Topic: Thule Raceway Platform 9003 on STI Hatch?

[BLM]

Hey folks. Been a while since I posted up in here. Thought I'd come in and ask if anyone has bought and used a Thule Raceway Platform 9003 on an STI hatch (circa 2009)?

Product: https://www.thule.com/en-us/ca/bike-rack/trunk-bike-racks/thule-raceway-platform-9003pro-2-bike-_-1685475

Video of install on Forester:

I've been reading through the reviews and it seems to fit how I want to carry my bike(s), but the odd negative review that I've read has been about how the rack may cause marks and denting. I'm a little concerned about the cables coming over the rear wing on my hatch. I also own a 29er with a large frame. I've had issues with the 29er fitting on the bike racks on the bus here in Victoria, so I'm wondering if ther ack wasn't built for 29er's. Love to hear if anyone has one and what their thoughts are!

Cheers.

[Unholysavage]

the paint on our cars is so thin that the only way I'd ever use one of those racks is if I had 3M'd every square millimeter that the rack touched the back of the car.
I've had numerous friends with paint damage on their cars (none were Subarus) from older strap-on rear bike racks. any little bit of dust that gets between the rack and the paint will act as an abrasive, so that rack would need to be on there tight. if you aren't able to run the straps between the hatch and the wing on your GR, I'm not sure how you'd get it tight without damaging the wing.

I have an 08 STI hatch, and started off putting bike racks on a factory Subaru roof rack. my heavy DH bike swayed an uncomfortable amount on the highway, due to crossbar flex, so I put a Curt hitch on my STI. a hitch-mounted bike rack is stable and easy to load, but not everyone is comfortable notching a perfectly good rear bumper cover. not to mention the aesthetics of a hitch on a STI.

if I were to go back and do it all over again I'd put a Thule or Yakima roof rack on my car.

[BLM]

Thanks for the feedback. Some good points to consider. I used to have a roof mounted Thule bike rack and my brother destroyed it when he drve into a car park with his bike on top...

the other reason why I don't want another roof mount is because of the gas mileage. It's terrible. I used to run from Edmonton to Vancouver Island a few times a year and I would average about an extra $80-100 in fuel everytime I did the trip with the bike on top. I go up and down Vancouver Island all summer to ride, so I don't want to add to my fuel costs.

Currently, I just put the bike in the back of the car, but it limits the amount of gear and people I can take with me.

The STI hatches really limit the kind of racks that can be used. Case in point about the lack of the hitch and then the wing thing with a strapped rack seems to be more likely it could get damaged. Not sure which direction to go in.

[coop3422]

While my scenario was a bit different, I'm not big on racks that strap on like that. I had a Saris Bones on my old Civic, and while it worked, I never felt fully secure about it, and it marked up my car a  bit. I used a roof rack on my Legacy which worked well, and now am moving to a hitch rack on my Infiniti.

[Jessica]

Is a hitch mount not an option? If you're worried about getting access to things in the trunk, there are racks that fold down (with bikes loaded) that will allow you to open and close the fifth door. My Thule T2 has that feature, and I quite like it.

[BLM]

Is a hitch mount not an option? If you're worried about getting access to things in the trunk, there are racks that fold down (with bikes loaded) that will allow you to open and close the fifth door. My Thule T2 has that feature, and I quite like it.

Hitches don't come on my cars generation, nor are they easy to install. I've only looked into it, but as Unholysavage, there may be some cutting of the bumper in order to install one. I'd like to avoid that if I can.

[thedude]

the other reason why I don't want another roof mount is because of the gas mileage. It's terrible. I used to run from Edmonton to Vancouver Island a few times a year and I would average about an extra $80-100 in fuel everytime I did the trip with the bike on top. I go up and down Vancouver Island all summer to ride, so I don't want to add to my fuel costs.

I'm not doubting this is true, but I do find it surprising. I run my Yakima roof box for about 8 months of the year travelling between Calgary-Kelowna quite often and maintain 7.6-8.0l/100km whether its on or not. I do find that driving in boost however, (~110kmh and up) dramatically increases that average. If you are driving the Island Highway up to Courtney area for biking though, I can see why it's a concern as speed limits are higher.

Have you looked into this fork mount roof rack: http://kuatracks.com/products/roof/trio/

[BLM]

I'm not doubting this is true, but I do find it surprising. I run my Yakima roof box for about 8 months of the year travelling between Calgary-Kelowna quite often and maintain 7.6-8.0l/100km whether its on or not. I do find that driving in boost however, (~110kmh and up) dramatically increases that average. If you are driving the Island Highway up to Courtney area for biking though, I can see why it's a concern as speed limits are higher.

Have you looked into this fork mount roof rack: http://kuatracks.com/products/roof/trio/

You're probably right on that in terms of the speed vs fuel mileage on the highway. i go up to Quadra Island/Campbell River area from Victoria a lot, so I'm constantly on the 120 series highway north of Nanaimo.

I like that fork mount. It was sort of another option I played with, but that one looks pretty sturdy.

[thedude]

Both great places to ride on the Island! You should check out Cumberland/Courtenay too as they have some good trails now and are not as far north if you are driving from Vic.

As for the Kuat Rack, don't get me wrong it is expensive. But it has great reviews and is (from my research) the only fork-mount that comes with multiple locking mechanisms to accommodate different thru-axle sizes so you can swap between a modern day road bike and mountain bike.

[BLM]

For sure. I've pretty much hit every major biking area on the island. Cumby is my go-to in the summer. The town is like this little ski town, but for mountain biking. Also, if you haven't been, Hornby Island is a little nugget of gold. The trails are beautiful, fun and flowy unlike anywhere you will ever ride.

The price on that rack isn't too bad, considering the Thule option is over $400.