Recommended Hitch Bike Racks for Class I Hitch on 2002 Pontiac Sunfire

Question:

Hey! So I just recently had a hidden hitch installed on my Pontiac Sunfire, but ended up needing to get a hitch adapter for my Thule 990x because the rack was too short to reach the hidden hitch. I ended up going with a 1-1/4 to 2. Im using the anti wobble threaded hitch lock on the actual bike rack, but Im curious if there are any anti-wobble threaded hitch locks made that would also secure the first connection from the hitch to the adapter. Im also curious to know if Im losing any towing capacity or tongue weight when using the adapter. Is there a better option that you offer if thats the case? Im new to the hitch and towing scene, so any help with this is greatly appreciated! Thanks.

asked by: Nick H

Expert Reply:

Hitch adapters like the Brophy # HTAD are convenient for joining different sizes of hitch receiver and accessory, such as your 2-inch Thule bike rack in your 1-1/4-inch hitch. But the dark side of adapters is that they all cause you to lose 50-percent of your hitch's capacity. The loss of capacity results from the change in the geometry of the system - the adapter/extender allows much more leverage to be applied on the hitch tube.

Your car can accept only a light-duty Class I hitch rated for 200-lbs of tongue weight (TW). With that cut in half you have left only a 100-lb maximum combined weight for your bike carrier and bikes. You'll want to make sure your total load does not exceed the hitch's halved capacity. A Class I hitch can only carry 2 bikes, no matter what.

Anti-rattle hitch pins can be helpful in certain instances but in your set-up they will not be able to completely prevent the random motion of the rack and adapter. Adding that extra junction point simply means more motion from the rack. A better solution than an anti-rattle hitch pin is a stabilizing strap that can help take some of the weight/motion burden off the hitch. Curt offers their strap # 18050 for this purpose. You could also use a set of ratcheting straps like # 34413 if you have a convenient location to secure the S-hooks.

Ideally you will use a compatible Class I hitch platform rack on the car so you can avoid the adapter entirely. This will let you keep your full 200-lbs of hitch capacity. You can view 2-bike Class I platform style racks by clicking on the link provided. A highly rated choice is the Swagman XC, part # S64650.