Recommenadations for a 2 bike car rack for a Honda Fit

[jetta_mike]

Reese Sportwing.

[MikeO]

I ordered a Curt hitch off of ebay for our Fit for $100 and installed it in about 20 minutes. It's semi hidden so it looks pretty good when you take the rack off. Bought a Thule T2 which works great and I have had zero issues hauling around 2 DH bikes (granted I don't shuttle anything gnarly). Hitch racks are the only way to go IMO.

[Buster Bluth]

How you guys like your Fits? I like them but I wish they came with a sunroof and leather. Would it kill Honda to come up with a slightly upscale version? Fiat does it with their 500.

[MikeO]

They're great cars. Ours is a 2007 (bought new) and it's seen a lot of hard miles but it's still tight and has been bulletproof as far as reliability goes. It can carry an obscene amount of cargo and the rear flip up "magic" seats get used constantly. My only real complaint is the automatic transmission. It's horrible. It fumbles gears like crazy (ours is the Sport model). I've driven two different manuals and they are brilliant and get better mileage. Go with the stick for sure.

[Tdiddy]

ya, manual is the only way to go with a small engine. our fit has been great. there are a few things that I miss from our Toyota Matrix though. The interior room is slightly larger in the fit, far more visibility when driving and it feels peppier. I miss the push button interior lights, the automatic headlights and the light in the rear hatch though.

biggest complaint is how short the gears are though. there needs to be one more gear for highway speeds, around 3500rpm at 120km/h tends to eat into the fuel economy.

[Buster Bluth]

I recall driving a 2007 sport manual tranny and liked its go-kart like handling but not liking the lack of "dead pedal" on the left. But I sat in a 2012 at the honda dealer (with enkei aftermarket rims) and the pedals (including a proper dead pedal), comfortable seats and tons of room inside reminded me of the older one but with improvements on the things I previously didn't like. I am tempted by them again.

The problem with a lot of the cars that I like is that they require premium fuel. Screw that, give me a car that's fun to drive and runs on regular. Which is another reason I like the Fit. And I really enjoyed the practical aspects (room, magic seats) of the 2007 so I do like them. I guess leather and sunroof kind of defeats the purpose of the car but it would be nice tho.

[Buster Bluth]

If I went for a Fit, this is how I would roll.

[Tdiddy]

really prefer the hitch mount, with such a light car you will really notice the wind resistance on the bikes both on fuel economy and on getting pulled all over the place on the highway. The fit already has a very boxy side profile, combined with the light weight, a stiff breeze will have you weaving more than a newfie on st. patrick's day.

[MikeO]

Originally Posted by Buster Bluth

I recall driving a 2007 sport manual tranny and liked its go-kart like handling but not liking the lack of "dead pedal" on the left. But I sat in a 2012 at the honda dealer (with enkei aftermarket rims) and the pedals (including a proper dead pedal), comfortable seats and tons of room inside reminded me of the older one but with improvements on the things I previously didn't like. I am tempted by them again.

The problem with a lot of the cars that I like is that they require premium fuel. Screw that, give me a car that's fun to drive and runs on regular. Which is another reason I like the Fit. And I really enjoyed the practical aspects (room, magic seats) of the 2007 so I do like them. I guess leather and sunroof kind of defeats the purpose of the car but it would be nice tho.

I agree. The latest model of the Fit (Sport) improves on the older model in almost every way. We would consider another one but we will likely go the TDi route in the very near future. In all honesty if you're looking for fun and reliable transportation that can haul all of your shit, the Fit is extremely tough to beat. I think they're a bargain for what you get. I just wish it had at least another 50-60HP and a 6 speed manual.

[Buster Bluth]

Originally Posted by MikeO

I agree. The latest model of the Fit (Sport) improves on the older model in almost every way. We would consider another one but we will likely go the TDi route in the very near future. In all honesty if you're looking for fun and reliable transportation that can haul all of your shit, the Fit is extremely tough to beat. I think they're a bargain for what you get. I just wish it had at least another 50-60HP and a 6 speed manual.

Yeah drove the 2007 m/t to the okanagan years back and was crying for a 6th gear.

But it is what it is. Still pretty fun car. I liked the ipod hookup and the stereo wasn't too bad in the Sport. I'm sure it's better now too.

[Buster Bluth]

Originally Posted by Tdiddy

really prefer the hitch mount, with such a light car you will really notice the wind resistance on the bikes both on fuel economy and on getting pulled all over the place on the highway. The fit already has a very boxy side profile, combined with the light weight, a stiff breeze will have you weaving more than a newfie on st. patrick's day.

That's a really good point. I didn't think about that. My main concern with roof mount was I could see myself driving into my garage forgetting I have my bike up there. But your concerns are even more valid than the fear of my own stupidity.

[Buster Bluth]

I also enjoy the slack head angle of the Fit. Makes for confident descending.

WTF??

[Skip]

Anyone had experience of the Kuat racks?

I'm looking at the Sherpa (27 lbs) or NV Core (41 lbs), I'm hoping for lighter weight than the Thule 916XTR I used to have (around 50 lbs) so the Sherpa is front runner for its light weight.

I've also looked at the 1up (41 lbs) & yakima racks (49 lbs) but they're still very heavy (and the 1up is expensive).