Car Hitch receivers

[allegretto]

I searched but most is about racks and I understand that the T2 is the lead dog

But is there any difference in hitch receivers? For a passenger car. E-M-B.

Much obliged.

[Ahneida Ride]

I'd like to know more myself !!!! :D

[alancw3]

i don't think there is that much difference in quality of top name brands such as valley, drawtite etc. if you are going with a class three hitch. when i had my hitch installed for a T2 the installer pointer out that the hitch end should be positioned so as not to come past the rear bumper so you are not banging your shins into it when walking behind the car. he positioned the hitch so it was about one inch in from the bumper. this worked out perfect because when i fold the T2 to it's up position there is about an inch of clearance before the car body. that way it is not sticking way out. i forget the measurement now but you want to position the pin whole in the hitch so when you attach the T2 and bolt together the clearance is sufficient between car body and rack when folded up.

not my case but i do think some of the foreign suvs and cars with unitized body construction you may need the car manufactuter's hitch installed like mercedes and volvo.

[William]

Drawtite.

[AngryScientist]

there are two main categories of hitch rack.

1)the ones that hold the bike by the top tube, usually with some type of rubber cradle and strap system

2) tray typed rack, they hold your bike just like a roof rack would, supporting the weight of the bike by the wheels and front fork.

IMO, the try style is vastly superior, as they dont mar the paint on the bike and you're not supporting the bike by the top tube.

that said, my riding buddy has type (1), and its carried my Ti bike easily several thousand miles now.

[mandasol]

If I read your question correctly I think you're asking about the receiver hitch not the rack? If that's right, then you should check into installing it yourself.

My dealer wanted more than $1000 to install a factory hitch receiver on my wife's Volvo XC90. Also, they said they needed to cut slots into the rear bumper (the painted section of the bumper) to make it fit, which I thought was ridiculous for a supposedly factory part.

After researching I discovered that doing it yourself is pretty easy. I bought a Hidden Hitch from Autoanything for less than $150 shipped and I already had all the tools necessary so there was no more investment. I was able to install it fairly easily in less than an hour, and it fit perfectly without having to cut my bumper. It looks better than the factory hitch by a long shot as well.

You can try to check with AutoAnything (http://www.autoanything.com/) to see what options are available for your car.