How to Determine Clearance at Rear of Vehicle When Using BikeWing Hitch Bike Rack

Question:

I have a 2013 Subaru Impreza Sport hatchback, with Curt class 1 hitch, will this rack sit far enough away from the car to carry a bike on the inside without contacting the car?

asked by: Josh

Expert Reply:

Curt trailer hitch fits for your 2013 Subaru Impreza Sport Hatchback depend on its specific version; hitch # C11286 fits the 5-door hatchback with single exhaust; hitch # C11120 fits the 5-door hatchback WRX and WRX-Sti versions. When we installed hitch # C11286 on a 2013 Impreza we found the hitch pin hole was 2-inches forward of the back edge of the bumper cover, as shown in the linked installation video.

The bike rack you referenced, the BikeWing # LGA54FR, provides 12-inches of clearance from its hitch pin hole, so you will need to subtract from this the 2-inches required by the hitch tube. So you end up with roughly 10-1/2-inches of space between the rack and the car. Now measure your bike width from the center of the top tube to the end of one handle bar and to the end of one pedal. This is half the bike width and you can then compare this to the available space to determine the fit at the back of the vehicle.

You can also refer to the linked article for help selecting a rack.

expert reply by: Adam R