Roofrack and/or rear bike rack for the v (lowercase v)

Discussion in 'Prius v Accessories and Modifications' started by LeoninSac, Jul 26, 2015.

  1. LeoninSac

    LeoninSac New Member

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    My wife and I are in the market for a new car, and one of our top two contenders is the Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon). Our concern with the Prius is that it can't come with a built-in roofrack or anything. We currently have a '99 Honda Civic with a clamp-on roofrack; we use that to hold a car-top carrier for when we go camping, or hold one or two bicycles.

    Our concern of course is that we need to be able to do everything with the Prius that we currently do with the Civic. What I'd like to do is get a clamp-on roofrack that's more customized for the Prius (ours is an old generic one) for that car-top carrier, and a trailer hitch thing that can hold a rear-mounted bike rack for 3 or 4 bikes.

    So, can we do this? Can you get roofracks for the Prius v that fit nicely and don't whistle on the highway? And can you get a rear bike rack arrangement like I described? And where should we look for these things? We're a little out of our depth here.
     
    #1 LeoninSac, Jul 26, 2015
  2. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    We use a Saris 'Bones-3" rack that attaches to the rear hatch, but I'm not sure that would carry 4 (carries 2 adult and one child's) bikes:

    Bones 3-Bike Car Rack | Saris
     
    #2 Air_Boss, Jul 26, 2015
  3. LeoninSac

    LeoninSac New Member

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    That's great--but will the Bones rack attach properly to the back of the Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon).
     
    #3 LeoninSac, Jul 26, 2015
  4. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    i tried my bones 4 on my old liftback and it scratched the spoiler up pretty bad. Not sure on the v though.
     
    #4 Blizzard_Persona, Jul 26, 2015
  5. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

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    Will you really need the car-top carrier with the extra cargo space compared to your Civic?
     
    #5 vskid3, Jul 26, 2015
  6. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    It works, in part because the rake between the supports is adjustable.

    You do have to be careful with the retainers on the security straps. Make sure they grab the metal lip of of the hatch shell and not the ABS of the spoiler.
     
    #6 Air_Boss, Jul 26, 2015
  7. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    This is my research as I am setting up my 2010 Prius II with hitch mounted 2 bike setup...modified for your application.

    Hitch Bike Racks | etrailer.com
    Trailer Hitch for 2015 Toyota Prius v | etrailer.com
    Torklift Central | 2012-2015 Toyota Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) EcoHitch - Prius - Toyota - Find Your EcoHitch® - Trailer Hitch and Towing

    The big Bike Mart in my area does not sell hitches and instead sends it's customers to the local U-Haul to have one made. With 3-4 bikes I strongly suggest a 2" receiver. Per the "Bike People" here, a carrier or platform type is best and applies less stress on the hitch than the hanger type. The bikes are more stable and not secured with a multitude of lanyards.
     
    #7 frodoz737, Jul 26, 2015
  8. LeoninSac

    LeoninSac New Member

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    Good info folks, thanks. vskid, I expect we probably will need the roofrack, even with the extra cargo space, because we have a big car-top carrier and it's still a tight squeeze to pack up for camping. We certainly don't want to find ourselves with less space than we had before. Besides, not many rear-mounted bike racks hold four, and we could always put the extra one on the roofrack.

    Sounds like U-Haul for the trailer hitch might be the way to go for the bikes. Anything else I should know about that?
     
    #8 LeoninSac, Jul 27, 2015
  9. RichardY

    RichardY Junior Member

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    #9 RichardY, Sep 11, 2015
  10. AlexNatividad

    AlexNatividad Junior Member

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    2"receiver.
     

    Attached Files:

    #10 AlexNatividad, Sep 21, 2015
  11. 4_2Pac

    4_2Pac New Member

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    Any progress on this? I have a 2015 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) which was purchased at the beginning of the year. Just had a roof rack put on a week ago. I went to Rack Attack to have it done (this is where our dealer sends their vehicles). We have a 60in permanent mount track installed on the roof with Whispbar crossbars. Just did our first long(er) drive since adding this & couldn't hear a thing. Just ordered the 2" Stealth EcoHitch for it (Torklift Central) which will be used for our bikes.



    image.jpeg image.jpeg
     
    #11 4_2Pac, Nov 29, 2015
  12. LeoninSac

    LeoninSac New Member

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    Yes and no. We have a Prius v now, but we haven't added anything yet.

    That looks fantastic! Any suggestions where I can get something like that done in northern California?
     
    #12 LeoninSac, Nov 29, 2015
  13. 4_2Pac

    4_2Pac New Member

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    Thanks, Leon!

    As for where to go, contact a local dealer to find out who/where they send their vehicles to have roof racks installed & just go there. I took the liberty of checking Yakima's site for places that do installation in your area & it looks like Rack N Road Car Rack Stores could be an option for you.
     
    #13 4_2Pac, Nov 30, 2015
  14. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    #14 frodoz737, Nov 30, 2015
  15. LeoninSac

    LeoninSac New Member

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    Thanks so much 4_2Pac. I'll see what Rack N Road can do for us. This would be so much better than those clip-ons we used with the Civic!
     
    #15 LeoninSac, Dec 8, 2015
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