Just installed for my summer camping trip to Northern Canada
Front runner slimline II great product, decent instructions about 4 hours of assembly.

 

I prefer the factory rack but looks good

 

Interested to hear how loud it is on the highway. Been looking for a rack but since I also commute daily on the highway, don't want one that's too loud or whistly.

I already have the Front-Runner ladder. I did notice that it's already got some small spots of rust after only 6 months on the truck, so that worries me a bit.

 

It sounds like your sunroof is slightly open, so I would say tolerable. Considerably less noise than a SD rack on a D2 but that could also be compounded by the fact that a D2 is a lot noisier.

 

Interesting - is that the 'standard' mounting? I admit I haven't paid much attention to them since I use an Urban Offroad rack, but it seems the other FrontRunner racks I've seen were lower to the roofline (?).

As for rust, I too have their ladder on my rig and have no issues with it. But I'm in California, not the rust(east) coast so even bare steel is slow to rust here.

 

That's the "standard" mount for the newer Slimline II racks on the LR3. They used to show the older mount on the Front Runner USA website, but you could see the newer mount on the South African website. Now, it looks like they're offering the newer mount over here.

I must admit, I wanted to get the newer mount and I tried when I purchased my rack years ago. However, I think I like the older style better now. Maybe it's just because I've gotten used to it.

Regardless, both mounts put the rack at the same height according to Front Runner.

EDIT: The more I look at that, the more it DOES look higher. When I spoke with Steve before purchasing my rack, I'm pretty certain he told me that they were both 4" from the top of the roof rack down to the top of the vehicle (obviously more at the front...)

As far as the FR ladder, I too have a fair amount of rust around all my welds. It's pretty disappointing considering how much I like all the rest of their equipment. I've been thinking about giving them a call, but it might just be easier to try to fix it myself considering I recently invested in an HVLP sprayer.

 

So here are the deets... From the top of the edge of the rack to the roof (at the back of the vehicle) the distance is 5", if you were measuring from the bed of the rack it would be 4".

 

I do a lot of highway driving too, the noise level is noticeable with no radio, heater/AC blowing but when I turn other background noise on it does not bother me. THree screaming kids and a chattering wife help ;0

I would say it is louder than I had hoped, but honestly not that bad, the kind of noise you would get used to pretty quickly (like the SR was slightly open) the advantages of it far outweigh the disadvantages, as for the ladder time will tell for rust, I live in North East Maritimes, lots of salt air and moisture, salty roads in winter it will be a good test!

 

I found the FR rack to be excessively noisy (whistle) above 35 MPH so I built an air dam and no more issues. Love the rack and ladder. No rust issues at all, three months in central CO.