Trunk Mounted Roof Rack Recommendation for a 2008 Nissan Versa

Question:

Hi, I am considering getting the SportRack roof-mount SR1002 or a trunck mounted bike carrier. I have a 2008 Nissan Versa Hatchback 5-door. I know the roof-top and the trunk mount are very different set-ups. I have been given a lot of opinions but frankly they seem to all be of two sorts: 1 buy what I did or 2 just get what you want. I intend to transport my bike to/from another area about an hour each way on the freeway several times per month and occasionally bring my bike along on longer trips that require me to stop and eat, use the restroom, etc potentially be away from my car for at least a ferw minutes and take me on basically smooth highways with a lot of curves, changes in speeds, and occasional rough patches nothing crazy, its a Versa after all. A buddy is willing to give me a Thule bike mount if I get the roof-top set-up his is the remove the front tire and fits his Thule roof rack with squared cross bars. If I go with the trunk mount, several reviews out there like the racks that are more expensive than the roof mount from SportRack and several reviews describe problems with straps, ratcheting system failure, and denting/chipping the car. Any suggestions, advice, etc is appreciated.

asked by: Phil E

Helpful Expert Reply:

Between a trunk mounted bike rack and a roof rack mounted bike rack I believe you will be best served with a trunk mounted option. Anytime you mount anything on your roof you end up with additional road noise and less gas mileage. Since you plan on going on several pretty long trips a month I think you would rather not take the hit in gas mileage and not have to deal with the noise of the rack.

Also with roof mounted accessories you have to worry about height clearance.

For a trunk mounted bike rack I would recommend you go with a Thule OutWay 2 Bike Carrier # TH45JV. This rack has wide contact points to will spread the weight of the bikes and rack so that it does damage your trunk lid. This rack also uses rubber coated straps and comes with rack and bike locks to deter theft.

This is one of our best selling trunk racks we offer because of how well it works and because of how easy it is to setup. Check out the review video I attached also.

If you plan on carrying any women's or alternative framed bikes without horizontal top tubes you may also be interested in purchasing a Thule Bike Adapter Bar # TH982XT to provide a horizontal top tube on your bikes to provide an attachment point. I attached a review video for this product also. This will allow the bikes to be carried more level and will provide more ground clearance.

expert reply by: Jameson C