I want to use a hitch-mounted bike rack on my '02 WRX sedan. Imprezas can only accept the class one hitches. My concern is with the MAX tongue weight spec of the class one hitches - 200 lbs.

I'm concerned about the weight bearing capability of these hitches, especially in applications with heavy bikes (45 - 50 lb DH bikes). The bikes hang off a longer lever arm than a ball that would be used as a trailer hitch. This downgrades the tongue weight. The real question is by how much?

Has anybody else out there used their WRXs to carry big DH bikes or many bikes at once? Any problems? I'd like to think it's simple paranoia but the torque calculations indicate otherwise. Yet for some reason, there seem to be a whole lot of people blissfully (perhaps unaware) carrying bikes around that exceed the MAX tongue weight spec. There must be a fair margin of safety added onto this MAX spec.

Any comments?

Thanks.