need a 5 bicycle rack
- Thread starter mars1100
- Start date
My favorite so far is this one:
http://www.hollywoodracks.com/hitch-racks/sportrider-hitch-rack.htm
Absolutely no movement, bikes are stationary and clamped. Very secure.
I'll admit I haven't put this behind my 5 yet...its 1.25 receiver "hitch" is on the way.
It works / worked swell behind my Miata, my father-in-law's Cougar, and a few others.
I don't know yet if it can be mounted with bikes and have the hatch door usuable. I'm not sweating it, we usually don't take a bunch o' stuff along, and figure whatever we need we could get through the sliders. *If*, in fact, the rack doesn't swing down enough to clear the hatch.
My $.02. You find these on sale $150'sh fairly often, or at least we did.
http://www.hollywoodracks.com/hitch-racks/sportrider-hitch-rack.htm
Absolutely no movement, bikes are stationary and clamped. Very secure.
I'll admit I haven't put this behind my 5 yet...its 1.25 receiver "hitch" is on the way.
It works / worked swell behind my Miata, my father-in-law's Cougar, and a few others.
I don't know yet if it can be mounted with bikes and have the hatch door usuable. I'm not sweating it, we usually don't take a bunch o' stuff along, and figure whatever we need we could get through the sliders. *If*, in fact, the rack doesn't swing down enough to clear the hatch.
My $.02. You find these on sale $150'sh fairly often, or at least we did.
Yes, I got a bike rack - the Mazda roof rack and a pair of Thule Pelotons. Of course, that solution adds up to about $450, so it's not the cheapest. But in the US we're not allowed to tow with the 5, and putting on a hitch might raise issues with the dealer for warranty work on the powertrain. Remember that the liftgate is plastic so you don't want to do a strap-on bike rack. So really the roof rack is probably the best choice. And it works *really* well.
Keep in mind that a hitch will cost you $150-200 plus installation if you don't do it yourself. The rack will cost you another $150-200 so you're at $300-400 plus installation anyway, and you'll be raising the potential warranty-fight issue to save very little money. Of course, the hitch racks don't brutalize fuel mileage the way roof racks do, but then they're also much less stable.
Keep in mind that a hitch will cost you $150-200 plus installation if you don't do it yourself. The rack will cost you another $150-200 so you're at $300-400 plus installation anyway, and you'll be raising the potential warranty-fight issue to save very little money. Of course, the hitch racks don't brutalize fuel mileage the way roof racks do, but then they're also much less stable.
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I went through this when i researched my options to carry two bikes....i was all set for the hitch mount, then the roof rack. I went back and forth with it and finally contacted Mazda by email about the towing voiding the warranty. The reply stated, "towing with your Mazda5 is not recommended". I even described how i was only going to tow a hitch bike rack. I decided to go with the OEM Mazda roof rack and two Thule Echelon 518 carriers...a bit of money. Probably doesn't matter to some people, but man, the rack looks really nice on the car. I have only had it on the car three days now. I filler her up last night and will see how bad the mileage drops. One other thing the bike carriers are very aerodynamic and i don't think the noise level is all that bad...
I'm fairly certain I use this 2-bike hitch mount rack from Sportrack.
I also followed a friend's advice and went to a regional U-Haul depot that did hitch installations and had a hitch mounted under my 5. Thinking it cost about $180 including installation. The dealer service guy said he saw quite a few hitches installed on 3's and 5's to mount bike carriers and they didn't consider it a warranty killer. What he said the would look for in such a case would be wiring harness connections to determine if towing a trailer was involved rather than simply using a hitch mounted rack...
I also followed a friend's advice and went to a regional U-Haul depot that did hitch installations and had a hitch mounted under my 5. Thinking it cost about $180 including installation. The dealer service guy said he saw quite a few hitches installed on 3's and 5's to mount bike carriers and they didn't consider it a warranty killer. What he said the would look for in such a case would be wiring harness connections to determine if towing a trailer was involved rather than simply using a hitch mounted rack...
Hey dan4behr,
I live in Willow Spring down the road from you and work in Clayton. Off subject,but are there any Mazda5 groups around the area. I bought my 5 back in Sept. Have never seen a purple 5..........
I live in Willow Spring down the road from you and work in Clayton. Off subject,but are there any Mazda5 groups around the area. I bought my 5 back in Sept. Have never seen a purple 5..........
Thanks dan4behr for the info, I figured having a lighting connector installed would be prima facie evidence of using the hitch receiver for towing, so I'm leaving it off mine for now. Strictly for bike racks.
[Side note: that means my trusty 150k miles '96 Miata will resume being the go-to vehicle for towing at my house for a while. It does look abused when hitched to the typical U-Haul trailer. But it's served in a pinch many times to pick up the occasional garden center large object, or to ferry an out-of-commission motorcycle somewhere.]
Very fair point to include installation costs for a hitch receiver in the comparison. If you're not DIY inclined that'd be extra bux. Someone posted a video here of the install of a hitch receiver on a 5: enlarge two holes, install-tighten two bolts/nuts, install-tighten a u-clamp. Done. I crawled under there for a quick recon, not bad at all. No creative "trimming" of the bumper plastic with a utility knife like my CX-7 needed, thank goodness.
I got on to the SportRider rack I linked 'cause I couldn't stand the typical "hang the top tube from the bar" rear rack where the bikes swing/sway all over the place (zillion bungees and straps notwithstanding). On a SportRider rack, with the bike wheels strapped in to their holders and the frame clamp applied, the bikes don't move at all, just like you'd want.
There'd be other uses for the top rack/rail system too, beyond bike hauling...another consideration versus using a hitch-receiver rack.
[Side note: that means my trusty 150k miles '96 Miata will resume being the go-to vehicle for towing at my house for a while. It does look abused when hitched to the typical U-Haul trailer. But it's served in a pinch many times to pick up the occasional garden center large object, or to ferry an out-of-commission motorcycle somewhere.]
Very fair point to include installation costs for a hitch receiver in the comparison. If you're not DIY inclined that'd be extra bux. Someone posted a video here of the install of a hitch receiver on a 5: enlarge two holes, install-tighten two bolts/nuts, install-tighten a u-clamp. Done. I crawled under there for a quick recon, not bad at all. No creative "trimming" of the bumper plastic with a utility knife like my CX-7 needed, thank goodness.
I got on to the SportRider rack I linked 'cause I couldn't stand the typical "hang the top tube from the bar" rear rack where the bikes swing/sway all over the place (zillion bungees and straps notwithstanding). On a SportRider rack, with the bike wheels strapped in to their holders and the frame clamp applied, the bikes don't move at all, just like you'd want.
There'd be other uses for the top rack/rail system too, beyond bike hauling...another consideration versus using a hitch-receiver rack.
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It's not illegal - it's perfectly legal. But Mazda USA says you can't tow with it - it voids the warranty. Due to the way US warranty laws are written, they can't actually void your warranty for having a tow hitch on there, of course - but it does mean that if you take in the vehicle for any warranty work that could reasonably be caused by towing something, you'll have a fun time getting them to cover it. That's all.
Wow thanks for all the replies.
I like this style of rack that has the tire holder thing, I now see why you say it is very secure. I have not seen this type of rack until now.
I am not worried about hatch access as we can get in through the sliders.
I will start my search for this item this weekend.
I am not too concerned about the warranty issue, I guess if one were to come up I could always remove the hitch.
I do like the suggestion to split the bikes up, just a little concerned about dropping or dragging a bike on the roof of the 5.
thanks for the suggestion.
I'd like to see this set-up, do you have a pic?
I will try and take a pic later today when i get home....
i see you washed it before the picture, looks clean.
how many bikes are you carrying at a time.
yeah, just washed it, but no sunshine....carry 2 bikes on top. Got the windows tinted today as you can see in this shot. The other pic shows how aerodynamic the Thule 518 is....Also, my mileage didn't suffer too badly on my first tank of gas with rack installed...27 average(never over 72 mph though). Just before the window tint job i was at the dealer for the 10,000 mile service...checked the new 5's..they had 20 in stock all in a row!!!! One thing i really noticed and i am just voicing my opinion here: without the door protecter strip and the fender turn signal, the 2010 Mazda5 looks rather bloated from the side.!
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Hey pal! I'm in Durham ( near Southpoint mall ) and work near Duke U.(hi)
I got my Plum Mica 5 ( Touring with manual tranny! ) in Sept. 07.
The plum mica seems to be pretty rare. It was one year only and I think a short run at that. It's not all THAT purple! Mine is called the aubergine machine and there was a brief discussion about the unique hue a while back!
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123665717&highlight=plum+mica
Hey Dan, checked out your thread....awesome color!!! I have seen a plum mica 5, but it was months ago on 40....I just had my windows tinted in Cary and am pretty much done with the mods i wanted. I have installed the Thule fairing since the last pic i took, but i could swear that it is noisier than without the fairing....since we are blessed with some beautiful weather this weekend we are taking the 5 down to wrightsville beach tomorrow and i will check the mileage. Looks better with the fairing in stalled, but if its not helping the mileage its coming off....take care and might see you around!
