The E cleared a 6 ft 8 in parking garage height restriction today. Has an OEM rack with a Loadwarrior mounted. Prior to this I had never tried anything under 7 ft.

This parking garage had dangling chains at the entrance for testing heights and I figured it was as good as any. Once I passed the chains I was still skeptical and kept ducking everytime I went under a low overhead beam! Those things never look so close until you drive along looking UP at them LOL! Silly me. Anyway, looks like we might even have 1 or 2 inches left to spare.

That's good to know. I haven't yet braved my office garage with the Loadwarrior on.

Am going camping in three weeks so am going to have to get the thing on the E and give it a go.

It's kinda like doing the limbo--how low can we go??? Now my interest is piqued for my office building parking garage. I think it is 6 ft 7" or 6'6". Unfortunately, the E won't bend backwards if we get too low.

Would anyone happen to know the same height restriction when the loadwarrior is mounted to a Yakima rack as opposed to the OEM factory rack? Would it be higher, lower or the same as the loadwarrior mounted to the factory rack?

I'm trying to decide what to do. My E does not have any roof rack at this time.

I think the Yakima rack sits a little higher than the OEM rack but I am just going from appearances. The towers seem to be a little taller.

Today I put the Loadwarrior on the E (PITA!)

Then took it to my office garage (it's Sunday) on because I knew it would be tight and didn't want to hold up anyone on a weekday. Took a tape measure with me.

I hit the test bar that hangs from chains. Pressed on anyway.

Cleared the pipe that concerned me most by 3" -- that's the floor I park on most of the time. Then I crawled down through the lower levels. Tighter clearances down there. The tightest I measured was 1.25" clearance.

I have the Honda rack. The Loadwarrior adds 7" and I measured the E + Loadwarrior at 81" (6' 9"). Of course, I could be off a little on the measurements.

The building is 35 years old. I hope it doesn't settle any further. And I won't be getting any taller tires or rims.

hiker chick,

Nice Work on the testing and measurements. With my setup the same as yours, I was using 6'8" as my limit, but will now use the more conservative 9" you came up with. The mall near my home is littered with cargo box debris on one low passage area the the Suburbans & Tahoes can't quite squeeze through.

I couldn't be happier with the LoadWarrior/OEM rack setup...Looks great, and functions VERY well. :)

Hiker Chick--

So what is the posted clearance height at your parking garage? The one my E cleared said 6'8" and had chains for a test bar. The chains never hit the load warrior.

I have now driven my E entirely through that particular garage, incl some low overhead beams that scared me (went very, very slow), but still nothing hit.

There is nothing posted. The entrance is very high and apparently they think that warning bar is enough.

The up-ramps from the lower levels are the most dicey and there are plenty of marks where people have been hitting. If I cut some of those corners too early I will hit the ceiling.

If I get stuck I warned my collegues they'd have to come down and pile in the E to free it.

To get in my 501s I need to eat less but to get in my garage I need to eat more.