Can you carry bikes on a 350Z Nissan

[D4V KC]

I'm thinking of buying one of these jap muscle cars and was wondering if anyone has had experience of carrying mountain bikes on one. I have a high level cycle carrier which may do the job. But was wondering about roof bars and fixings. Can you fit roof bars to this car?

Hope you can help.


I have already posted this in the Jap car section but had no reply's. Hope you don't mind the repost, but seemed a senmsible place to come too.
Regards, D4V KC

[mat205125]

Tried ringing Nelson Mandella?

aka Nissan-Main-Dealer

Not being funny, but if you can afford a 350Z, surely you can stretch to a £500 volvo for chucking your bike in when you go out?

[drewcole81]

of course you can.. you can strap a bike to anything, might just scratch the roof.

[D4V KC]

mat205125 said:

Tried ringing Nelson Mandella?

aka Nissan-Main-Dealer

Not being funny, but if you can afford a 350Z, surely you can stretch to a £500 Volvo for chucking your bike in when you go out?

The Nissan Head Office have said the 350Z wont take roof bars. However I suspect the girl that answered my question looked in the accessory book and couldn't find any for it. :angry:

My local main agent is looking into it and has currently suggested a cycle carrier fitted to a toe bar on the car (But, unsurprisingly, I don't really want a toe bar fitted to the car!)

I do have an old car for chucking the bike in but wanted to take the bikes up to Snowdonia in June and wanted to take the 350 on the 5.5 hour trip if possible.

drewcole81 said:

of course you can.. you can strap a bike to anything, might just scratch the roof.

Thanks for the help!

[mat205125]

Does this open as a hatch back?



You could try a universal fit rack, but you may find they sit at a silly angle, and you will more than likely scratch the f@#k out of the car.

Are we talking MTB or road bike? Try taking off both wheels, seat post, stem / bars, and dropping the fork (if necessary). Gotta be able to get it in the back with room left for clothes etc in soft luggage.

[D4V KC]

mat205125 said:

Does this open as a hatch back?



You could try a universal fit rack, but you may find they sit at a silly angle, and you will more than likely scratch the f@#k out of the car.

Are we talking MTB or road bike? Try taking off both wheels, seat post, stem / bars, and dropping the fork (if necessary). Gotta be able to get it in the back with room left for clothes etc in soft luggage.

It does open as a hatchback yes. And i'd be moving 2 MTB's I'm thinking I could get some clear vinyl and stick it on the hatch where the contact points for the cycle carrier would go, like the stone gaurd paint protection film stuff. Could then put a cycle carrier on the rear without damaging it. With the lower section in the number plate recess with more sticky vinyl.
As for putting the mountain bike inside.... there is unfortunately a "design feature" in the boot. A bloody great plastic covered strut brace between the top of the rear shocks.

Which is fine for two sets of golf clubs (which i don't own and don't intend getting) and a rigid chassis, but crap for putting a bike in! Still waiting on my my agent phone call to solve the matter.

Edited by D4V KC on Tuesday 6th March 15:36

[mat205125]

D4V KC said:

That looks like it'll come out with a paving slab cutter.

I have the perfect solution. You take my VW Pass-out for the duration of your trip, and I'll endure the impracticalities of your Nissan while you are away.

You don't even have to wash the Pass-out if you don't want to .... I never do

[PH5121]

Consult a Thule dealer (Halfords is one I think). Thule do a wide range of bike transport systems and many car manufacturers use Thule products as original equipment, so would be cheaper than the Nissan dealer.

[mat205125]

PH5121 said:

Consult a Thule dealer (Halfords is one I think). Thule do a wide range of bike transport systems and many car manufacturers use Thule products as original equipment, so would be cheaper than the Nissan dealer.

Duck Tape a foam pad to your forehead before approaching one of the Halfords knuckle draggers though. You'll need it for when you have to start smashing your head against the wall trying to explain what you want .... "No homoerectus! The two wheeled one goes on the four wheeled one!"

[D4V KC]

mat205125 said:

D4V KC said:

That looks like it'll come out with a paving slab cutter.

I have the perfect solution. You take my VW Pass-out for the duration of your trip, and I'll endure the impracticalities of your Nissan while you are away.

You don't even have to wash the Pass-out if you don't want to .... I never do

Disc Cutter not required thank-you!

PH5121 said:

Consult a Thule dealer (Halfords is one I think). Thule do a wide range of bike transport systems and many car manufacturers use Thule products as original equipment, so would be cheaper than the Nissan dealer.

Main Agent came back to me and conmfirmed there is no roof bar system that they know of suitable. And the Thule website doesn't have a listing for the 350Z either. I suspect Halfords won't be able to help based on that but i'll contact them thank-you.

Looks like i'll have to stick with stone gaurd vinyl patches on the rear of the car where the feet for the cycle carrier will sit: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAINT-PROTECTIO
Bugger! Not ideal but it will protect the paint work at least.

Thanks for the feed back.

[JPJ]

I looked at getting a 350Z a couple of years ago and had a similar dilemma with roof bars. I found a website in the US which showed pictures of roofbars on a 350Z, but chances of getting them over here were slim to anorexic.

Nissan were pretty derisory about adding roofbars to their 'sports car', which really annoyed me. Porsche can do it, and you can get racks for a lot of performance cars, but not the 350Z. That stupid strut brace is seriously annoying as well, and just bad design.

However you can still get a 911, Audi TT, Porsche Boxster with a rack, so just go for some European engineering instead!

[Roman]

I'd have thought if you can find a rack which fits an Audi TT it should also fit a 350.

[bigandclever]

This help?

[edit]Piccy link removed, dammit[/edit]

www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%20Rack%20Nissan%20350Z.htm

They apparently "have a central London telephone number with no London to USA charges which is active Noon to Midnight London time. 0207 993 4167"

Edited by bigandclever on Tuesday 6th March 22:30

[matrs]

Give www.roofbox.co.uk/ a call, they are very helpful and should be able to help you out.

Are you selling the Elise then?

Cheers
Matt

[D4V KC]

bigandclever said:

This help?

[edit]Piccy link removed, dammit[/edit]

www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%20Rack%20Nissan%20350Z.htm

They apparently "have a central London telephone number with no London to USA charges which is active Noon to Midnight London time. 0207 993 4167"

Edited by bigandclever on Tuesday 6th March 22:30

The website keeps timing out, i'll try it again later thank-you.

matrs said:

Give www.roofbox.co.uk/ a call, they are very helpful and should be able to help you out.

Are you selling the Elise then?

Cheers
Matt

www.roofbox.co.uk/ don't have a listing for the 350z on the website for roof bars. I'll phone them later.

Yep, looks like i'll be saying good-bye to the Elise. I've been driving them for 6 years now and fancy a change. That said, instead of the 350Z, I may well get myself a 996 Porsche. That's a lot of car for the money!

My the budget is gonna get me a 1999/2000 - 996 or a 2005/2006 - 350Z.
It's depends if my head or heart win the argument.

Thanks to everyone for the help with this. Happy cycling and driving. Regards, D4V KC

[mat205125]

D4V KC said:

I may well get myself a 996 Porsche. That's a lot of car for the money!

That's a compelte no brainer mate.

I'd have the 996 every time.

Running costs are likely to be higher, but that will be more than offset when you come to sell and find that the 996 has lost next to nothing, and the 350Z has inevitably (and sadly) joined its predesessors (300ZX and Supra for example) in the £5000 section of Autotrader, being donuted by spotty chavs in McDonalds carparks.

[beyond rational]

I'm really supprised at Nissan, biking is one of those things car manufacturers in this sector love to show their "core demographic" doing, a coupe brouchure is not complete without a ski or bike rack it seems - not to mention the outdoorsie nature of Nissan's 4x4 promomotion.

[matrs]

D4V KC said:

[Yep, looks like i'll be saying good-bye to the Elise. I've been driving them for 6 years now and fancy a change. That said, instead of the 350Z, I may well get myself a 996 Porsche. That's a lot of car for the money!

My the budget is gonna get me a 1999/2000 - 996 or a 2005/2006 - 350Z.
It's depends if my head or heart win the argument.

I too have owned Elise's for 6 years, just looking to swap mine for a 996