Recommended Bike Rack That Wont Be Exposed to Vehicle Exhaust Heat  

Question:

Expert Reply:

I can't speak to the exact circumstances that happened with the customer you're referring to, but I would say that this is fluke for a few reasons. First, the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 # SH22G has a rise from the shank, so it's designed to sit roughly even with the bumper of your vehicle and not in the line of the exhaust. I would think for something like this to occur, they would have had to have left the rack installed all of the time and folded up towards the vehicle, with a hitch receiver sat fairly low and didn't allow for the rack to clear the bumper. Also, the Sherpa has metal arms and platforms, but has plastic parts on the wheel cradles, so my guess is that is what was exposed to prolonged exhaust. I would also make the assumption that they were driving heavily in stop and go traffic where the exhaust was blowing directly on the rack for an extended period of time-which might have caused damage to those plastic parts on the rack.

Overall, I would say as long as you don't leave the rack folded up towards the vehicle while driving in stop/sit/go traffic and your hitch receiver is roughly parallel with the exhaust, you shouldn't have any issues using the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 # SH22G.

If you're concerned that your receiver and exhaust might present some issues, the Hollywood Racks # HLY84FR is a great option for 2" hitches that has a significant rise in the platforms that will definitely keep the rack away from your exhaust. I'd recommend having a look at that rack, as well, so I've linked a short review video.

expert reply by: Erik B

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