I'm evaluating a CPO Cayenne that has the factory hitch, but no air suspension.

Does anyone use a 4-bike tray rack (e.g. Kuat NV 2.0 w/ 2-bike add-on) with or without air suspension?

My concern is whether I'm going to scrape the rack on sharp approach/departure angles since the factory hitch is low (relative to what I have now where the hitch is mounted in the bumper). With an air suspension, you can always raise the ride height and skirt this issue. With coil springs, you get what you get.

 

You can buy a height-adjustable drawbar (shank) if so desired. One example is below.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...BoC1GoQAvD_BwE

 

Yeah that's right - or something like this: Hi-Lo Pro - Küat Racks (kuat.com).

I'm just looking for proof that someone's done this and it worked. You'd think there'd be an image of a Cayenne hauling 4 bikes on a tray rack out there somewhere...

 

Finding a photo of a 4-bike platform rack on a Cayenne isn't going to tell you how well it works - only that someone put one on a Cayenne. And the terrain that you are driving over with bikes on the back might not be similar to what others are encountering.

How does the receiver height on your current bike hauling vehicle compare to that on the Cayenne you are considering? Knowing that would be useful but vehicle wheelbase and distance between the receiver hitch opening and the center point where the rear wheels touch the pavement are also factors in how close to the ground a hitch receiver gets..

Air suspension isn't just to raise a vehicle when necessary so that a bike rack doesn't momentarily drag. Air suspension prevents rear end squat which I have found can be very significant when carrying 4 adults, their bikes and all their crap on a vehicle with steel springs - not talking about a Cayenne. I have no idea how much a Cayenne with steel springs squats when carrying bikes, four passengers and their stuff. The Cayenne with air suspension don't squat at all.

While I like platform bike racks a lot, all the hitch mount bike racks I've used have been of the hanging type due to platform bike racks being prone to scrape. But all the other vehicles I've used for hitch bike racks have had their receivers much closer to the pavement than the receiver on my Cayenne. The difference between hitch receiver height on my Cayenne and the hitch receiver height on the Toyota van I mainly used to carry bikes before I bought the Cayenne is about 4 inches. I'm confident that the additional 4 inches of height would allow using a platform 4-bike rack on my Cayenne if I wanted to replace my hanging 4-bike rack which I don't. Hanging racks have their own advantages.

IIRC, a Cayenne on steel springs rides slightly higher than a Cayenne on air suspension in normal mode. That might make rear end squat a bit less of an issue on a Cayenne with steel springs.

Here's a link to a post showing my 4-bike hanging rack on my Cayenne although there's only one bike on it in the photos. One of the cool aspects of this hanging rack is that the portion where the bikes attach rise upward further reducing the possibility of dragging: https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...l#post18370129

 

And it is incumbent upon the driver of the vehicle to not attempt slopes (driveways) that violate the now-reduced departure angle due to a hitch mounted bike rack.

 

For sure it's a caveat emptor / YMMV situation. Not all departure angles are equal, wheelbases are different, etc.

Personal bike hauling vehicle history with this rack is:

• Pacifica with aftermarket hitch below bumper. Lots of scrapes
• Grand Cherokee WL with air suspension and std hitch mounted in bumper. Never a single scrape. I can drive over whatever I want.

Cayenne looks somewhere between the two.

Sorry, but a hanging rack is not for me.

 

Measuring the height above ground of the receivers on your Jeep and the Cayenne you are considering should give you a good idea without getting into the weeds.

I wasn't suggesting that hanging racks are appropriate for everyone. I've had about every bike rack type available (except the 1UP vertical rack type) since the 1960's and found that there are good and bad points in all of them.

 

Roof bike rack: one rack to rule them all.

Thule WingBar EVO + Thule ProRide bike carrier = full success and satisfaction 100% of the time.

 

I can’t offer any insight on a Cayenne just yet as I’m still waiting for my build to arrive (hopefully in next 3 weeks). I got a MY24 TEH Coupe and it’ll have the air suspension and tow hitch.

I actually do have the exact same bike rack you mentioned in your thread (Kuat NV 2.0 with the 2 add-ons) that I currently attach to my ‘20 Benz GLS 450 with air suspension. My GLS actually sits lower than most SUVs and the hitch is below the bumper, but I never noticed the bike rack to sit low enough to be at risk of scraping on steep angles, even when I attach and load with engine off. As soon as I start the engine though, the air suspension does level the Benz because of the slight rear squat but not as much as you would think given how heavy the Kuat with 2 add-on is even without bikes loaded.

I can see how your van would scrape given how low vans sit compared to SUVs and the heavy weight of the Kuat with 2 add-ons, 4 bikes and people.

I’m planning to use the same Kuat bike rack on my Cayenne as needed when wifey has the Benz. Hopefully I’ll have real Cayenne to Kuat feedback soon as my build has almost crossed the North Atlantic…fingers crossed.

 

Oooh - great feedback! I've noticed the Merc SUV hitches are very low like that. Thank you!

 

BTW - this setup works very well. I bought a CPO '21 in July. I keep thinking I'll scrape the rack on mountain biking trips, and have yet to still.

I need to try it next with my Kuat Pivot swing arm and see how that goes.