Who has pics out there of their Maxi with a hitch installed? Not looking to tow anything. Just looking for a decent hitch that's well hidden up under the bumper. It's only going to be used for a receiver type bike rack. Can't even consider doing another Yakima roof rack and ruin the clean lines of the Maxima. Don't want a trunk mount bike launcher either that'll gouge the paint.

Any pics and brand names to toss around? Hidden Hitch, Draw-Tight, U-Haul?

 

There are a couple guys here with them, but I don't see any of them online at the moment....so....free bump so they see it....

(though the roof rack doesn't ruin any lines IMO, though I'm a bit biased)....

 

Eh, nevermind.

 

IRISH44J,
I knew I saw a snapshot of a roof rack on a Maxi somewhere. Guess that was you. I had the Yakima on rack on my lifted truck and it worked great....gas mileage suffered on the long trips though. Whatever hitch looks the best out there, I'm going to chop the receiver end of it off and modify it anyway. Just looking for the one that doesn't hang down below the bumper and look like butt.

 

I think rook racks are ok and don't ruin the look of a car.

 

yeah, there are 3 or 4 of us 5th gens with them. Mine is actually off at the moment, since my knee is banged up so no biking for a while, and autocrosses on the weekends. Have not noticed ANY improvement in gas mileage with it off, unfortunately It'll probably go back on after the July 9th autocross....

I feel too much like I'm driving an "adult sedan" without it....the rack gives some measure of sportiness to the look of the car I guess. Or maybe I'm just used to seeing it on my cars for the last 10 years....

here, I found a pic for you, by the way...always gotta help out the fellow riders...

skalberti's Hidden Hitch:

 

Adult sedan...good one. That rack is kinda what I'm looking for. I think once you have a $3K rig strapped to the back, the adult sedan look goes away. The method of cramming the bike in the trunk is getting really old. Besides the new woofer enclosure is going to make that impossible.

 

I kinda like the way the Yakima racks look. I have one.

 

Yak racks are superior to Thule racks, don't get me wrong. Just not my taste on the Maxi. I'll just have to look into who has a Hiiden Hitch in stock and see how butt ugly it looks from the back end.

 

i have a hidden hitch but no pic. (sorry) it wouldn't matter because you can't see it anyway. the hidden hitch bolts to the frame. if you sell the car, it's a breeze to take off again. however, with some bike racks, you might need a shop to make you a 2" to 1 3/4" adaptor. which, is ok because you might need the adaptor to double as an extender for the rack. the hitch sits under the bumper and doesn't stick out far enough for some racks.

 

i'll go snap some pictures.

 

With all due respect, I've worked at a ski shop for like 7 years...we sell a TON of Yakima and Thule. Thule is MUCH better quality, as you can tell by the fact that not a single employee of the shop has a Yaki rack on their car...all Thule. We get a TON of Yaki stuff coming back rusted or broken - they do have great customer service and usually replace the stuff, but still.........we rarely see Thule returns.....Yakima does have it's high points - round bars are a little stronger, and they are easier to take off the roof.....But Thule is much better materials and quality. Mine still has almost no rust at all on it after about 10 years and 3 different cars!

I've had both, by the way...Yakima on my wife's car for several years and Thule on my last 3 cars (same one I still have).....so I'm fairly impartial on the subject...

bottom line: Yakima is better if you take the rack off the car when not in use (easier to remove than Thule, but doesn't hold up to year-round elements as well)...but Thule is much better if you leave the rack on all the time, since it's much less prone to rusting and the plastic getting brittle....

 

I guess I was sold on the Yak rack on my truck after I rammed it under a drive-thru with 2 bikes on top. It was quite the scene. Needless to say, you only do that once in life. A new set of trays and a little muscle to push the roof back into place and it was good to go. Here in AZ there aren't the elements other than the brutal sun. The Steelheads locked down good and the locks never failed. I'm just a fan of round cross-bars versus the square bars. However, I'm done strapping the bike to the roof. I'll be looking for a Hidden Hitch dealer this weekend.

Thanks ya'll.

 

yeah I hear you....not saying they're not "strong" or "tough"....my complaint with Yaki has been more related to long-term quality when exposed to the elements....

I have to have the roof one...good for skis, kayak, and the occasional 2x4's

 

here is my hidden hitch pichttp:
//maxima.cardomain.com/ride/218117/5

 

try using [IMG] and [/IMG]

 

Looks like you have an extra lip that mine seems to lack. Still the Hidden Hitch looks like the way to go. Here in the desert there's hardly any snow or rivers to kayack so to speak. But I hear you on the 2x4's. Home Depot is up the street and the Maxi isn't really the MDF or manuer hauler that the truck was. Damn, I did buy an adult sedan.