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Wow major drag!!! I lost at least 3 miles without the bike

Top speed dropped from 94 to 91/92 and the wind was howling

Acceleration suffered as well when I was above 60 mph

I will try tomorrow with the bike.
 
This outcome is expected and some mileage loss and wind noise will continue when the bike(s) are not being carried.

Our solution has no noise and no mileage loss when bikes are removed, negligible degradation while carrying them. It may be too late for you but others can benefit from your experience who have not yet invested in a roof rack.

Here is our proven solution:

http://www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%20Rack%20Nissan%20Leaf%202011+.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Happy to discuss. In stock.

Sam Bird
BIRD Automotive
 
Here is a shot of two bikes I have not tried it out on the expressway yet but I am not expecting to beat any Prius's is in a drag race

How do you spell Prius in a plural :?
 

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DarkStar said:
For a cheaper solution, I went with the Torklift Central hitch for $250 with free shipping and picked up a bike rack from Harbor Freight for $32 with a 60% off coupon. The advantage also being that I can now tow other things with the Leaf.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Could you show a picture of the hitch in place from underneath and describe the cut-out made in the plastic belly pan to make space for the hitch? Thanks. Sam Bird
 
Checking to see if anyone has more real-life numbers on bike racks.

I don't have a Leaf yet but am considering getting one. I would definitely put a roof rack on, for either bikes or kayaks. Since kayaks are involved, a rear post rack is not an option. Very interested in range data, less in top speed or acceleration. I borrowed a Leaf from a friend to do my highway commute, which is 75 miles, and JUST made it. So my questions are:

1. Would a roof rack without gear but two attachments designed to hold bikes reduce the range much? (If so, I could not get to work even without a bike on the roof).

2. How much range reduction with 2 bikes on roof.

3. How much range reduction with 2 kayaks on roof. (Doubtful anyone will have this).

THANKS
 
Sorry to be an EV newbie, but do you mean 5-7 miles on an entire battery charge, or 5-7 miles per some unit you are inferring?

Thanks
 
Fully loaded:
IMAG0224m.jpg

And here's what i do with the rack when not in use:
2012-04-16_17-18-09_642.jpg

The rack is quite heavy so I felt more comfortable with wire cables rather than rope, but that meant I needed a winch.
Electric ones were quite expensive and meant getting power to them.
The manual ones are cheap but take forever to crank. So my solution was to remove the handle and leave my drill there. Now it just takes a few seconds.
2012-04-16_17-16-56_596m.jpg

I have marked where I need to stop the Leaf, halfway in and out of the garage, so I can drop the rack and slip it straight into the Hitch's socket. The rack never touches the ground, nor do I ever have to lift it.

Shaun
 
EVDrive said:
I just installed my receiver hitch today from Torklift Central today as welll and It looks great. It is an amazingly well engineered piece of hardware. Fishing the installation bolts through the frame was a bit challenging for me as well. You can't mess up installing the bolts or you would have a needed bolt sliding around in the frame. I had to strengthen the included bolt fisher as it broke through the 1st bolt of 6. They use exiting holes in the frame to mount the receiver so there is no drilling.

For those of you who were wondering, I got the 1 1/4" receiver and it has a rated tow capacity of 2,000lbs. I dead lifted mine into position from underneath whith the back tires up on a few 2x8 pieces of wood. It took about 3 hours to install and put the car back together. It is awesome.


LeafPowerIsIxE said:
Installed my Torklift 2" hitch over the past two weekends. End result - superb. Well designed, solid, and perfect fit to spec. This is a great upgrade.

Ordered it 12/24; they shipped it 1/25. Well packaged with shrink wrap. The hitch looks very custom, and very professionally build. Solid and clean.

Disassembly of the underside cover is not remarkable. Locate the center frame support, jack up the rear end (be sure to chock the front wheels), set a couple jack stands to the far right and left frame supports, and go to work. Don't put the jack stands in the center - you'll need space to slide off the cover.

Mark the cover "clips" with a wax pencil - identify the bolts vs push pins. Or take a pix. Makes it easier when you reassemble.

Mark the holes Torklift identifies for the bolt fish. It will save you some aggrevation later if you pull the wrong holes.

This is the point in the install that challenged my common sense - how to fit the bolt-washer-brace into that little frame hole. I am an electrical engineer (maybe the problem) - couldn't figure it out, and gave up. A quick call to Jonny Couture at Torklift straightened me out. Assemble the bolt setup and fish it piece by piece. Common sense. The bolt fish technique works like magic – bolt, washer, and brace fell right into place. It can be a bit frustrating “fishing” the wire. Don't give up.

Once the bolts are set up, I put the hitch on the jack and lifted it into place. Fit like a glove. I added 5 "double bolts" to ensure nothing loosened up. Be sure to put the bolt back into the assembly you dropped to do the bolt fishing on the driver side.

The cut diagram on the instructions is accurate - do not cut out the bolt clip. Cut only a flap (do not remove) - then slide the cover back into place. Easier said than done, but nothing that a little time and positioning doesn't fix. The "flap" sits perfectly under the hitch receiver box.

This hitch looks great – tomorrow I am off the Mira Mar Lake to test it out with a 68mph run down the I-15 express lanes.

Hats off to Torklift for this creative solution.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


Thanks for great info. I went to the Torklift web site but it seems like the hitches there are for huge loads, can you tell us exactly what model hitch, receiver and ball you installed? I'm ready to give it a go. Need to tow my 40's Airstream ...

Dave
 
gbshaun said:
Fully loaded:
View attachment 2

And here's what i do with the rack when not in use:
View attachment 1

The rack is quite heavy so I felt more comfortable with wire cables rather than rope, but that meant I needed a winch.
Electric ones were quite expensive and meant getting power to them.
The manual ones are cheap but take forever to crank. So my solution was to remove the handle and leave my drill there. Now it just takes a few seconds.


I have marked where I need to stop the Leaf, halfway in and out of the garage, so I can drop the rack and slip it straight into the Hitch's socket. The rack never touches the ground, nor do I ever have to lift it.

Shaun
Click to expand...


Wow! what a great job and idea. I'll be duplicating it .. will need to use it for my mother-in-law when she comes to visit.

Seriously, good idea and will do the same.

Dave
 
Question for Leaf owners who have installed Torklift EcoHitch:

Do any of you noticed any difference with the range of the car?

Seems like if I need to install this hitch, there will be some sort of cut out from the plastic cover at the underside of the rear part of the car.
I assume that plastic cover suppose to keep the aerodynamic of the car, I wonder if that will cause any drag, hence lower the range?

Or, my worry is just unnecessary?
 
CWO4Mann said:
gbshaun said:
Fully loaded:
View attachment 2

And here's what i do with the rack when not in use:
View attachment 1

The rack is quite heavy so I felt more comfortable with wire cables rather than rope, but that meant I needed a winch.
Electric ones were quite expensive and meant getting power to them.
The manual ones are cheap but take forever to crank. So my solution was to remove the handle and leave my drill there. Now it just takes a few seconds.


I have marked where I need to stop the Leaf, halfway in and out of the garage, so I can drop the rack and slip it straight into the Hitch's socket. The rack never touches the ground, nor do I ever have to lift it.

Shaun
Click to expand...


Wow! what a great job and idea. I'll be duplicating it .. will need to use it for my mother-in-law when she comes to visit.

Seriously, good idea and will do the same.

Dave
Click to expand...
Here are a couple of videos of the bike rack and winch set-up.
video 1 http://youtu.be/ikTNKnNPy3s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
video 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN20vvQZ2Lk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Purchased mines from Bill, installation was easy, so far I loaded 3 bikes on a Thule bike rack , I tested the strength by hanging on it- im 200lbs, rack felt very solid.
 

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surfsnow said:
Question for Leaf owners who have installed Torklift EcoHitch:

Do any of you noticed any difference with the range of the car?

Seems like if I need to install this hitch, there will be some sort of cut out from the plastic cover at the underside of the rear part of the car.
I assume that plastic cover suppose to keep the aerodynamic of the car, I wonder if that will cause any drag, hence lower the range?

Or, my worry is just unnecessary?
Click to expand...

There's probably not a measurable difference, unless you can accelerate the car to several hundred mph.

I drove my red LEAF with and without the rear diffuser, and also with a mounted spare tire and modified diffuser. None made any difference. This is a low pressure area, so drag effects are minimized.
 

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