installing a hitch and bike rack questions?

I put the Curt on my 2008 without any issues. Nice hitch. Bolt-on installation, took me about 45 minutes. There's a small amount of underbody fascia trimming involved, but it's just a bit of plastic trimming, nothing major, just a sharp knife needed. You'll need a torque wrench for the installation, and likely a long-handled socket for the removal of the hold-down hooks which the Curt replaces, as they're torqued down tightly.

You might check out the Saris Thelma rack; have been happy with mine.

 

Every major mfg makes a 1-1/4" receiver rack. Ten years ago it wasn't the case, but now they're as popular (if not more) than the 1" ones. I'm surprised you are having trouble. Thule, Yakima, Saris. They all have several options, and it is all I have used for many years. I currently use the Saris Thelma as seen here.

Saris Thelma


And before that, I used the Yakima here:
Yakima Roc4 Prius

There are TONS of 1-1/4 racks out there these days!

 

Don't know anything about it, but I know Coastal Tech sells a 2" version

Receiver Hitch

 

Avoid Coastal's Hitch, it's flawed in design
Something I posted before about the other choices.....
Curt is nice, but the heavier of the 3.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/52053-drawtite-hitch-warning.html#post688404

 

I also had just installed my bike rack a month ago made by Curt (1¼ inch). As mentioned previously, it is a straight bolt-on job. You just have to trim a little bit of plastic underneath to be able to bolt the driver side. Remember to apply red loctite on the bolts...I never used a torque wrench...just made it nice and tight.

For a bike rack, I recommend the Yakima and can carry up to four bikes without touching the car. Have fun shopping.

 

I just received y 2008 and istalled the Curt that I ordered weeks before. As mentioned in this thread, I had to bang one of the sides as it bent in shipping, but no major deal.
I bought the Thule Ridgeline rack. It has and adaptor your remove with one screw to convert it from 2" to 1 1/4". What I love about this rack, is that it is made for four bikes, but I will never have more than two, but I can place the bike further appart than if I had the two bike carrier. This one also comes with a lock for the rack to the hitch, and an integrated wire lock in the arms of the rack for the bikes! It is very expensive at $349.00, but it has so many features (it easily folds down when not in use, and easily collapses at the bottom to load big stuff in the trunk, and has enough room to allow full trunk access without having to collapse it). Well worth it!

 

+1,000

Just get the Curt hitch. I have it, and it's a stud. Read the reviews of all the problems with the Coastal unit, and your decision will be an easy one.

I run a 2 bike rack on my hitch and it works very well. Get one that angles up a bit to get the bikes/rack off the ground as high as you can. This will reduce hitting the rack/bike in steep road transitions such as driveways. The Prius's rear wheels are very close to the back of the car. This helps greatly (relative to other cars) in terms of this.

... Brad

 

Consider a bumper/hatch mounted rack. I use one from Thule and have been satisfied. Get the three bike version as the two bike one is small for two bikes.

 

I've had my Curt hitch for the past year and I love it. Before that I used a strap-mounted trunk rack, and I didn't like it at all-- They hold the bikes closer to the car and I've gotten scratches from that in the past.

My hitch-mounted bike rack on the Curt holds the bike further from the car so you don't get dings and scratches from the bike, and you can open the hatch with the rack still mounted.

My baby: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/38000-finally-got-my-curt-hitch.html

 

Hey guys, sorry to hijack this thread. I recently installed the curt hitch and bought a thule T2 rack for my prius. Problem is that I noticed that when the rack is installed somehow the fit between the rack and the hitch is not as tight as what i hoped it would be. The end result is that if the road is uneven my rack tend to bounce around. I tried "filling" the gap by stuffing paper into it but it doesn't seem to solve the problem. I wasjust wondering if you guys just live with the problem or did i do something wrong. Also, which tool do you guys use to fasten your rack to your reciever hitch? I noiced that the clearance between the reciever and the bumper seems a litle tight for the curt hitch. Sorry if my question sounds real basic. I am new to this hitch and rack thingy. I used to use the trunk mounted bike carrier and was never happy with that solution.

 

Hi Idor,

That bolt-tightening tool I saw in the manual for your Thule T2 looks like a pretty wimpy little thing, and it looks like a complete PITA to use (you have to take the tool off the hex head and reposition every time you turn the bolt).

Maybe you want to use a socket wrench with ratcheting action instead. That's what I use to tighten the bolt that holds my bike rack to my Curt hitch (photos at the link on my previous post in this thread), and it's on very secure.

I will see my rack and bike shake in my rearview mirror when I hit bumps (less than half an inch of movement from the weak rack, which I will be replacing soon), but definitely no bounces bigger than that.