I've been reading some very old posts about a trailer hitch for the sedan. I have recently become addicted to mountain biking and I need a way to transport my bikes. Has anyone actually installed the hitch that is currently available from hitchesonline.com? If so, would you please post a pic or three so I can get an idea of how it looks on your ride? If so, can you tell me how the intall went? How has it worked for you?

Here (I hope) is the information from the website:

Thanks everyone!

 

how many bikes do u have? i go mountain biking every weekend and i just put my dual suspension in the trunk with the front wheel off. fits nice and snug. they also have bike racks that strap on to ur trunk and can easily hold 2 bikes...

 

Usually have two bikes to deal with. I looked at the "strap on" type of bike racks (that sounds wrong) but they look like they would be a pain in the butt and possibly damage the paint where the feet rest on the car.

I think the hitch type of bike rack will be my preference over the roof rack or strap on (still sounds wrong) but I would like to see if anyone has actually mounted this Curt hitch before I buy it.

 

careful, i've heard from friends in colorado who mountain bike all the time that those hitch mounts kinda suck. The roof racks are actually way better

 

I have the hitch you are considering... it has been fantastic. Unlike the coupe version, this hitch connects to both the impact absorber in the bumper and the trunk, giving it additional stability. With the coupe version I wouldn't put more than one bike on it...

I've had it for about a year and no problems whatsoever.

I've attached some pics for your viewing pleasure:

 

I got this one from e-trailer. It's branded Da'Lan but I think they're all about the same. Got free shipping by getting the bike rack from them too:
http://www.etrailer.com/productdetai...arfrom=2006&h=

Here it is on the car:

(Not my bike...just a test ride) - I bought a Scott Spark instead though.

With the old Zaskar LE:


It took me about 2 hours or so and I had the worst time trying to get the wire holding the bolts through the bumper support beam. Also got a lot of hot aluminum shavings in the eyes despite wearing goggles.

Since lowering the car, the rack hits the ground a lot more and I've actually hit the ground w/ the hitch itself backing out of the driveway. My housemate's TL has the same problem and he's not lowered.

I run it w/ a Thule Parkway 4 Bike. I've been considering getting a 2 bike tray style since my new bike is all carbon. That said, the Thule's been perfectly stable at highway speeds and significantly better than my housemate's 2 bike Yakima which dropped his tricked out S-Works Epic on the freeway and massively dented his trunk in the process.

 

mishap & bythabay,

Many thanks for the feed back and the photos. My G is Diamond Graphite and the hitch seems pretty discreet on bythabay's. Very discreet on black I must say.

I think I can handle the install but since I am not the most patient person, I may just pay someone to do it for me. Especially if it avoids hot aluminium shavings in the eye (ouch dude!)

If you guys are ever in NC, let me know. We'll ride!

 

yeah, I went to a hitch shop where they had experience installing on G35s. It was easy for them. By the way, I'm not sure what other options are available for our Gs, but I was skimming through the owner's manual last night and it says if we install a hitch that we shouldn't connect it to the shock absorber in the rear... I think that's the only way to have it hooked up.

 

"if we install a hitch that we shouldn't connect it to the shock absorber in the rear"

Guess I better do the same owner manual review. Good catch and thanks again...