Roof Rack and Bike Rack Recommendations for a 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limitied

Question:

I have 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited with moon roof not a panoramic. Im looking for a Hitch mount or roof mount system that can carry at least 3 bikes. I would prefer not to use a trunk mount rack I actually already have a Yakima Super Joe, when I put all 3 bikes on that rack, it dented the trunk lid. I do not already have a receiver on the Elantra, so a receiver would need to be part of the solution as well. Ive been looking for, and would prefer a hitch mount solution, but it appears that I can only get a class 1 receiver for the Elantra, and class 1 Bike Racks are limited to 2 bikes. I would be fine adding a class 2 or 3 receiver if one were available, I will never actually tow anything with this car. I would consider a roof system if it could hold all 3 bikes, but I dont want to do both. Aslo for the roof system, Id rather not have to remove wheels to get the bikes on the rack Last but not least, the ability to lock the bikes securely, even if that is accomplished via a cable lock and the Rack it self is locked to the car. Thanks, I hope you can help me find something.

asked by: Marc E

Helpful Expert Reply:

The best way to carry bikes on a vehicle is by installing a trailer hitch and using a hitch mount bike rack. However, all of the trailer hitches for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra are Class I hitches. Class I trailer hitches are limited to carrying 2 bikes at most due to the stress involved just like you said.

The remaining option then is to install a roof rack and roof mount bike racks. If you let me know what model your Elantra is, I can tell you what roof rack will work for you.

For a compatible bike rack you can use # TH598004. You will not have to remove the front wheel using this rack. You will need 3 of them though for all 3 bikes. And most likely you will need to alternate the directions the bikes face to get them to fit because of limited width of the roof and rack. This is an acceptable practice.

You can look this rack but will need a cable lock, # e98891, to lock the racks to the roof rack. And using a wheel step, # HE4040, will make it easier to load and unload the bikes.\

expert reply by: Michael H