Bike rack.. (Sagaris / T350)
Discussion
It would be pretty tough to do a roof rack, I reckon.
And the rear spoiler does get in the way a bit, as does the smooth one piece design of the back. If you really want a nice integrated look I would suggest that you get something custom made.
I threw together a design a while ago, that allows it to be completely hidden if not in use. The basic idea is that there are two pieces, one attached permanently to the inside of the car, and anothe r mating piece that is stored in the trunk when not in use.
You mount the load bearing part to the floor of the boot, and, when needed, you remove the badge, lift the mating piece out of the boot and attach it to the permanently mounted piece. The mating piece uses suction cups for additional support and is designed to keep the bike from swinging into the rear and scratching up the paint or damaging the fibreglass.
>> Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Wednesday 15th February 20:48
And the rear spoiler does get in the way a bit, as does the smooth one piece design of the back. If you really want a nice integrated look I would suggest that you get something custom made.
I threw together a design a while ago, that allows it to be completely hidden if not in use. The basic idea is that there are two pieces, one attached permanently to the inside of the car, and anothe r mating piece that is stored in the trunk when not in use.
You mount the load bearing part to the floor of the boot, and, when needed, you remove the badge, lift the mating piece out of the boot and attach it to the permanently mounted piece. The mating piece uses suction cups for additional support and is designed to keep the bike from swinging into the rear and scratching up the paint or damaging the fibreglass.
>> Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Wednesday 15th February 20:48
Here's the very rough design I did a while ago...the blue/green disc is supposed to be the badge, and the license plate should give you an idea of how it all sits in relation to the rear of the car. It's not to scale, and you will need to decide on:
- all measurements
- mounting mechanism for loadbearing member, and type of hardware
- square or round metal tubing
- type of hook to use (that you would put the bicycle on)
- additional holes to drill for bungee cord attachment, etc.
- whether to have the hooks hinged to swing sideways, as that will allow the whole removable piece to lie much flatter in the boot, when not in use
- how to paint/weatherproof the whole assembly (I would paint it the same as the car).
Click on the link below for a bigger version:
http://img117.imageshack.us/my.php?im
Do let me know if you use the design, and how and why you modified any aspects of it to make it better!
>> Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Wednesday 15th February 21:03
- all measurements
- mounting mechanism for loadbearing member, and type of hardware
- square or round metal tubing
- type of hook to use (that you would put the bicycle on)
- additional holes to drill for bungee cord attachment, etc.
- whether to have the hooks hinged to swing sideways, as that will allow the whole removable piece to lie much flatter in the boot, when not in use
- how to paint/weatherproof the whole assembly (I would paint it the same as the car).
Click on the link below for a bigger version:
http://img117.imageshack.us/my.php?im
Do let me know if you use the design, and how and why you modified any aspects of it to make it better!
>> Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Wednesday 15th February 21:03
Another option is to just use the outer piece with straps. You could run the straps under the rear spoiler and into the rear hatch and then attach them to something. The danger, of course, is that the straps would mess up the paintwork, but you could use thick clear tape to protect against it.
I would think that at speeds above 50mph, the loads on the roof would be quite high from a roof-mounted bike? You also can't keep an eye on it when driving.
Plus, I have seen a lot of people forget about the additional clearance they needed with the bike on top, and that usually ends in tears.
Plus, I have seen a lot of people forget about the additional clearance they needed with the bike on top, and that usually ends in tears.
orgasmicliving!! said:
I would think that at speeds above 50mph, the loads on the roof would be quite high from a roof-mounted bike? You also can't keep an eye on it when driving.
Plus, I have seen a lot of people forget about the additional clearance they needed with the bike on top, and that usually ends in tears.
You can see if you have a Targa
Mind you, my Audi has no sunroof either. I'll do a search later, it was one of the online roof rack companies who had this. My brother has a 3 series coupe and I saw the images online of the bits he'd need to use my roof/bike rack (if that makes sense).
T/.
OK, the part I'm talking about is the Thule Short Roof Adapter - part number 477. There is a good pic on www.roofracks.co.uk. Go in a spec a Nissan 200sx (USA) car roof bar system and you will see the part I'm talking about.
T/.
T/.
I saw a 911 at M4 services a couple of weeks back with a bike mounted upright on a roof rack - might be worth posting on the Porsche forum (if you could bring yourself to ask for their help!). Mind you it did look a bit precarious - but then of course it wouldn't be doing the same speeds as a TVR.
tuscantim said:
I saw a 911 at M4 services a couple of weeks back with a bike mounted upright on a roof rack - might be worth posting on the Porsche forum (if you could bring yourself to ask for their help!). Mind you it did look a bit precarious - but then of course it wouldn't be doing the same speeds as a TVR.
JasperJ,
I am in the US, so I can't really help you with who to go to.
I have a friend that puts a bike on a 550 Maranello using a roof-rack. When the bike's on, we don't go over 65mph, out of fear that it will rip out of the rack. Without the bike, he regularly does 165mph, so it's not as if he drives slow. This is why I really think you will be better off putting it on the back, rather than on the roof.
I am in the US, so I can't really help you with who to go to.
I have a friend that puts a bike on a 550 Maranello using a roof-rack. When the bike's on, we don't go over 65mph, out of fear that it will rip out of the rack. Without the bike, he regularly does 165mph, so it's not as if he drives slow. This is why I really think you will be better off putting it on the back, rather than on the roof.
Decided to play with some ideas...if you can find something sturdy behind the badges, and something reasonably sturdy behind the reflectors, then it could work out nicely. Or, you could build your own bracing to spread the load behind the fibreglass if you can get to those areas. <- Any good fibreglass specialist should be able to help you. A bicycle's weight spread over several points is a very small load.
Link to drawing is here:
imagehttp://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?im
The top bar is curved so that it follows the line of the car's curved back. This bar is bolted to the spoiler supports. However it is attached, it has to be a strong arrangement.
The braces going from the badge to the top bar should end up right under the protruding bike bracket. The bike brackets can then be triangulated with the braces.
The lower rail is just to keep the bike away from the car, and to have something to bungee the bike to, in order to keep it from swinging back and forth. So it could be made of anything that's strong enough--it does not have to be metal. Possibly good, thick, clear acrylic tubing? I don't know how easy it is to bend acrylic. You could retain the reflectors by mounting them on the rail itself.
This is just an approximation/concept skethc, superimposed on top of a picture. I am sure that following the curves of the car and a good paint job would make the design blend in much better.
I would love criticism/feedback. Please bear in mind that I am not a professional--design is just a hobby for me.
Link to drawing is here:
imagehttp://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?im
The top bar is curved so that it follows the line of the car's curved back. This bar is bolted to the spoiler supports. However it is attached, it has to be a strong arrangement.
The braces going from the badge to the top bar should end up right under the protruding bike bracket. The bike brackets can then be triangulated with the braces.
The lower rail is just to keep the bike away from the car, and to have something to bungee the bike to, in order to keep it from swinging back and forth. So it could be made of anything that's strong enough--it does not have to be metal. Possibly good, thick, clear acrylic tubing? I don't know how easy it is to bend acrylic. You could retain the reflectors by mounting them on the rail itself.
This is just an approximation/concept skethc, superimposed on top of a picture. I am sure that following the curves of the car and a good paint job would make the design blend in much better.
I would love criticism/feedback. Please bear in mind that I am not a professional--design is just a hobby for me.
Chas at Racing Green made an interesting suggestion to me a while back: make two holes in the roll cage either side of the roof (and give them a silvery finish possible with silvery covers), then fashion a rack that will simply plug into those four holes). Engineering suggested it might be impractical/costly as a one-off... but perhaps a dealer would do it for us if several of us promised to buy such a system?
Cheeky,
I am told you should stay away from roof racks for the following reasons:
1. Difficulty to load, unload.
2. Wind loads on the bike.
3. People forget about the additional clearance needed--all it takes is one bad incident.
4. You can't keep an eye on it while driving.
5. It greatly reduces the speeds you can drive at.
6. When not in use, there are water ingress issues.
7. Because the roll cage is a good inch or two below the fibreglass, you will need fairly long "stand-offs" and then the bike's 4 feet of additional height will lead to significant torque on the fasteners.
8. Poor fuel economy.
9. The long, straight, rigid pieces sometimes don't look well integrated.
10. You will get lots of wind noise with a bike on it, and some wind noise even with no bike.
I am told you should stay away from roof racks for the following reasons:
1. Difficulty to load, unload.
2. Wind loads on the bike.
3. People forget about the additional clearance needed--all it takes is one bad incident.
4. You can't keep an eye on it while driving.
5. It greatly reduces the speeds you can drive at.
6. When not in use, there are water ingress issues.
7. Because the roll cage is a good inch or two below the fibreglass, you will need fairly long "stand-offs" and then the bike's 4 feet of additional height will lead to significant torque on the fasteners.
8. Poor fuel economy.
9. The long, straight, rigid pieces sometimes don't look well integrated.
10. You will get lots of wind noise with a bike on it, and some wind noise even with no bike.
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