Hitch and Bike Rack for E-Bikes on 2013 Hyundai Sonata

Question:

Greetings.... I own a 2013 Hyundai Sonata four-door and I would like to attach a hitch that can carry two e-bikes, each at 75 lb which would make the total weight 150 lb plus the weight of the hitch which I assume is approximately 60 or 70 lb. That would bring the total weight of the entire set up to over 200 lb, if I am not mistaken. My question is can I use a 2 inch hitch or 1 and 1/4 in and my next question is can my vehicle handle 200+ lb weight on its back. All I see for the most part is SUVs and trucks that carry these type of hitch. Am I going over my head by considering installing one of these. Would appreciate your opinion. Thank you in advance

asked by: Elliot

Expert Reply:

The hitch won't play a role in your tongue weight, but the bike rack will. The only hitches available for your 2013 Sonata are Class I with the 1-1/4" receiver like the Curt # C11025. The # C13315 you were looking at is designed for a Mazda CX-5.

You could use this hitch with the Thule Epos # TH99XE but you're going to have to pull a battery off one of the bikes. This has the highest capacity for a 1-1/4" Class I rack at 75 lbs for 1 bike and 140 lbs for 2 bikes. The weight of the carrier is 38 lbs so that would keep you under the tongue weight of the hitch. This can also be used with the Extra-Long Loading Ramp # TH933402 to make loading the heavy e-bikes easier.

The one thing you will have to find out is can the car handle it since this will be your real limitation. I didn't find anything on the tongue weight in the owner's manual and information varies elsewhere online so I would contact the dealer for a definitive answer.

expert reply by: Robin H

Elliot

4/22/2024

Thanks Robin for the very helpful information. I'm definitely going to check regarding this and do a bit more research. I also wanted to ask you about securing the actual bike rack while it's attached to the receiver. I'm not sure if you have the answer for my question but anything that will work to secure the actual rack. Thank you again Robin

Robin H.

4/22/2024

@Elliot it actually has a lock built in. The lock on the lever secures the rack to your vehicle. The lever can't be pulled out when locked, so a would-be thief can't operate it to remove the rack from your hitch.