cg125 Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Anyone tried a rack on a small car like a Fiat Punto? What do you reckon? Ta! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 had one on my punto for 2 years, carried my p65 bike the length and breadth of the country with it with no problems ever .the only problem with the punto is that you have to specify that you want a bolt on ball towbar otherwise you''l turn up and have a swan neck fitted. They can also be a pig to fit I had a mobile guy come and do mine and he said the punto was one of the more difficult cars to put a tow bar on. if having a new tow bar fitted get them to put longer bolts on to fit the ball so that you can use them again when you put the rack fitting on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 I've got one on my Ford Fiesta, no problems. I use a couple of extra straps from the rear seat belt mounts, through the sides of the hatch and support the wheels with them Just to make me feel better really as the tow bar doesn't look that beefy. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham2 Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 While we're on the subject what is the maximum nose wheel ( ball) weight for a Punto/Fiesta tow-rack ? I ask because have a Primera and I'm sure the max load is only 75 kg so once you add a Sherco and a rack together I think I'm over that maximum!!! I dread to think what the fine is for overloading. Shhhh.. don't tell anyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 as a caravanner (big admission to make) i know that there are 'rules' regarding nose weights for your caravan (Caravan must be less than 80% of car I think) i cant see how that would apply to a bike rack as no matter how heavy the load is the mounting points are the same for the rack, when i first used a rack 12 or more years ago i had it on the backof a polo estate and over the 18 months i had it the rear floor had bent a bit ( ididnt notice until i took the carpets out to clean before i sold it, i have checked the punto and 2 years with big bikes on the rack no dents) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg125 Posted March 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 (edited) Looks like I'll be sticking the bike on the back of the little car then! Thanks. Edited March 13, 2007 by cg125 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thespikeyone Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Had a 2001 gas gas on the back of X plate punto for a while was fine until you enter quarries etc...... just keep your eyes and ears peeled for things trying to rip your exhaust off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phb Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 you may find that you are breaking the law by carrying your bike on a punto as i think that you are only allowed to have 50kg of nose weight on the tow bar (check the info with Fiat) i mite be wrong, bigger cars generally have a allowance of 75kg ie Ford Mondeo and such like. the nose weight is the maximum downward force/weight allowed on the tow bar and car and if exceeded this could invalidate your warranty and cause serious damage to the car. Also PC PLOD could prosecute you if he decided to be fussy. there is a recomendation that when towing anything that you do not tow more than 85% of the towing vehicles kerbside weight THIS IS NOT LAW but only a guide line but the nose weight should never be exceded, the manufacturers specify the maximum weight the vehicle is allowed to tow and on some vehicles this can be less than 85% of the weight so always check Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrybaines Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Out of interest I just done a quick search and found THIS which tells me my Vectra is OK for 75KG but then HERE May not tell you what you want too here about the Punto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham2 Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 I think BarryBaines and PHB confirmed my point . So the vast majority of us who use our racks for trial transport are (technically) in the 5h1t as far as the strict letter of the law is concerned. This topic never occurred !! You 'aint seen me..right!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiz Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Hi all think you will find that you are not towing the bike if none of it`s wheels are on the road, so kerb weights etc may not be an issue nose weights possibly will apply, but if you are worried about those nice tax collectors with the diced caps then your rack manufacturer should be able to put you straight, personally i prefer the ostrich approach. or you could try "sorry officer i never thought about it, but if you let me off I will cut up that nasty rack thingy with a hacksaw, honest guv" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 so the punto cant even tow a trailer according to the chart, if thats the case how/ why does every towbar manufactuer include fittings for the punto in there range.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phb Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 if i rememeber correctly the type approved doesn't mean you cannot tow with a punto but that the towbar is not built to the standards for offical testing approval that most new car towbars are tested to have a look on towsure website i believe that there is some info regarding this matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg125 Posted March 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 (edited) so the punto cant even tow a trailer according to the chart, if thats the case how/ why does every towbar manufactuer include fittings for the punto in there range.. I'm pretty sure that the web site is wrong. There are a few cars that are not EC Type Approved for towing (eg Ford Ka and the Audi TT coupe). If that was the case for the Punto then no professional towbar company would fit a towbar to one. And as far as I know, the maximum nose weight is only an issue if you are actually towing. Anyway, it all worked fine today and drives without any problem. Edited March 25, 2007 by cg125 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cota kid Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Bit off topic but at last years WTC Spanish Round a British rider's tyre came off the rim. He started to push the bike back to the paddock, which was about 15km away, when a friendly Spanish bloke stopped to give him a lift with the bike hanging out of the boot of a Fiat Panda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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