FWIW. any rack you put on the car is going to impact MPG to some degree. I have used roof and trunk racks on other cars..both cost me at least two MPG on the highway.

 

I have a Swagman hitch mount rack that folds down that was used on my old Matrix. I'm sure it would fit fine on the GT. it was simple and easy to fold down for opening the hatch. I'm sure the camera would see around it but with 2 bikes might be a little congested. I only used the rack when taking the bikes, removed it from the hitch in a few seconds for the rest of the time.

 

I figured MPG would be affected, but top drag vs the turbulent air off the rear was talked about in other car forums as more significant.

I am not worried about folding it down when the bikes are off. I am thinking of road trips or other times that I might need to access my trunk without having to remove the bike or reach over the back seat. Thats what I like about the Yakima Holdemup, it has the tilt down feature. Can you open your trunk when the bikes are on your the swagman rack?

I might just post back with what happens after a tank of gas once I buy it.

 

I'm sure you've thought about this and have rejected it for some reason, but I carry my bike in my GT all the time with no rack - just fold the rear seats and remove the front wheel and it fits fine.

- Mark

 

I bought a hitch $125, and foldable hitch rack (Hollywood brand) $119. I take it off when not in use.

I love it.

If you rely on a backup camera for driving, then you got issues. If find it to be more of a novelty then anything.

 

nice!! did you install the hitch yourself?

 

Mark, I have one bike that has a 30mm front axle that is a pain to remove, another that is an antique cruiser with bolts, and I generally have 2 or more bikes plus my dog when we go hit the trails. So for me it is a necessity to have something to carry them.

DJA, I like your hitch rack. Do you find it hard to put the closest bike on without scratching it? Can you open your trunk with 2 bikes on? That model is less expensive, but loading the bikes seems easier with the Yakima HoldemUp 2 and Thule T2 front wheel grabbing models. The tilt feature is worth the extra hundred dollars for me if the trunk is obstructed. Can you post a side view to see how close the bikes are? As for the camera, I find it a luxury that comes in handy when parking in tight spaces like the parking garage at work or when parallel parking downtown. There is a lot of places where I park that I need to be a few inches away from a car, curb, or wall. Seeing as how I haven't bonded with this car to the point I can sense it's distance to that precision... I like having the camera to help me out. I'm only trying to maintain features, not eliminate.

 

The main pole folds down away from trunk allowing for easy access to second bike. With both bikes on the rack, you cannot open the rear hatch. The bike closest to the car is still a distance away from car. Handlebars are maybe 8 inches away, and frame is at least 12-15 inches. With one bike loaded as in the picture, you can open the hatch. I can load both bikes in less then 1 minute.

If it wasn't 10 degrees out, I'd take any picture with the bikes loaded on for you.

If you have any other questions just let me know.


-Dan

 

I have the same style rack that Dan has. I haven't used it on my GT, but I've used it on my wife's Entourage. We have a four bike rack and the reason I went with that style is that it fits different shaped bikes quite easily. My kids range in age from 3-10 so I needed something that was versatile such as this to fit the smaller bikes with training wheels along with my 29er Mt. Bike. It is quite easy to use and load the bikes on. I've used a couple different types of mounts before and this is as easy as any and holds the bikes nice and secure.

 

Here's the swagman rack on my Matix:

 

after install this is my results. Curt hitch did not fir correctly. 4 out of 5 bolts fit after hours of forcing it on. They sent me another that I have to put on, we will see if it was just one bad hitch that slipped by their inspection. Their customer service was very friendly.