Trailer hitch

**modfan61** · 04-23-2018 04:17 AM

Hey all, been awhile since I've been on here but been doing some looking and can't find much. How many of you all have a trailer hitch on your A4 sedans? I need to carry my trail bike around somehow and the only hitch I can find mounts to the spare tire well. Just wondering how well that has held up for anyone that has that set up. I won't be trailering anything. Just would have a single bike rack mounted to it..

**seanf86** · 04-23-2018 05:43 AM

I'm looking into this for my B6 as well, I have the spare tire style hitch on my b5s4 however and it works great, I tow 2 jetskis on a double trailer about 160mile round trip every second weekend last summer and it held up great, I'm sure the curt hitch would be fine for a bike rack.

There is one part number thats only listed for b7 avants thats no drilling required, it bolts to the exhaust hanger hole and the rear tow hook, if anyone can confirm if that fits a b6 sedan thats the way to go. The only reason I can't see them saying it fits is maybe because you'd have to trim the lower part of the bumper cover. The hitch I'm talking about is the curt 11180.

**modfan61** · 04-23-2018 06:36 AM

Hearing that, I think it will be okay too. Was just a little weary of having it mounted to sheet metal and all. I'd order the one for the B7 to find out if it fit, but I don't really feel like going through the trouble of returning it if it didn't fit

**henri12** · 04-24-2018 02:06 AM

How about a truck mount bike carrier like Thule?

**Nollywood** · 04-24-2018 03:01 AM

A hitch mounted to the spare wheel well, and not on proper structural parts of the car, are a bad idea.

Yes, I’m aware a bike rack weighs very little, but in the unfortunate event you suffer a low-speed impact from another vehicle, the hitch will tear the floor out of the trunk. It would total your car. An impact on the hitch ball is very different to the impact on the rear of the car, which is often square, with a spread load.

I would get the correct, load-bearing hitch for a B6 Sedan.

**Nollywood** · 04-24-2018 03:02 AM

Originally Posted by henri12

How about a truck mount bike carrier like Thule?

This is a better option, than a spare wheel well-mounted hitch.

**seanf86** · 04-24-2018 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by Nollywood

A hitch mounted to the spare wheel well, and not on proper structural parts of the car, are a bad idea.

Yes, I’m aware a bike rack weighs very little, but in the unfortunate event you suffer a low-speed impact from another vehicle, the hitch will tear the floor out of the trunk. It would total your car. An impact on the hitch ball is very different to the impact on the rear of the car, which is often square, with a spread load.

I would get the correct, load-bearing hitch for a B6 Sedan.

They don't make any load bearing hitch like you guys get in Europe. Most if not all hitches that mount on unibody cars are drilled into the tire well and the Euro hitches don't have safety chain provisions.

**Dodaman** · 04-24-2018 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by seanf86

They don't make any load bearing hitch like you guys get in Europe. Most if not all hitches that mount on unibody cars are drilled into the tire well and the Euro hitches don't have safety chain provisions.

I just installed the curt hitch, Part #11164, from Etrailer. Everyone said it wouldn’t fit, but turns out Curt didn’t have a test cabriolet to try it out. Well, it fits great. Just a very small amount of the lower facia had to be cut. I am also using it to transport my 30lb mtn bike. As you stated, there isn’t a hitch available that will bolt to the structural part of the vehicle, so this is what we have from the USA makers. There is an option from an overseas company, can’t remember their name. I looked at it, but I didn’t want to shell out $500 total just to transport my mtn bike. This Curt one will be fine. I’ve bolted this rack onto many different hitches, and after this install, i’m not worried in the least about if it will carry the weight. Now, i haven’t loaded it up yet, so it may sag a little bit, but It will be minimal. Worst case, I may change racks to something smaller and lighter down the road.

As for getting rear ended with it on, well, I can’t control that. I figure as much as it would suck, I have extra insurance for things like that, so I’m not going to loose sleep over and it. I’m going to enjoy the perks of being able to tote my bike to the trails. 😀.

Good luck and enjoy.

**SJorge3442** · 04-24-2018 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by seanf86

I'm looking into this for my B6 as well, I have the spare tire style hitch on my b5s4 however and it works great, I tow 2 jetskis on a double trailer about 160mile round trip every second weekend last summer and it held up great, I'm sure the curt hitch would be fine for a bike rack.

There is one part number thats only listed for b7 avants thats no drilling required, it bolts to the exhaust hanger hole and the rear tow hook, if anyone can confirm if that fits a b6 sedan thats the way to go. The only reason I can't see them saying it fits is maybe because you'd have to trim the lower part of the bumper cover. The hitch I'm talking about is the curt 11180.

Interesting that you use the s4 for towing 2 skis. I too have 2 skis which I tow with my dads f150. You must have some nicer boat ramps than around here because I usually have to have much of the rear axle of the truck in the water when I'm retrieving/dumping the skis. I also pondered 2 skis on the 3.0, but I would 100% have to upgrade the brakes. I think thats the my biggest issue aside from power....

**seanf86** · 04-24-2018 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by SJorge3442

Interesting that you use the s4 for towing 2 skis. I too have 2 skis which I tow with my dads f150. You must have some nicer boat ramps than around here because I usually have to have much of the rear axle of the truck in the water when I'm retrieving/dumping the skis. I also pondered 2 skis on the 3.0, but I would 100% have to upgrade the brakes. I think thats the my biggest issue aside from power....

They're older jetskis so they weigh under 500lbs each, I wouldn't dare tow some of the new pigs they make now, I've since split them up and got a single trailer and will only tow one from now on, usually I can get both skis in the water with just barely getting my back tires wet, maybe the exhaust starts burbling, they're all concrete ramps, I don't dare venture into the closer sand launch we have as I'm sure the low pro summer tires and wet sand wouldn't be a good combo.

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**modfan61** · 04-24-2018 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Nollywood

but in the unfortunate event you suffer a low-speed impact from another vehicle, the hitch will tear the floor out of the trunk. It would total your car.

Fortunately, if I was rear ended, with my trail bike, my trail bike has more into than the car is worth and that would get destroyed and the person that hit me would have to cover that as well as the car..

As for a trunk mount rack, the design of my trail bike really doesn't allow that kind of set up, with the way the top tube is on the frame. Plus, those trunk racks really aren't that secure IMO

**BARRY** · 04-24-2018 11:55 AM

second everything everybody said...the B7 trailer hitch one is of a better design. i personally have the Westfalia hitch...it bolts INTO the frame which is great...but to work with bikes, i'd have to buy a separate attachment. also the electrical wiring kit didn't work so i had to buy another.

**modfan61** · 04-24-2018 12:42 PM

Barry, I agree with them too. It is a much better design, but wasn't 100% on if it would fit my B6 and I'd like to be riding soon (this weekend)...

**BARRY** · 04-24-2018 12:48 PM

you also could do roof rack with bike mounts. don't think that was mentioned.

**modfan61** · 04-25-2018 04:18 AM

Barry, thought of that too, I REALLY don't want to go that route of putting holes in my roof for a permanent installation. Sometimes I wish I had an Avant... this is one of those times