isb

I fitted the roof rack this weekend - pictures attached.

The rack is very secure - the brackets going behind the rubber seal connect to factory lugs and clamp tightly. The Audi roof bar kit comes with a pre-calibrated 5 Nm allen wrench, which was a nice touch. Factory spacing of feet was spot on - the rubber feet have a ridge that fits in the lip along the roof, which was aligned within 1mm. The quick mount system for my Yakima Whispmount trays fits perfectly in the slots.

Concerns: As with any roof mounted system (not a dig against Audi in particular), driving your bike in to an overhead obstacle, such as entering a garage, will likely do roof damage. With the Yakima trays, I initially mounted them so the bike would mount front wheel forward - this produces significant interference with the rear tailgate when raised. Reversing the trays and moving them as far outboard as possible resulted in a few mm of clearance for the driver's side tray and just touching for the passenger side tray. Opening the tailgate in a hurry without something to dampen impact will be problematic, and gentle contact will still cause scratching without protection. At slower speeds with just the trays, there is a slide whistle, probably from one or both of the trays.

This will work for now, but the hitch mount is something I think I would prefer. I live down 1.5 miles of gravel road, so the bike would get dirtier on a hitch mount, so swings and roundabouts.

Do you know if the Torklift for the Golf R will fit, or is it definitely necessary to get one custom made?

isb

Does anyone know if the Torklift for the Golf R will fit, or is it definitely necessary to get one custom made?

Are the bumper mount points the same for the TTS and Golf R?

I found a place to order the Golf R one online, but it would be a pain if the mounting points don't match up or it doesn't clear the bumper cover.

maximumdownforce

I emailed Torklift, and they don't recall if what is on the VWVortex post is a EcoHitch bike rack for Golf R, or a custom design/build.

When may I ask did you have this made?
I would like to see if they could reproduce it for 2017 TT.
I would hope that they kept the specs.

maximumdownforce

I would also like to know if the Torklift for the Golf R will fit MKIII TT, or is it definitely necessary to get one custom made?

rafazx10

Any updated on this guys? Looking to upgrade from my MK7 Golf to a TTS but I need a hitch.

maximumdownforce

Both Torklift and U-Haul said they could design a hitch mount, but someone would need to volunteer their car to test the fitting.
I am not in the area of either of their design / fabrication facilities.

If more people contact them to ask for it, they will be more inclined to pursue it more seriously.

Two place in Germany make hitches, but a) the don't export to USA and b) the hitches are metric standard and not US standard, so racks wouldn't fit.

isb

Arrangements are being made for me to drop my TTS off with a local hitch manufacturer who wants to test fit the one they have for the Golf R. Will update with any progress.

rafazx10

Please do let us know how it turns out. I am very interested in it.

maximumdownforce

I'm in NYC metro area.

When you say "local hitch manufacturer", what area are your talking about?

Would they be able to "modify" hitches for shipment to people outside of their area, for on site installation elsewhere?

Can they document if any vehicle modifications need to be made in the process?

I've been waiting over a year to get some progress on this.
THANKS !

isb

Local area is Detroit Metro area (I don't know if they mind whether I share the specific company name, so will hold off for now). I believe that the plan would be for the hitch to be a standard offering that you can order. I assume that the intent is for no vehicle modifications, other than maybe the diffuser.