Will the Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack Fit a 2008 Jeep Wrangler and Allow Rear Door to Open  

Question:

Expert Reply:

I have some options for you, however, you will not be able to completely open the rear door of your 2008 Jeep Wrangler with the Thule Hitching Post Pro, # TH934XTR, installed. I have attached a video of this bike rack on a 2012 Wrangler Unlimited that shows the problem you will run into. This bike rack has an extension that sticks up about 7 inches from the top of the shank and it will interfere with most tires, even the factory sizes. Also, this bike rack does not tilt down completely, so if your tire did clear the extension, it would eventually hit the main post of the bike rack before it could completely open.

If access to the rear cargo area is important, then your best option is a spare tire mounted bike rack like the Thule Spare Me 2-Bike Rack, # TH963PRO. This bike rack mounts to the spare tire holder and does not interfere with the rear door. The downside to this is that it only has a 2 bike capacity.

If you plan on carrying 4 bikes, then we will want to look into a swinging bike rack like the Thule Apex Swing 4 Bike Carrier, # TH9027XT. When choosing a bike rack for a vehicle with a rear mounted spare tire, it is important to make sure the bike rack will clear the spare tire once it is mounted. To determine this, we will want to take one important measurement. Measure from the center of the hitch pin hole to the rear-most point of the spare tire. If this measurement is less than 7-1/4 inches, then this bike rack will fit.

I have attached a help article on how to choose a bike rack for a vehicle with a spare tire for you to check out.

expert reply by: John H

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