Hitch and Platform Style Bike Carrier for 2005 Passat Sedan TDI GLS  

Question:

Expert Reply:

The hitches made for the 2005 Passat Sedan TDI GLS are light-duty Class I types, such as the Curt # C11054. There are no 2-inch hitch options for the car that would allow you to use your existing 2-inch Thule T2 bike carrier.

Hitch Adapters like # HTAD and # HT5R exist that can let you use a 2-inch accessory in a 1-1/4-inch hitch but these are not recommended because they cause a loss of half of the hitch's tongue weight capacity. That would mean one of these hitches used with an adapter would have a weight capacity of only 100-lbs for the combined total of the rack and bike weight, which is clearly not enough. Adapters also tend to introduce more random motion of the carrier since there will be an additional mechanical connection point.

Your safest and best route is to install a Class I hitch and use a compatible Class I hitch bike rack. The linked page displays all Class I racks which include platform style racks like the T2, such as the Kuat Transfer 2 # KU74FR. Please have a look at the linked video on the Transfer 2.

expert reply by: Adam R

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