bike rack for Toyota corolla

[lizzie]

Hello, I have 2 new momentum vida e-bikes and I need a rack for my Toyota corolla. I have a 1 1/4 in hitch that will be installed by u-haul and a suggestion from my LBS to get Thule t2 pro xtr. it is 799 lol but also the shop owner is concerned about it being on a corolla and how low to the ground it will be. does anyone have suggestions for a bike rack preferably minimal lifting involved but safe for bikes and rack? thank you.

 

[tomjasz]

Hello, I have 2 new momentum vida e-bikes and I need a rack for my Toyota corolla. I have a 1 1/4 in hitch that will be installed by u-haul and a suggestion from my LBS to get Thule t2 pro xtr. it is 799 lol but also the shop owner is concerned about it being on a corolla and how low to the ground it will be. does anyone have suggestions for a bike rack preferably minimal lifting involved but safe for bikes and rack? thank you.

not enough tongue weight to be a problem. I've done it. review available racks. That sem CRAZY high! Search the model brand and year with "trailer hitch".

What year is your Corolla?

 

[lizzie]

not enough tongue weight to be a problem. I've done it. review available racks. That sem CRAZY high! Search the model brand and year with "trailer hitch".

What year is your Corolla?

2009 corolla. I've been searching on you tube and google and I see other recs for this one at same retail price. even with that said, it is still only 11 inches off the ground which is I guess what LBS owner was concerned about. with the upturned shaft, it lifts the bikes a bit but seems I am restricted due to the corolla and the smaller hitch. im not very strong and the bikes are heavy so I cant consider roof top holders. it does seem I am limited to this one so far. also 328 price from u-haul for the hitch/install. it is surreal.

 

[lizzie]

not enough tongue weight to be a problem. I've done it. review available racks. That sem CRAZY high! Search the model brand and year with "trailer hitch".

What year is your Corolla?

also I don't understand what you mean by tongue weight. my bike is 40 lbs. apparently. no manual, no specs about weight on this year. only the lbs telling me 40 lbs and finding another hit on that on google although the 2021 is 50 lbs, but bigger motor apparently. no manual. WTF

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Your Corolla, and any car or truck, has a limit on how much weight you can put on the hitch. Usually you put a trailer tongue on a trailer hitch, so the weight you can put on your hitch is usually called tongue weight. It should be listed in your owner's manual or you can Google it. Guessing, it might be 250 pounds. Rounding most things up, your hitch is 50 pounds, 2 bikes at 50 each, and the rack itself at 50 pounds and you have 50 to spare.

You can spend some money getting started with bikes! Thule makes great products, but there are many other bike racks out there. Check out ETrailer.com,, Amazon, or just google around.

Eleven inches might be okay. How high (low) is your rear bumper?

Get ready to spend more on helmets, lights, saddles, bags, locks and chains...!

TT

 

[Deacon Blues]

Personally, I'd recommend going with a hitch that has a 2" receiver (class 3 hitch)
Read this before you buy: https://www.etrailer.com/question-77324.html

 

[lizzie]

Personally, I'd recommend going with a hitch that has a 2" receiver (class 3 hitch)
Read this before you buy: https://www.etrailer.com/question-77324.html

that is incompatible with a corolla, I am limited to the smaller hitch. that's why I am making a post about the corolla specifically but thanks

 

[lizzie]

Your Corolla, and any car or truck, has a limit on how much weight you can put on the hitch. Usually you put a trailer tongue on a trailer hitch, so the weight you can put on your hitch is usually called tongue weight. It should be listed in your owner's manual or you can Google it. Guessing, it might be 250 pounds. Rounding most things up, your hitch is 50 pounds, 2 bikes at 50 each, and the rack itself at 50 pounds and you have 50 to spare.

You can spend some money getting started with bikes! Thule makes great products, but there are many other bike racks out there. Check out ETrailer.com,, Amazon, or just google around.

Eleven inches might be okay. How high (low) is your rear bumper?

Get ready to spend more on helmets, lights, saddles, bags, locks and chains...!

TT

with a hitch a corolla can pull a trailer or 1500 lbs the bikes would def not be an issue. im worried about the bikes being too low or the rack being too low to the ground for bumps or other driving issues. my bumper is just one 13 inches from the ground.

yup now I need to get a heavier duty lock and def racks! I have regular bikes but in an apt in NYC so I need to buy doubles on everything. I've owned 3 racks before, always a struggle, but they hung off top of trunk and id lift the bikes and put them on poles. I didnt even think about e-bikes needing diff racks. bummer but a positive is I will be lifting them far less of a height and maybe a ramp even. im getting used to the idea of all this spending but it is a great high and life is short. its h healthy too

 

[tomjasz]

I had the same hitches on 4 years of Camry and two Corolla. don't fly over speed bumps and you're good to go. Two eBikes and you're close to the 200lb tongue weight rating.

 

[lizzie]

So do you mean the Thule quoted in my original post? Is that the one you have/had?? Tysm

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I'm seeing 2000 lb towing capacity, but if you're pulling a trailer not all of that weight is on your bumper, of course. Tongue weight is usually 1 tenth of towing capacity and that's what my google search indicates it is for your car. 200 lbs. So your hitch, bike rack, and bikes should weigh no more than 200 lbs. So you may be cutting it close. In the real world, tongue weights are kind of like speed limits. You can exceed them at your own risk.

TT

 

[tomjasz]

So do you mean the Thule quoted in my original post? Is that the one you have/had?? Tysm

Yes, an older T2. It sits as Ms hasn't put a hitch on the rav4

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Personally, I'd recommend going with a hitch that has a 2" receiver (class 3 hitch)
Read this before you buy: https://www.etrailer.com/question-77324.html

The Corolla has it's own tongue weight limit that are completely unrelated to what size hitch you put on it. For the Corolla, that's apparently 200 pounds. Putting a Class 3 or Class 5 hitch on it won't up that by an ounce. In fact, it would lower it, because the the weight of the hitch is included in that 200 lb limit.

For example, if you put one of these on the back of a Corollla, it would lift the front wheels off the pavement and do nothing to help carry heavier bikes.

TT

 

[lizzie]

I just ordered a curt from e-trailer 11265. I skipped the uhaul install as I think when I get my car inspected, the mechanic will be much more reasonable than uhaul. I am about to pull the trigger on a Thule xtr pro from rack warehouse that is a rebox saving 150. before I do, is there a type of rack that comes with a ramp or is there a ramp that is compatible with a particular bike rack? thank you!

 

[PCeBiker]

I've got a pretty sturdy rack on my ebike, but I doubt that it could support a Corolla.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Take a look at this thread. Loading your bike may not be as much trouble as you think.
Loading heavy bikes If you're regularly loading two bikes though, it might be a little tricky mounting the one closer to the car.

TT

 

[lizzie]

very helpful. Thank you!!!

 

[ruffruff]

take a look at 1up racks...

 

[Rexlion]

Have you seen these things? Hitch riser on Amazon It would raise your bike rack 4". It's 1.25" on the receiver end, 2" on the bike rack end. If you buy the 1.25" bike rack, I think you might be able to get an adapter piece to fit inside the 2" hole.
I was looking for a double hitch receiver, but all the ones I see are 2" on both ends.