Carrying More than 2 Bikes on a 2015 Hyundai Elantra

Question:

Hello, I have been reading a bit in your website, however I still would like to have your advice on what is the hitch you recommend for a 2015 Hyundai Elantra, I plan to use it only with a bike rack, I have a Yakima Doubledown ace 4, I believe it weights roughly 29 pounds. I have also read a max of two bikes is recommended to carry in a class 1 hitch. I have also been considering a lighter bike rack like the Thule helium aero, so I can have a bit more cargo weight available. I have read the recommended hitch for the elantra to be able I carry a bike rack is the Draw Tite, mainly because a stabilizer strap is needed with the curt hitch. 1. Why is the stabilizer strap needed with the curt hitch and not with the Draw Tite? 2. Should the hitch weight be considered as part of the tongue weight or only part of the “total vehicle capacity weight”? I suppose only for the second All this said 3. What is the recommended hitch to use with a bike rack? Thank you!

asked by: Omar

Helpful Expert Reply:

Like you said the available trailer hitches for the 2015 Hyundai Elantra are all Class I hitches including # 24902. And as you mentioned Class I hitches are restricted to 2 bikes maximum. The problem is not the weight of the loaded bike rack. There are many choices for excellent 2 bike racks but you cannot go over 2.

The issue is actually how far the weight is from the hitch receiver. A third or more bikes will be too far from the receiver, no matter how much the rack weighs, and this puts too much leverage on the receiver; the result being damage to the hitch and where it attaches to the vehicle. I have personally seen this happen.

The stabilization strap for the Curt hitch is # 18050. Curt, the manufacturer of the hitch, requires it for their warranty. Draw-Tite does not have that requirement which is why the strap does not have to be used with their hitch.

The weight of the trailer hitch is not applied to the tongue weight. It would be part of the gross vehicle weight but the hitch weighs under 30 pounds.

You can use a trunk mounted bike rack like the Thule Passage # TH911XT. This rack will carry 3 bikes. If you needed to carry a 4th bike there is one option, but it is quite price. You could carry one bike on your roof with a SeaSucker Komodo Bike rack for 1-bike, part # 298-BK1910-SV.