Bike Carrier Recommendation for a 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid

Question:

I am looking at the TH910XT for my car , I have 2 Schwinn cruisers to put on the rack I am afraid they will be too heavy and put too much strain on the trunk lid and damage it , will this rack work for these bikes or do I need to look at a different solution . Thanks

asked by: Robert S

Expert Reply:

The Thule Passage trunk mount bike carrier # TH910XT is a fit for your 2014 Toyota Avalon but whether or not using it with your bikes can damage the vehicle is sort of up in the air. there are a lot of factors involved including the softness of the vehicle bumper/trunk, the weight of the bikes, the road conditions, and so on.

It is much less likely that the trunk lid would sustain any sort of damage but the fiberglass bumper could.

I recommend keeping the bikes off of the vehicle altogether by installing a trailer hitch, # 36540, and using a hitch mounted bike carrier such has the Swagman Trailhead, # S63360. this is the safest way to carry bikes and nothing will be touching the vehicle at all.

If you will be carrying any bikes that do not have a top frame bar that goes straight across (like a typical men's bike would) then I recommend using bike adapter bar # 64005. This will allow you to carry those bikes more level and will provide better ground clearance. I have to use these adapters and without them my wife's bike would be at a severe angle and I would not be able to load my son's bike at all. I have linked a video showing how the adapter works.