Question about trailer hitch bike rack

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mbasjm

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 24, 2019
Messages
58
Hi everyone!

Just picked up my Outlander PHEV three days ago, and loving it!

I have a question, does anyone here have experience with hitches and bike racks on your PHEV? I see online it's rated as 1500 lbs tow weight and 150 lbs tongue weight. However the weight of my rack plus bikes is 167 lbs. It's not a lot over, but it's over. I mean, I wouldn't put 350 lbs on it, but just wondering if the experts here have any idea or if anyone has done that.

I'm also not sure if that 150 lb rating is just a simple calculation of 10% of the tow weight, of if they've actually done tests. I also figure a tongue weight of a bike rack acts a bit differently than the tongue weight of pulling a trailer, and that the low weight of batteries in the PHEV might actually be beneficial to the tongue weight relating to a bike rack.

Is tongue weight a reflection of the capacity of the hitch, or the capacity of the vehicle? Or both? I'll be getting a hitch installed with a capacity of 350 lbs, but it's not much use if it can hold all my bikes but falls off my vehicle!

Thanks everyone !
 
The towing capacity and max tongue weight are usually limited by the car rather than the hitch. For the PHEV there is less tongue weight allowed then for the petrol or diesel version, so in this case it’s definately the car.

167lbs doesn’t seem extreme when 150 is allowed. Be carefull; if a bike should fall off, you could be in for some trouble with insurance. Even if it isn’t caused by the weight
 
I wouldn't worry. I mean, the tongue weight is calculated with a 1500kg trailer in mind, which can exert quite high peak loads on the hitch. A bike on a rack is quite a different story.
 
Hi guys,

New owner of a 2019 Outlander PHEV here. Can anyone suggest a hitch that is compatible with my car?

Etrailer.com has listed the Curt C13398 as compatible with the 2018 PHEV, but they are not sure if it is compatible with the 2019 PHEV. While on a different site they listed the Curt 13398 as compatible with both 2018 and 2019 PHEVs.

Any thoughts?

TIA.
 
jaapv said:
Just ask your dealer to fit the original one.

Thanks and appreciate the quick response.

Unfortunately I cannot justify spending over $500 with the dealer, when I can get one at under $200 shipped, and I can install it myself with at most about 2-3 hours of grease elbow on a sunny weekend afternoon.
 
I see your point, and $300 is a big difference. But look at it this way, if you make the tiniest mistake, especially with the wiring, your warranty is toast. Damage the sealing on the underside of the car and your body perforation guarantee is history. Plus you would be under the car, next to the 300v battery without the necessary knowledge and training as to what you can touch or fix too. They do have the training and any issues are down to them, not you.

Many years ago, when cars were simple machines and you could fix anything with a basic socket set and a few screwdrivers, I would have wholeheartedly agreed and supported your position. But cars today, especially ones like our, aren’t like that anymore. They are hugely complex computer systems that just happen to be a mode of personal transport.

At the very least get a well regarded tow ball installation company to quote asking if their fitters can prove they are qualified to work on electric cars, if they can’t, walk away and talk to your dealer. The pain of that $300 will be soon forgotten.
 
libballeng said:
jaapv said:
Just ask your dealer to fit the original one.

Thanks and appreciate the quick response.

Unfortunately I cannot justify spending over $500 with the dealer, when I can get one at under $200 shipped, and I can install it myself with at most about 2-3 hours of grease elbow on a sunny weekend afternoon.
How much did the car cost?
 
Thanks for the feedback.

I consider myself a handyman type of guy, and have always liked to do stuff to the car with my own hands if I can. I had installed a hitch on my previous car (2017 RDX) which took me about 2-3 hours on a cold Feb Saturday.

I am asking if anyone knows if there are differences between the 2018 and the 2019 Outlander PHEVs, specifically in terms of the hitch placements. I don't think there are much differences between these 2 years (at least in the Canadian Market here), so if they are selling hitches for the 2018 version for consumer installation, I am sure the 2019 version should be the same.

TIA.


Steel188 said:
I see your point, and $300 is a big difference. But look at it this way, if you make the tiniest mistake, especially with the wiring, your warranty is toast. Damage the sealing on the underside of the car and your body perforation guarantee is history. Plus you would be under the car, next to the 300v battery without the necessary knowledge and training as to what you can touch or fix too. They do have the training and any issues are down to them, not you.

Many years ago, when cars were simple machines and you could fix anything with a basic socket set and a few screwdrivers, I would have wholeheartedly agreed and supported your position. But cars today, especially ones like our, aren’t like that anymore. They are hugely complex computer systems that just happen to be a mode of personal transport.

At the very least get a well regarded tow ball installation company to quote asking if their fitters can prove they are qualified to work on electric cars, if they can’t, walk away and talk to your dealer. The pain of that $300 will be soon forgotten.
 
Update:

I contacted my dealership parts department, and was quoted $620 for the OEM hitch kit, and $250 for the labour, before taxes.

After looking for more information online, I believe there are 2 types of hitches that can be installed on the Outlander PHEV, OEM and aftermarket. The OEM version requires the removal of the bumper and cutting of the bottom rear of the body/chasis (as told to me by the parts rep). There is a youtube video that showed how the OEM version was installed (and it was intense!). The aftermarket version does not require the removal of the bumper and is a straight bolt on process. My parts rep also confirmed to me that the 2018 and 2019 PHEVs are the same (at least the Canadian/NA models).

In the end I bought the aftermarket hitch from suspensionconnection.com, and the total price I paid after taxes and shipping is exactly $300, I paid for express shipping so I can get it to me sooner. Once I install it on my car I will update everyone here how the process went, either in this thread or start a new one.

Thanks everyone.
 
The OEM version requires the removal of the bumper and cutting of the bottom rear of the body/chasis (as told to me by the parts rep)......The aftermarket version does not require the removal of the bumper and is a straight Bolt on process.

I was told the same thing. Does that mean the OEM version would be positioned higher from the ground?

I am also most likely getting an aftermarket hitch though, because I have a warranty on my old hitch on my old vehicle, and they will give me a new one for free including installation on my Outlander.
 
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