Hey everyone. Looking for some suggestions from you guys.

The scenario:

I have a hitch and bike rack on the back of my HHR. Love the bike rack, probably one of the best I have every owned.

However, because we have low vehicles, even with the angle bar on the rack the tire of the bike that is closest to the hhr sits really close to the exhaust. For short trips this is not a huge problem. However, when it is 95 out and i am traveling 5 hours with the bikes, the tire gets extremely hot back there. I am worried about ruining a tire, weakening it so it may blow when i am 15-20 miles from my car, or some other type of damage.

IS THERE any type of exhaust tip or cover that is bent, or at an angle or something i could slip over mine to point the exhaust away. I swear i have seen something like this. It would be awesome if it fit over my OEM chrome tip, was easy to remove, add, didn't scratch mine, etc. I have searched online and can't find anything!?!?

Or if you guys have any ideas of something to Macgyver that would work. Last night i wandered in Lowes and picked up some brackets and a piece of aluminum to build a deflector and attach it on the bike rack. However If i could modify the exhaust, it seems like it would be easier. Plus, i would like to not attach it to the rack because it may be sharp, it's not super thick, so i could bend it easily, my rack often lives in the bar of the hhr with stuff thrown on top of it etc.

Any ideas?

 

Something similar to what you MacGyver'd but thicker and with heat tape on it? I would mod the rack and not the car if it were me, even if it were a slip on type deal.....


There's always side pipes too...... j/k

 

Take it to a muffler shop and see if they can put a turn down on your muffler, the only thing is, is that you will loose your exhaust tip.

 

You won't be able to do anything to the current tip without permenately altering it. I would look at altering the rack and not the car. Could you kanter the bike abit? Put it on the other way around?

Got a pic of said bracket you made installed on the rack with the bike and the hhr???

 

If it were mine, I would have a muffler shop cut off the existing tip, leaving a little stub so it could be welded back on if you ever want to. Then just have them weld on a chrome tip that bends down or slightly to to outside or whatever you want to direct the exhaust away from the tire.

If you stop riding/carrying bikes or are selling the vehicle put the original tip back on if you want.

Most people wouldn't notice the difference.

 

thanks guys. i don't think i want to mod the exhaust because of just aesthetics of the turned down exhaust whenever the bikes aren't on it.

So far I just have the parts to make what i was thinking of. I was trying to think of any last ideas before i start cutting, drilling, etc the metal plate i got.

It won't be too hard to do but i'll probably do it before next weekend. Maybe. I am taking the bike on the road for about 4-5 hours, but only one this time, so i can at least put it farther away and then it is no problem. It is only when i carry 2 bikes.

Maybe if i get a day where it isn't 95 out and i can hook everything up and see if it sparks any ideas.