How do I get ready for ski season?

[madtownrover]

Hey Madtown- do you have the Yakima with the fairing? How bad is the wind noise without it? I just installed a new Yakima system on my LR3 (I've been a Yakima fan for years) and the new (to me) "landing pad"/"control tower" set up is sweet since you can easily remove the crossbars when they are not needed. I wonder how the fairing would interfere with the 2nd row sunroof- appears to me it would significantly obstruct any view? I guess I'll have to check out the wind noise and see if it bothers me enough to attach a fairing.

Wind noise is NASTY without the fairing. Those round bars howl like hell.

The new fairings are smaller and almost imperceptible from the second row seats. Very effective at eliminating the wind noise. Make sure you move the crossbars back an inch or so so the sunroof clears when you open it. As you know, the bars just snap off the landing pads if you need them off for the car wash, etc.

Best rack system on the market, hands down.

 

[MToomey]

SGIRL - When it comes time to hit the slopes, you'll probably find your vehicle nasty and dirty anyways. Stepping on the rear bumper will not get your LR3 any dirtier than it probably already will be. Good luck and don't slip.

 

[toddjb123]

The new fairings are smaller and almost imperceptible from the second row seats. Very effective at eliminating the wind noise. Make sure you move the crossbars back an inch or so so the sunroof clears when you open it. As you know, the bars just snap off the landing pads if you need them off for the car wash, etc.

Best rack system on the market, hands down.

If possible, post a picture of the installed rack (and snap off landing pads w/o rack). Be nice to picture on the LR3.

Probably the main reason I don't use a rack is the pain of getting it on and off the vehicle with my old Yakima system. That and road salt on the base of my boards...

 

[Roverine]

I'd love to post pictures, but I'm not authorized to post attachments and I've had no response to an email to the board admin about why.

 

[sierragirl]

Thanks, guys, for all the great tips. What a ski and surf culture out there! I never knew that so many of my "type" (hope that doesn't sound snotty) are LR3 drivers. Most of my friends think the Forrester or the xTerra is the ultimate outdoor car, but my LR3 gives me a thrill every time I get in it. My bike is still nesting in the back and looks at me with puppy dog eyes every time I drive off to work. It's time to play hookey and do some biking!

Um, I think that you guys must have a serious height advantage over me when you step on the back tire. I do it and I feel like im about to fall off. There's not much to hold onto! I'm going with the suggestion that I bag my boards and throw them in back. My dog won't be happy, but that'll get me up and back until I figure out the whole roof access thing....maybe the running boards are the way to go, but they look so girlish I think I'll wait.

 

[toddjb123]

I'd love to post pictures, but I'm not authorized to post attachments and I've had no response to an email to the board admin about why.

Post your pics on "www.tinypic.com"
Its fast, free, and they give you the links to cut and paste here.

 

[toddjb123]

...

Um, I think that you guys must have a serious height advantage over me when you step on the back tire. I do it and I feel like im about to fall off. There's not much to hold onto! ...

I step up on my tires and then hold onto my roof rack to balance myself.

I was not a big fan of running boards either, but I like the side step tubes. So, I had those installed as discussed here in an earlier post (w/ pics I think). They look nice, but don't actually offer much function to my big feet. Maybe with your little tiny feet you'd get some grab on the bars and they'd help you out. (the bars are very close to the bottom of the vehicle, for ground clearance reasons I think, so you can't fit a full foot on top of it).

-todd

 

[Roverine]

Thanks for the link, Todd. I'll try to post pics of my Yakima system tomorrow- if I get my truck back from fixing the water leak.

 

[sierragirl]

Todd, I looked up your old message about the side tubes and saw the picture you posted. They look cool on your car! But I don't think they'll help because I STILL won't be able to reach up to the roof. (Even if my "tiny" feet can hold on...and btw they're not so tiny that I can't do a respectable kick in my swim event!) A colleague of mine has the new xTerra with the step built into the back bumper. I think thats such a smart idea. Every suv should copy it, including land rover. But I still wouldn't trade cars for a million bucks. I like my LR3 way too much!!! I've named her Butch since she's the most masculine girls car ever.

 

[LR3_WA]

TRS in Snow mode does NOT work on hill ?

Id start by learning how the TRS works. And what settings do what. Understanding why its good to have the ABS OFF in snow and sand and mud, but ON while on dry or wet hard surface.

Has anyone ran into the issue of having the TRS in SNOW mode and the wheels just keep rotating down a snow hill ?

I put my 2005 LR3 in TRS SNOW and gear Low and went down a hill with a little slushy snow 1/2" and the truck kept straight, though it would NOT STOP !

I called the dealer and they told me to keep in NORM or DESERT.

Is it that SNOW mode doesn't turn off the ABS and it would better stop the tires from rotating if NORM did ?