 5th gen full rack showing part of the side rail is flat

 

[007Tacoma]

checking this thread to see if anyone has mounted lights on the sides of their LFD rack. the shape (i.e. not flat) side rails make it seem a little tricky. I fish a lot at night and could benefit from a side utility light.

I have mounted lights on the side a few times with success. I was not using them much. So, mine got relocated.

 

[LFD_Off_Road]

checking this thread to see if anyone has mounted lights on the sides of their LFD rack. the shape (i.e. not flat) side rails make it seem a little tricky. I fish a lot at night and could benefit from a side utility light.

We've got some bolt on handle/light mounts that just came back from paint a few days ago... working on photos as soon as the truck with them installed comes back from vacation this week :wink2:

ETA photo!