Length of Receiver Tube on EcoHitch X7211 for a 2014 Subaru Impreza Wagon

Updated 07/23/2025 | Published 04/17/2018

Products Featured in This Question

EcoHitch Invisi Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"

(50)

$402.47

Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Gunmetal Gray

(470)

$989.00

Question:

I am looking at your EcoHitch Invisi hitch Item # 306-X7211 for my 2014 Impreza wagon sport with the cutout in the bumper, and need to know the length of the RECEIVER portion. I want to use either a Kuat NV 2.0 or Transfer, or a Thule bike rack and need to know if the hitch stingerinch on the bike rack will protrude thru and hit the muffler. And if I have to cut off some of the stinger on the bike rack, will it make it unstable as there isnt much inside the Receiver? I like this Invisi model due to its better ground clearance, but am concerned about this short Receiver. thanks for your help

asked by: Jeff P

Expert Reply:

The length of the receiver on hitch # 306-X7211 isn't the issue. It is were the hitch pin hole is relative to the end of the receiver which on this model is close to 1-1/2 inches. Standard is around 2 inches (on center). The receiver (approximately 3 inches long) on this hitch is open at the back so the length of the shank on the bike rack would not be a factor (unless it was excessively long) but its hitch pin hole placement will be.

On the Kuat NV # NV22G the distance from the center of the pin hole to the end of the shank is 2-3/4 inches. That combined with the distance from the pin hole to end of the receiver on hitch # 306-X7211 means that you will have plenty of the bike rack shank in the receiver without it going too far past the end of the receiver.

I am certain that none of the bike racks in the Kuat or Thule lineups will have a long enough shank to make contact with the muffler.

expert reply by: Michael H

Michael

7/22/2025

Thank you for your answer above about the shank length on the Kuat racks and this invisi hitch. I am also looking at this exact combination of a 306-X7211 on my 2013 Impreza hatchback, for use with the Kuat Transfer V2 rack with 2 inch shank, and am confused. The installation instructions for the 306-X7211 warn that the shank length has to be less than 2 3/8 inches from the center of the pinhole to the back of the shank, in order to make sure it does not contact the Impreza muffler. But, the Kuat Transfer 2 has a length of 2 3/4 inches from center pinhole to back, just like the NV22G you noted above. If my math is correct, the shank sticks out the back of the receiver 1- 1/4 inches which seems like 3/8 of an inch too long, and may contact the muffler. What am I missing in this calculation? Do you have some mechanical drawings that show how far out the back of the receiver is allowed before the shank hits the muffler? In this case, it sticks out 1 1/4 inches. Any help figuring this out, or examples of the same installation would be great. Thank you

Jameson C.

7/22/2025

@Michael It does seem like you'd have 3/8 of an inch too far past the hitch tube and it would contact the exhaust so this would not be the hitch to use. It's not that the rack would hit the muffler when the car is parked so much as it would potentially hit when the engine is running and the exhaust is moving around. Since I can't upload pictures as comments if you go to the product page for the hitch and hit the third picture in the customer photo section of the pictures you can see how close it is.

Michael

7/23/2025

@JamesonC James, Thank you for the help on this, and we will begin considering the drop down "hidden" hitch version.