2007 Acura MDX Trunk Bike Rack Issues - why you can't use trunk bike racks on a 2007 Acura MDX hitch bike rack & roof rack options

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Posted: 6/3/2011

Question: I've been using the rack fit guides on your website and can't find a trunk bike rack to fit my 2007 Acura MDX. Is there an issue with the fit? Are there other options if a trunk rack is not possible?

Answer: The 2007 Acura MDX is unable to support the weight of any trunk mount carrier with bikes loaded due to the small rear spoiler located at the top of the hatch door/back edge of the rooftop. This is where the straps would need to go, and if you tried to support the weight of the bikes and carrier along this point the system would fail. This is the same issue for any trunk rack from any manufacturer. Therefore we recommend a hitch bike rack, if you have a rear hitch receiver installed (it's also an easy process to have a trailer hitch installed on a Acura MDX at any local vehicle accessory dealer. Your local Acura dealer could point you in the right direction).

Another option is a roof rack system. You'll need to first install a multi-purpose base rack system on the 2007 Acura MDX car top. With the general purpose roof rack in place, you can then attach the bike carriers to the crossbars. For your vehicle we highly recommend the Thule 480 Traverse roof rack system (includes a set of four Thule 480 Traverse Feet, set of 1549 Traverse Fit Kit clips and a pair of 58 inch load bars with end caps). Additionally, you have the option to also use the Thule 480R Rapid Traverse roof rack system (includes a Thule 480R Rapid Traverse Foot Pack, a set of the same 1549 Traverse Fit Kit clips and a pair of RB60 60" Rapid Aero load bars with end caps). This system works exactly the same way as the regular 480 Traverse roof rack system except that you will be using the premium Thule Rapid Aero load bars instead of the classic square load bars included with the regular 480 Traverse roof rack system. From Yakima Racks you can use the Yakima Q Towers roof rack system (includes a set of four Q Towers, a pair of Q131 clips & pair of Q34 clips and a pair of 58” cross bars with end caps).

With any of these multi-purpose base racks installed, you can then connect any roof bike carriers to the cross bars and achieve a complete 2007 Acura MDX roof bike rack set up. Virtually all bike racks are universal mounting, allowing you to choose the model that you like best, independent of whether it is the same manufacturer as the base rack system. In general, you have two basic roof mount bike rack categories to choose from: 1) upright mount bike racks, where you leave the bike wheels on and load the entire bike onto the rack / 2) fork mount bike racks, where you take the front wheel off and mount the bike fork to the bike rack fork mount block & quick-release skewer.

Please note that if you are using the Thule 480R Rapid Traverse roof rack system, some Thule bike carriers require the use of a Thule Xadapt Kit to mount the carrier to the Rapid Aero load bars. Each Thule bike rack product page specifies if a Thule Xadapt Kit is required or not with the bike rack. However, all roof mount bike carriers will mount directly to the square load bars included with the regular Thule 480 Traverse roof rack system that have the square cross bars included. No issues with mounting directly to the Yakima Q Towers round cross bars either.