Bike rack for 911 996

[c_w_miller]

Does anyone know of a bike rack that can attach to rear of 911 996 Turbo coupe? I have seen roof mounted ones but would prefer something rear mounted. Any help would be appreciated. New to this site so hope I have posted in the right place!

 

[FLAT-SIXY]

[&:]

 

[sawood12]

Bike racks usually use webs that are either trapped behind hatchbacks or large boot lids or hook onto their edges so you might be able to use them on a Cayman but I don't think you would be able to use them on a 911 - I don't think the rear bonnet is large enough. In anycase why use a rack rather than a roof-rack mounted system? I've used both and always prefer to put the bikes on the roof. They are much more securely fixed and you don't have the problem of the loss of use of the rear tailgate/boot, also with racks you often need to use reg plate/light cluster panels, and they do sway and move about on the rear which is a bit disconcerting everytime you look in the rear view mirror.

 

[c_w_miller]

Thanks Scott for your response. Any recommendations on a roof-mounted system? Appreciate any help

 

[Mark Elder]

Agree with Scott, plus I think that a rear mounted rack works fairly well on a 4x4 or hatchback because the car is bulky and shields the bikes from the wind, reducing wind resistance. But on a 911 the car is too low/sleek to achieve that shielding. With the bikes side ways they would act like a parachute, whereas, on the roof, facing forward/backward will create less drag.

I use a pair of Mont Blanc "Discovery"s - mounted on the official Porsche cross bars. The Discovery is the updated version of the model Porsche sell under their own name. It is much stronger than your average "Thule" and has advantage of sitting the front wheel all forward of the front bar, so it works well on a short roof. I'm very pleased with them. No rattle or sway - including driving enthusiasically around many hairpins in northern Spain last summer.

If you are buying a pair note that they come in "left" and "right" models (neither my shop nor I realised this at that time I purchased) but you can, with a torx key, convert one around which means it's easy to get at the lock of both of them without reaching across roof of car!

 

[sawood12]

I For things like this my philosophy is to buy decent branded ones like Mont Blanc or Thule. Anything else is ultimately a false economy - buy a decent one and it'll last forever. I originally bought a Halfords rack that you hang off the rear. It worked OK but after a few years started to rust and eventually became unsafe. I replaced it with a Thule one which is now 5 or 6 yrs old and it still looks brand new. I've also got a Thule roof mounted rack - they do a couple of models but it was the most expensive at the time. The bike is rock solid when mounted. Also another advantage of using a roof mounted system is anti theft security as you can lock the roof rack onto your roof and the bike rack onto the roof rack and the bikes onto the bike rack. I pretty much forget i've got them on the roof when in use. You could probably do a trackday with them on!