Hitch & Bike Rack Recommendations for 2017 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen

Question:

Hi there, Bought a 2inch receiver hitch last year for our 2013 Tiguan. Now looking for a hitch for our 2017 Golf Sportwagen Alltrack and was wondering if you may one day offer one with a 2inch receiver? We are looking at a bike rack that fits 2inch receivers only. Thanks!

asked by: Rob G

Expert Reply:

Hitch makers like Curt and Draw-Tite engineer hitches for vehicles based on their frame and drivetrain capacities. On some smaller and lighter vehicles this can mean that only a 1-1/4-inch light-duty Class I hitch might be offered.

At this time we do have only Class I hitch fits, parts # 24949 and # C11422, and it is unlikely that a 2-inch hitch will ever be offered for the car.

There are hitch adapters like # HTAD that allow a 2-inch bike rack to be installed in a 1-1/4-inch Class I hitch BUT all such adapters cause a loss of half the hitch's rated capacity, since they cause the actual load to be further from the hitch tube. This greater distance between the load and hitch means more stress on the hitch tube and that is what causes the loss of capacity.

Since a Class I hitch is rated for 200-lbs of tongue weight (TW is downward force) if you use an adapter you instantly have only a 100-lb-rated hitch. This can be enough for certain applications where the specific rack and bikes do not weigh too much, but even then you can carry only 2 bikes, no more, regardless of their weight.

Your best route is to select a hitch bike rack that fits BOTH hitch sizes. A great cost-effective option from Thule is their Hitching Post Pro Folding Tilting 4 Bike Rack # TH934XTR which is shown in the linked video. This and other options are shown on the linked page.