Trunk mount bike carrier on an M4?

[pbar]

Hi All,

Has anybody used a bike carrier on the trunk of their M4?

(Given it's made of CFRP I would hate it to flex and damage the paintwork!)

[minisbmw]

Great question as i have an M3 and the trunk is not carbon. If you use a bone rack you can set it up so the weight in on the bumper. However i have a Mini S roadster as well and there is an after market company ( Minidomore ) that has a hitch system that is hidden in the bumper. Does anyone know of an aftermarket company that makes one for BMW ? You have to take off the bumper to install it but i find that system to be worth the money.

[Lantern Rouge]

Originally Posted by pbar

Hi All,

Has anybody used a bike carrier on the trunk of their M4?

(Given it's made of CFRP I would hate it to flex and damage the paintwork!)

I haven't seen anyone with a trunk mount yet... I did notice the Seasucker roof mount option though, but go back and forth between being intrigued and terrified by it.

Thread here if you haven't seen it:

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1009671

[JustChris]

Surely its a bad idea on the M4? Risky with the material in use and I've never been a fan of the trunk mounts.

[rkaregaran]

I just bought this: Thule Raceway Bike Rack. Pretty stellar reviews everywhere.

http://www.autoanything.com/bike-racks/69A5368A0A0.aspx

It's sitting in a box at home; I'll try to install and use it this weekend and report back. Hopefully it doesn't strain or damage the trunk lid.

The other option is a hitch mounted bike rack, which requires a hitch receiver (CURT makes them). Unfortunately, you'll have that ugly hitch receiver peeking out from the middle underneath the trunk.

[Flashman666]

I am also interested at the performance of the Thule rear rack. I am moving from Philadelphia to Orlando and during the initial move I want to take my road bike down with me. It's going to be a 14 hour highway drive over 2 days. Has anyone had experience with these things staying stable for that long a drive? Otherwise, I'll have to go the roof mount route (I have the moonroof).

[pbar]

Originally Posted by rkaregaran

I just bought this: Thule Raceway Bike Rack. Pretty stellar reviews everywhere.

http://www.autoanything.com/bike-racks/69A5368A0A0.aspx

It's sitting in a box at home; I'll try to install and use it this weekend and report back. Hopefully it doesn't strain or damage the trunk lid.

The other option is a hitch mounted bike rack, which requires a hitch receiver (CURT makes them). Unfortunately, you'll have that ugly hitch receiver peeking out from the middle underneath the trunk.

That's exactly the rack I have, and which I've used on my E92 without problems for a year or two. The rack has quite large rubber buffers to spread the load - which is great - but you have to be quite careful to make sure the paintwork is very clean to avoid scratches!

You can certainly set it up so most of the weight is on the bumper - but there are metal brackets on the end of the cables which hook over the edge of the trunk lid... I'm worried these might put a lot of load on something which is inherently flexible (and painted!)

[Insureit1]

Originally Posted by rkaregaran

I just bought this: Thule Raceway Bike Rack. Pretty stellar reviews everywhere.

http://www.autoanything.com/bike-racks/69A5368A0A0.aspx

It's sitting in a box at home; I'll try to install and use it this weekend and report back. Hopefully it doesn't strain or damage the trunk lid.

The other option is a hitch mounted bike rack, which requires a hitch receiver (CURT makes them). Unfortunately, you'll have that ugly hitch receiver peeking out from the middle underneath the trunk.

I have a similar Thule rack but the one with the tray the bikes sit on. I have used it and in fact have driven at 80-90 for multiple hours at a time with zero problems. Just make sure it is set up properly and you are good to go. The ratcheting steel wires make putting it on the car a snap.