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Receiver hitch/bike rack experiences

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Seagull6, Oct 15, 2006.

  1. Seagull6

    Seagull6 New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2006
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    When I got my Prius during the summer I immediately installed an Coastal receiver hitch and started using my Allen 4 bike folding bike rack that I use on my Jeep Rubicon. The rack stuck out quite a bit to provide clearance for the spare tire on the Jeep and weighs about 40+ pounds which isn't a big deal hanging off the Jeep, but on the Prius with two mountain bikes it caused the receiver hitch to sag and bounce a lot to the point that I became concerned that I might damage something.

    After shopping around for a lighter unit I ordered a Swagman 3 bike carrier from Amazon.com. This unit weighs about 21 pounds and cost $99 which seemed reasonable. After using the Swagman for a week I can report that it works great with two bikes, rides nice and stable with no sag or bouncing on the EV receiver hitch. I have a security concern with the Swagman carrier because it is assembled with a few nuts and bolts that can be removed if someone wants to steal my bikes. That problem can easily be fixed with tack welds which I will do next week.

    One thing that I noticed after 250 miles of highway driving with two mountain bikes on the rack was that my gas mileage took a big hit. I have about 5200 miles on the car at 52.4 MPG (calculated) with a mixture or highway and city driving. With the bikes and rack the mileage went down to 47.6 MPG read from the MFD. The rack rides pretty low, but the seats stick up in the slipstream, so I think they may be my drag culprits. Next week I am going to run a little test with the bike seats removed to see if my gas mileage improves.

    Just thought I'd share my bike rack experiences if you are looking for one.... :D
     
    #1 Seagull6, Oct 15, 2006
  2. silentak1

    silentak1 Since 2005

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2005
    893
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    Location:
    LA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I usually have a 3-4mpg loss with the bike on my hitch @ 65mph.

    Coastaltech 2" Hitch + Yakima KingPin4 Rack
     
    #2 silentak1, Oct 15, 2006
  3. Nda3rdCar

    Nda3rdCar Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2006
    92
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    :eek: I was introduced to the Coastal Hitch by a client that had a 2" receiver on his Prius. I asked about it and he told me all about the hitch. I'm very happy with the purchase and I carefully installed it, put a $1.50 plastic plug in the receiver and it nearly becomes invisible. (U-Haul, 2" receiver plug)

    I use a Hollywood brand Team Rider bike rack. Not very light, but designed for 2" receiver and uses a locking section to securely hold the bike rack from clunking around in transit. I carry two bikes without a problem. The design of the Prius rear hatch even allows me to open the rear without tiping the bike rack (something I must do on my VW Golf with a welded/bolted hitch)

    The Coastal hitch is a bargan and it worked out great for our Prius.

    P.S. Unfortunately, the Team Rider rack is no longer produced by Hollywood Inc. They make a lighter and simpler model now. Good quality racks... I've used mine for 6 years. :D
     
    #3 Nda3rdCar, Oct 21, 2006
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