I didn't weigh the hitch, but I believe it's listed as about 40-45 lbs and that sounds about right. You also remove a couple pounds of metal plates so maybe adds 35-40lbs?
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
How do you carry your bike?
- Thread starter notAnExpert
- Start date
I didn't weigh the hitch, but I believe it's listed as about 40-45 lbs and that sounds about right. You also remove a couple pounds of metal plates so maybe adds 35-40lbs?
kysrsoze
Member
Thanks for the info. I had heard it wasn't quite the right fit. Glad they revised it.
CharleyBC
Active Member
We had a similar Thule rack for our former Prius. The bike part was different from your picture, but the car mounting part looks identical. So here's my caution: We used that rack a lot--thousands of miles of hauling our bikes on various vacations. Those fat rubber pads where it rests on the paint eventually wore down the paint. Not all the way through, but the sheen was gone. And the hooks that go over the edges left marks too, even though they are rubber-coated. Functionally, it was a great way to carry the bikes.
CharleyBC
Active Member
A question for those of you who have one of the rear hitch solutions. With the bikes behind the car, I assume the rear camera's view is impaired. Does this impact any of the Autopilot functions (I mean at any level, up to FSD)? Any messages like, "Rear camera obscured. Autopilot features limited." or anything like that? And what do the ultrasonic sensors think about things with bikes on board?
Thanks for any insights!
Thanks for any insights!
Biscuitman
Member
I have the Eco hitch with a One Up US rack and the only issue is the beeping when you are in reverse.The rear camera turned on is great to do as it shows you how much your bikes are swaying, which in my set up is zero. No issue with auto pilot.
JetFalcon
Banned
If your hitch is on the back, how do you park if say you're going to the beach and have to parallel park?
Or even park a regular spot with that huge thing sticking out?
Or even park a regular spot with that huge thing sticking out?
you are still shorter than a Suburban or F150 so usually can make it work
Those with bike racks in the back, how do you supercharge? The cables are pretty short on the Superchargers. Also did tesla do the install or you went third party?
Inside the car with the larger (drivers side) rear seat split down. This allows for 2 passengers. I have to take the road bike’s seat off In addition to the front wheel and it’s a tight squeeze getting the rear wheel through the opening. I make sure to put it chain side up, and turn the handle bars so the front fork goes into the lower trunk well. When removing it, I often have to back pedal a bit to get the pedals in a position where it will slide out as the rear wheel needs to be at an angle to fit through the rear seat opening.
With a 3 bike hitch rack on I’ve been able to Supercharge at all of the 5 or 6 places I’ve tried. I’ve had to back right up to pretty much touch the sign usually centered in the rear of the stall a couple times. I could see a 4 bike rack being too long but never put one on our Tesla as I think it’s too heavy with too long a lever arm for our S’s first generation ecohitch with its narrower connector. No problems with a 2 bike rack or drive-in stalls.
I installed the hitches myself on our 3 and S - not too hard if you are reasonably handy with a good socket set. I don’t think Tesla would install them for you but a local body shop would.
The car & rack are longer, no doubt, but as previous posts have mentioned, it is still shorter than a full size pickup or large SUV. The racks themselves are expensive, and some of us have bikes that can cost thousands, so you have a lot of value sticking out behind the car. The rear backup sensors are worthless with the bikes on the rack. The camera works OK, depending on where your bike tubes sit in relation to the camera. But be extra careful when backing up. I usually back in to parking spots to ensure that the bikes aren't hanging out in a parking lot aisle. I wouldn't 'squeeze' into a tight parrallel spot. So there are some precautions one should take if transporting bikes on the back of the car. I haven't taken a long trip yet with my rack, so I can't speak to how easy or hard it is to use the Superchargers.
I have an ecohitch, and use a Yakima "Dr. Tray" rack for our bikes.
Attachments
I always got a kick out of driving with my bike on my last car. Putting the bike on the back tripled the value of the car which always makes bike people smile.
I can fit in my garage with the bike rack extended which is great for getting stuff ready the night before an early ride. I could never remove the seatposts repeatedly to transport it. I'd have to buy a torque wrench to carry around just to make sure I don't shatter a $200 carbon seat post. I'd probably still end up with the stupid thing sliding down into the frame when i'm like 40 miles from my car.
JetFalcon
Banned
Are there cheap racks? I'm just wondering if rack theft is a thing or how easy it is to steal. I hope to only bring a cheap few hundred dollar beach cruiser to the beach. Or if I did bring my dad's expensive road bike is there a way you could lock it to the rack so it make it harder to steal?
You can get some cheaper hitch mounted racks, maybe around $100 or so. There might be cheaper options, I haven't really looked.
As far as locking, the Yakima hitch has a lock that attaches to the bolt that secures the rack into the hitch. Some of the racks have integrated locks. My Yakima Holdup for example has cable locks that extend from the top of the arms over the front wheel. Those have limited use, in my case the cables are only long enough to secure the front wheel which is basically useless. I recommend just getting a cable lock and wrapping that around the rack/bike. In the end if someone wants the bike they're going to get it.
Locking hitch pins are common and lock the rack to the car. Then lock the bike to the rack with a good cable lock.
Yanquetino
Member
Exscite
Member
Thanks for the detailed description.
As you can see in my earlier post (Exscite, Jun 4, 2020) I lay my Cannondale bike (with the front wheel off) inside my Model-3 on a cardboard plane. No problem, fast and convenient.
My question is: do you have any idea for a more elegant protective layer (fold-able) to keep the back of the car clean?
Aikidoka
To increase range put the bike in the car
I used the SeaSucker rack on my BMW i3 for short trips. Pushing the bike through the air on top of the car dramatically reduced range. If I was going far I'd put it in the back. With the MY I ordered and I hope to get someday I'll use a 1 up hitch rack for shorter trips. I'm planning a 3,500 mile trip and will drive with the bike in back but bring the hitch rack when I need more space in the car. It would take me a while to fully trust the SeaSucker on the MY glass.
I haven't had a car with a roof rack in quite some time to be able to compare, but not sure if the bike behind the car is any more efficient. At least with my TT bike with deep everything, on a car as small as the 3 it's just a parachute back there sitting cross ways in the wind.
When behind our minivan there's no noticeable drag/fuel economy diff since the van basically shields it from the wind. I suspect the Y will be much the same as the 3 in the regard.
When behind our minivan there's no noticeable drag/fuel economy diff since the van basically shields it from the wind. I suspect the Y will be much the same as the 3 in the regard.
Similar threads
- Question
