Anyone here drive a prius with either a roof rack or hitch?

Hey guys I'm currently drive an '09 toyota prius and can't decide whether or not i want a roof rack or a hitch mount to attach my bike. I'm tired of stuffing it in my hatchback. I would like to hear all the pros and cons of roof rack vs. hitch and why. ANY and ALL PICTURES would be greatly appreciated. BTW i also do a lot of snowboarding so dual purpose would be good. Thanks all. "Come one, Come all"

 

My sister does and has both.

They use the hitch mount for their bikes, the roof rack for their ski/snowboarding stuff as it is generaly low profile.

 

I would suggest a hitch rack. Roof racks on a Prius are pretty goofy. You put a roof rack on a Prius and you blow the benefit of having that silly little car.

Bikes on the roof will kill your gas mileage.

 

We have an '08 Prius and ended up getting a hitch. A Thule that swings down or up.
We had a roof rack on but took it off simply because the cars owner didn't like the wind noise. The Prius tends to be a quiet car and she likes that.
The rear hitch was a great idea!! I'd show a picture but I'd have to get up and go take it. Just go with the hitch!

 

imo i would get a hitch i have a roof rack on my impreza and its a pain to get the bike on and off esp when your short like me :lol:

 

I have a hitch rack and love it. It pops on easily and folds up when parked so it doesn't get hit. Downside? Possible rear end damage if hit. The snowboards should fit in the car unless there are 4 of you going up. Forget the roof rack!

 

Do you guys have the 1.25" receiver or the 2" one?

and here's my contribution (not mine but planning on getting a '10 prius III w/ hitch rack):

http://www.evnut.com/prius_hitch.htm

 

I don't have a Prius, but find them interesting.
This looks like a pretty cool, very versitile rig.

 

I have a 06 prius - but I'm sure nothing has changed;
Check out Birdautomotive .com, I have one of their bike racks and love it. It does not require a hitch, super easy to take on and off, you can open & close the hatch with the bikes loaded, totally light weight and easy to store.

super simple design, it's kinda pricey for how simple it is, but I highly recommend it.

 

As far as a roof rack killing your gas mileage, it really depends on how often you carry your bike with you. Personally I've always preferred roof racks because of their versatility. Canoe? No problem. Bikes? Check. Skis? Load 'em up. Just watch out for parking garages.

With a hitch rack you need to be mindful of bottoming out on the rack, since the Prius is already pretty low.

Also, I've found that hitch racks can be in the way. You might want to look at something like the Yakima Swingdaddy so you can still access the hatchback.

 

$99 hitch on http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/general-discussion/www.hitchesonline.com

Link

 

Howdy folks. First a confession: I'm a NorCal Trail Rider. I found this thread because of a hot-linked image... more on that later.

I own a Prius. I have a roof rack, a hitch mount and a trailer (as seen in the hot linked image in a post above). They all serve their purpose. I'm not sure why a roof rack is any more "goofy" on a Prius than any other car. For some things the roof rack is greatly practical. No matter what vehicle it is on.

1. The Prius is a Silly Mid-Size car
2. The Prius is a fantastic car - for one that burns gas.
3. I wonder if you'd allow a small injection of reality? First I need to ask which benefit of the Prius is it that is "blown" by having a roof rack? Is it the amazing amount of passenger and cargo room? Is it the practicality of the hatch back? Is it the fantastic climate control, reverse video camera or keyless entry? What you probably mean is the great gas mileage, since most non-Prius drivers think that is the only reason anybody would own this ugly "little" car... so I'll assume that's what you think is "blown."

Now (finally) for the reality part. Last weekend we went skiing. With 7,000 feet of elevation gain. Driving at below freezing temps through snow and ice. With heat, defrosters and seat heaters blasting away. Driving for 25 miles with chains on - and get this - using a roof rack and a full cargo box with an overloaded passenger compartment... my family of four arrived home with better than 42 mph for the trip. Would it have been better if I'd put the roof rack on my 10 mpg SUV so that I wouldn't have ruined the "benefit" of that silly vehicle?

How does "kill" compare to "never had?" So I put bikes on the Prius and my mileage drops to being HIGHER than any other gas car I've ever owned. Fact of the matter is, when I drive with stuff on the roof, my mileage drops. NOt a bit surprise. The other 350 days of the year my mileage is well over 50. Why do I care that for a few days I dip down into the 40's?

If racks or cargo boxes look goofy, you're going to really enjoy when I carry my kayak too!

 

So here's my other way of carrying my cargo and bikes and kayaks. I also have a hitch mount for the bikes. Each of these methods has some great benefits and some serious side effects. Being able to drop the trailer and have the car unfettered is a really nice feature of the trailer.

I do have one request though - I'm not sure what the policy is of this forum - but hot-linking images costs the host (me) bandwidth. I'm happy to share my images if asked, and they can be linked to with impunity. Hot-linking them, though, is a bit hard on me. It is also a bit dangerous as I could replace that image with anything I please, and it then shows up for everybody who views the page.

Anyway... sorry for preaching. If there are any direct questions about carrying cargo on or behind a Prius, I've got some experience. Of course my Experience is in Nor Cal, but I hope you can forgive me. At least that trailer image shows my trail bike a bit!

Just for completeness, I'll show the hitch mount as well. More info here:
http://evnut.com/saris_thelma.htm

 

L

My thougts exactly. I don't have a prius but am very tempted to sell my fully loaded 2003 4runner and get a prius. I'm not considerig it bc of the greeness of the prius but bc my 4r mileage sucks. I looooove my 4r but 50mpg v. 15mpg???? The only thing holdin me back is that the prius isn't a 4x4. O well.

 

I sure would have liked to have had 4WD up in the snow. But honestly there was nowhere that the SUVs were going that I couldn't get to. I just had to hold my breath a couple of times. But yeah... When my worst mileage is about 40 mpg... and that only happens during a small percentage of my driving... I just don't sweat the "big hit" to my mileage. The other option is to ALWAYS have crappy mileage even without cargo. NO thanks.

For the record, I've always found the Prius rather fugly. But I'm at the age where practicality wins over beauty every time. I still wax it though. And honestly - it is a fantastic car. Even if it only got 30 mpg it would be a great buy. The high gas mileage is just icing on the cake.

 

Thanks for all the info... Now any suggestions for where to get all these items. I need to be fiscally conservative here or the wife will... So any help would be appreciated. BTW, i drive 180 miles/day mon-fri and avg out 43mpg at 80mph, so i'm pleased with my prius.

 

The Yakima stuff goes on sale at the B&M as well as online stores at least once per year per place. Keep an eye out. Google is your friend. I'm chea...er "fiscally conservative" as well...

You just can't beat THAT with a goofy stick!

 

I'll be the first to admit I don't like the Prius. Mostly because it is so trendy. And of the large portion of people that drive them and think that they are being "Green". Nope not when you consider the true costs of the Prius.

http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/

http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/

Now lets talk about this years Green Car of the year

http://www.greencar.com/articles/audi-a3-tdi-2010-green-car-year-clean-diesel-reigns.php

Ummmmm Diesel.

So back to topic. I love that trailer. Looks like a great way to carry alot of stuff and then ditch the racks when not in use.

Edit to add

darelldd That is a fantastic use of that car. Those of you road warriors that truly use the car as a mileage miser are great.

 

your bandwidth has been poached. you could get them back by replacing the prius image with a monster truck image. :lol:

 

A friend ( Big Bruce for those who know him ) has a Prius, when he puts his DH bike on the roof rack apparantly he gets 18MPG instead of 50MPG. That's the definition of kill.








.