[MtnBikeNC]

I have an 06 m3 hatch and just added the xport 2-bike hitch rack (after trying the thule system on the roof - way too loud, doesn't work well with the sunroof, and BAD gas mileage).. The hitchrack is the freakin deal!

My question is this - has anyone had any issues with the exhaust pipe being ~ 14-18" from the bike tire? I haven't taken any long trips with the bike on yet but i'm a little nervous. I'll be taking several 2+ hour drives with the bike on over the next few weeks and I threw an extra tire in the car just in case..

My brother had a crappy strap bike rack on his xterra over the summer and melted the tire off his bike on a long road trip (course it was in AZ in the summer!)..

 

[Diesel~]

Just keep an eye on it, and you should be ok. Most people who melt their tires are not even cognizant of the fact that there may be an issue with hot exhaust.

 

[MtnBikeNC]

Cool - thanks for the reply. I've got an extra tire in the car just in case.

 

[tomsmoto]

i just got an 05 maz3 hatch, love it what hitch did you get?

if the ex is a problem, a really thin sheet of metal at half an inch to an inch away from the tire will basically shield all the heat coming off the exhaust.

 

[MtnBikeNC]

i just got an 05 maz3 hatch, love it what hitch did you get?

if the ex is a problem, a really thin sheet of metal at half an inch to an inch away from the tire will basically shield all the heat coming off the exhaust.

Yeah, I just don't want to mount a piece of sheet metal to the rack. I leave mine on the car 24/7.

I got the Curt hitch from HitchSource.com - great price. If you don't have a lift and extra fishwires I'd recommend paying the 40bucks to have someone install it. The car is pretty low to be crawling under trying to get evrythjing lined up while holding tools and bolts, etc..

 

[tomsmoto]

holy crap, you werent kidding, thats an awesome price! thanks.

 

[MtnBikeNC]

And, the shipping is cheap and fast and service is great if you have any questions. The Curt hitch is great quality too

 

[Diesel~]

The Curt hitch is highly recommended; just make sure that you have a very good set of drill bits. The bumper beam on my Mazaspeed3 is made of a very strong steel alloy, that was tough to drill into. I'd imagine that the regular 3 uses the same beam.

More good info here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=388618

 

[MtnBikeNC]

I actually went to Home Depot and bought cheapest bit I could find - worked great. I had to apply some decent pressure to the drill and got tons of smoldering hot shavings on my arm!