avenali312
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Mableton, GA
- Car(s)
- 2015 GTI
Looks like a 1up to me.
7
Golf R EcoHitch Installation Advice Wanted
- Thread starter matts67
- Start date
Looks like a 1up to me.
Installed it last night and it was fairly straight forward. I did have to notch the lip on the lower part of the impact bar to get it to sit flush because the receiver didn't provide enough clearance. I ended up measuring about 10 times, marked the area, put masking tape around my lines, and cut inside the tape lines. I cut the hole slightly smaller than the instructions stated to...about 2 3/4" wide, which is slightly too snug. Can definitely get away with a 3" wide cutout if it's perfectly centered (1.25" receiver). Overall I'm happy with it.
jmblur
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Car(s)
- 2017 Golf R
Yup, that's a 1up. Great racks but hard to lock bikes to.
virpacalis
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- near Philly
- Car(s)
- '17 R DSG
Nicely done, enjoy!
avenali312
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Mableton, GA
- Car(s)
- 2015 GTI
This was my main reason for choosing the Thule T1. I liked the integrated security that didn't require me to spend more money on locks.
1up Bike rack
As for the hitch being "hidden", unfortunately it is not fully hidden and the receiver is visible. In the pictures I provided of my personal car, it looks much more obvious but in reality it is fairly subtle. Like others have said, it's gloss black and blends in a bit with the rear diffuser for the R. The weight penalty is minimal at about 25lbs, I wouldn't worry too much about that. I also have whispbar roof racks for my cargo box. I was debating about getting attachments for those and using the roof rack as my bike transportation option, but I'm a stickler with my car paint and I hate the induced swirls/scratches the rubber feet leave every time you mount/dismount the rack. Keeping them on permanently was also not an option for me...it takes me about 20-30 min. to mount the roof rack to the car. Hope that helps!
Kind Regards,
Ryan
GLFR
New member
- Location
- Dayton OHio
Installed ECO Hitch over the weekend as well as Curt's T-One Connector wiring harness.
The install much like you gents have said ... fairly straight forward ... be patient ...
I will say this ... that first 'crackle' when the rear bumper cover releases is nothing short of ... uh oh ... LOL ...
Like some of you guys mentioned ... I cut the rear diffuser for a more custom look. I simply measured a few times and transferred those measurements using a silver marker on the inside of the diffuser. Then cut the notch following my lines using an industrial pair of scissors. The scissors allowed for a very clean controlled cut.
The install much like you gents have said ... fairly straight forward ... be patient ...
I will say this ... that first 'crackle' when the rear bumper cover releases is nothing short of ... uh oh ... LOL ...
Like some of you guys mentioned ... I cut the rear diffuser for a more custom look. I simply measured a few times and transferred those measurements using a silver marker on the inside of the diffuser. Then cut the notch following my lines using an industrial pair of scissors. The scissors allowed for a very clean controlled cut.
jlivingood
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
I installed mine over the weekend and also had to widen some of the holes in the rack as it did not align perfectly. This is what the looked like on the left side. I used a Dremel to grind a little more room in the lower left hole and a bunch more in the upper left.
Attachments
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widen0.JPG
jlivingood
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
Can you post a pic of the finished product? Kind of curious what you did...
jlivingood
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
BTW, here's my finished product - with a 1up rack.
Attachments
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done.JPG
jlivingood
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
So... questions for others. Have I notched the diffuser in the same manner that others did? The reason I ask is that the fit seems very snug where the diffuser meets the top of the hitch (and I measured carefully). What ended up happening is that the two fasteners on the bottom of the diffuser no longer mated up.
The only thing I did differently was left the foam bumper protector inside the bumper (based on feedback in some other threads). Absent other suggestions, I will probably take the bumper cover back off and remove that foam piece this coming weekend and see if that changes things. And if I screwed up the lower diffuser, no big deal - it is a small piece of plastic and easily replaced.
The only thing I did differently was left the foam bumper protector inside the bumper (based on feedback in some other threads). Absent other suggestions, I will probably take the bumper cover back off and remove that foam piece this coming weekend and see if that changes things. And if I screwed up the lower diffuser, no big deal - it is a small piece of plastic and easily replaced.
Attachments
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diffuser.JPG -
align.JPG -
hitch.JPG
GLFR
New member
- Location
- Dayton OHio
How do you resize file.... lol. My file too large according to forum....
jlivingood
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
If you have a Mac, open it in Preview, select Tools / Adjust Size and make it no bigger than 1200 pixels in any direction. If you have a PC there is likely an equivalent tool. Alternatively, I will PM you my email address.
GLFR
New member
- Location
- Dayton OHio
I have attached ... let's see if it works ...
Attachments
-
R Hitch Pic.jpg
jlivingood
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
Very helpful thanks. Did you remove the foam thing inside the bumper or put that back on the car?