0xZoom
Member
Yes, about 15 minutes from Seven Hills, so it suits us pretty well. Saving the money is always an important. That’s more accessories I can buy!
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Model Y Tow Package available soon from Tesla Australia
- Thread starter [Zombie]
- Start date
First real test, 4 x bikes loaded onto the thule for a mountain biking trip to port Macquarie. Just made it with a charge at heatherbrae, definitely much worse range towing this setup but the car went beautifully. The charge cable just made it with 1cm of clearance to the pole so no need to remove any bikes.
0xZoom
Member
elddum
Member
Nice!
Be keen to know:
1) What tow bar you have installed (Tesla, EV Stealth, other?)
2) What hitch/ball you have (and dimension if possible)
Looks like a great setup and I plan to get same for my Thule 4 bike carrier… IF I ever get the MY LR I ordered 4Aug!
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1. EV Stealth, see my install on page 5 of this thread.
2. The Standard towball and hitch that came with the EV Stealth kit.
0xZoom
Member
Sounds about right, I would guess 15-20%. I was driving at 110km/h most of the way, would have been better consumption at 100km/h.
0xZoom
Member
I'm never driving at 100km/h
. But I would guess 15-20% is easy to manage based on the Supercharger locations between Sydney and Brisbane.Has anyone bought the Tesla "Model X/Y Hitch Rack" bike rack? If so how is it? I need a new bike rack, and if this has good reviews I would be very interested. I'm particularly interested in how easy it is to put on/take off the car, since I wouldn't want to leave it on when I don't need it. Thanks!
NeilA
Member
So, first time towing with the Y and it's Carasel-fitted tow bar this weekend.
Car towed like a champion with trailer heavily loaded with furniture.
But I will say that the stealth-nature of the towbar makes for challenging attachment of the trailer safety chain.
The attachment point for the chain is deep in the access space and quite hard to reach to do up the D link.
My answer was to persevere and attach a short length of chain I had and then use another D link to attach that to the trailer chain.
The short length can stay connected permanently, as there is ample space for it to sit on the inside of where the black bumper extends underneath.
The other challenge was that the chain rests on the bumper - on the bottom of the access opening. So i fixed that with the application of some black duct tape, which I removed when I finished towing.
The fiddly bits aside, the towing experience was great (even with the efficiency hit - 120k round trip with elevation change of >400m for an efficiency of 219Wh/Km - my long term figure is 135Wh/Km), with the car coping with steep, windy hills with ease.
Car towed like a champion with trailer heavily loaded with furniture.
But I will say that the stealth-nature of the towbar makes for challenging attachment of the trailer safety chain.
The attachment point for the chain is deep in the access space and quite hard to reach to do up the D link.
My answer was to persevere and attach a short length of chain I had and then use another D link to attach that to the trailer chain.
The short length can stay connected permanently, as there is ample space for it to sit on the inside of where the black bumper extends underneath.
The other challenge was that the chain rests on the bumper - on the bottom of the access opening. So i fixed that with the application of some black duct tape, which I removed when I finished towing.
The fiddly bits aside, the towing experience was great (even with the efficiency hit - 120k round trip with elevation change of >400m for an efficiency of 219Wh/Km - my long term figure is 135Wh/Km), with the car coping with steep, windy hills with ease.
Hi mctrx, did you decide on a towbar and also a brand of vertical rack? got a delivery date towards end of November for an MY, so I need to make a decision soon, I'd prefer to fit a Tesla towbar, but would like to know it would have good compatibility with the vertical rack
Not yet. I’d prefer the Tesla bar and software but unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to be suitable so I’ll most likely end up with the carasel or stealth.
I did see a MY cutting around Chatswood with a VBR that looked suspiciously like a Shingleback (lots of orange dangles) but wasn’t able to catch up for a closer look - maybe they just let it rattle or have it shimmed?
I’ll reply back if I hear from single-trail.
Thank you, and thank you for the info, I think I will have to go just have to go with Tesla bar (if they have them in stock, and I can get it fitted before Christmas, I also need to tow my off the beach dinghy to a competition)... Just to know there would be no warranty implications, and also that there would be none regarding insurance (as only a Tesla bar gives you trailer mode) in the unlikely event of being in an accident..
And like you say find a way using shims / packers etc (maybe there is more on this on MTB forums)..
Think further ahead if I wanted to to tow more than 750kg I do find it interesting that Tesla advertise the 1600kg max tow weight in Australia but there is currently no Tesla electric brake controller available to (although there is apparently a "connection module" on the nearside front passenger footwell area (which would suit the RHD models) tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_au/GUID-F5C80FF5-8DE3-4750-8BAF-0DCC0CFA0C5C.html
VBR verticle bike rack, carry up to four, (even I think as many as six) bikes.. I believe they are the best type for carrying full suspension mountain bikes.. There are so many different shaped bike frames these days, not just full suspension, it's hard to find racks that will fit a range of bike shapes... Well that's my understanding of it.That sounds great… and I don’t understand a word of it!
Shims are packers to fill any gaps between the ("male") square horizontal part of bike racket (or square part of tow hitch) and the "female" square receiver on the towbar on the car.
Vertical Bike Racks & MTB Shuttle Trailers - Shingleback Off Road
Australia's best & most innovative hitch mounted vertical bike racks, accessories & MTB shuttle trailers. Made in Australia. Shop online.
shinglebackoffroad.com.au
No worries. I’ll probably go aftermarket on mine if single-trail racks reply that theirs is compatible. So long as the bar is ADR compliant there shouldn’t be any insurance issues and it’s unlikely that I’ll tow my 1500kg boat more than 10km with the MY if at all.
Note that you don’t always need a brake controller for over 750kg, the trailer could be braked either mechanically or hydraulically like most small boat trailers are.
There are a number of Bluetooth or other wireless brake controllers available (like elecbrakes) that are trailer mounted.
crc77
Member
PSA - I had rattle from the hitch tow Insert, due to the whole 2 inch receiver vs 50mm receiver thing. i originally used Bunnings plastic 1mm shims, but bought this shim kit for about $30, which is much neater. Problem solved now.
MISTER HITCHES Anti-Rattle Hitch Shim Kit 3pc (MHARSK)
Designed and developed by MISTER HITCHES AUSTRALIA MHARSK Anti-Rattle Shim Kit This shim kit is designed to take up the excessive play between the tow bar receiver and the tongue. Kit consists of 3 x SS304 Stainless Steel shims 1 pc 1mm right angle with slotted pin hole, 1pc 0.5mm flat with...
www.misterhitches.com.au
Can't imagine putting a vert rack on a model 3 - but my single-trail.com.au bike rack has an adjustment on the bottom to stop the wobble (put tongue in, tighten adjustment with spanner).
you would want a towbar rated for plenty of down weight capacity - the racks themselves are heavy - even before you get 4 bikes on it.
you would want a towbar rated for plenty of down weight capacity - the racks themselves are heavy - even before you get 4 bikes on it.
