BikeBikeBikeBike said:
As always Bob has the best answer! I thought
Unless the trunk is already full.
The thing to remember is there are roof racks, deck racks, and hitch racks. Each has its advantages and drawbacks
Roof racks put the bikes on the roof of the car. Advantages are: bike is protected from collision with vehicles and other ground-based obstructions, rear view is unobstructed, access to rear luggage area is unobstructed, carrier contacts bike only at rear wheel and fork dropouts for most styles, bikes are rigidly attached and will not contact one another, and bikes are somewhat shielded from road dust and gravel. Disadvantages are high liftover, especially for tall vehicles; risk of collision with low ceilings such as garage entrances; removal of front wheel usually required; increased frontal area (and decreased performance and mileage), and increased accumulation of bug splatter. Also, if the car doesn't have factory rails or external rain gutters, the mounting posts will mar the finish.
Deck racks attach to the trunk lid of a sedan or liftback of a wagon, SUV, or hatchback. The mounting posts will mar paint and glass, and hooks on the tensioning straps will mar or the edges of the lid. Other disadvantages are marring finish on the bikes being carried, through contact with the rack or each other, or the carrying vehicle; obstructed rear vision; obstructed access to rear luggage area, and usually less secure mounting. Advantages are quick and easy attachment to vehicle and less expensive.
Rear hitch racks mount to a hitch receiver mounted to the frame. There are basically two types, cradle and hanger. Cradle holds the bikes by the wheels and usually has does not contact the frame. Hanger hangs the bikes by the top tube like the deck rack, but risk of damaging bikes is lessened because bikes hang vertically and are held apart from each other. Advantages are low liftover, ease of use, robustness. Disadvantages are decreased ramp angle, increased vehicle length, risk of collision with other vehicles, contact with exhaust gases and road debris, rack weight, and altered weight distribution (more mass way behind rear axle), especially on smaller vehicles; and obstructed or at least complicated access to rear luggage area. And you have to install a receiver.
Users used to get into arguments over which is better, Yakima, the USA company with its factories in Asia, or Thule, the Swedish company that manufactures for North America in Connecticut. Note that smaller companies, like Rockymounts, have great products, too.