Rear-mounted bike rack on 996 Cab

For you 996 Cab owners who are also bike enthusiasts, you may already know this. I saw a 996 cab the other day with an off-the-shelf, Yakima rear-mounted bike rack. Looked like the top clips went over the covertible shelf and the bottom under the engine lid. Made me wonder how wise it is to clip something to the engine lid in the first place, and obstructing air flow around the engine vents in the second. Does anyone else haul their bike this way? Any dangers? Thanks. -- M

Can't speak for the cab but I have a coupe and tried this with my Yakima rack. I fastened the lower and middle clips to the engine lid and the top clips to the sunroof. It moved alarmingly as I backed out of my driveway and I gave up as it is not stable when anchored like that. As far as air flow - I doubt thats a big issue but keep it under 75 mph or your spoiler will start to fight the rack! This is a major downside to the Porsche as the rack can fit virtually any other car on the road and the P price for their system is obscene. If anyone else has figured a way to do this, please let me know.

Nick Croks - Have you checked into the Tequipment roof top rack? They have a bike rack option as seen in the link below. They also have a top mounted rack for cabs, but you have to have the hard top to use it. http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessori...n37/n154/n175/

the other thought is install a rear hitch, and use a hitch mounted bike rack.

I would highly recommend this: Willwood Rack I just installed it yesterday. It is hardly noticeable when the rack is not installed. The rack goes on or off in 30 seconds.

How difficult was it to install? Were the instructions good?

Do you need to punch holes in the rear bumper ? This looks like a really nice solution.

You remove the bumperettes (so you need the removable variety - look for the hole in the bottom for a 6mm allen wrench) and then drill two holes per side to bolt the nice tidy receiver pieces to. Then trim a small bit from the inner-back side of the bumperettes and reinstall them. That's it in a nutshell.

So there are threaded holes under the bumper to bolt the carriers to? Is it possible to remove the carriers and fill the holes with bumper plugs at a later time ? Or will there be two big gaping holes ? Sounds like a few people have this. Thanks

You will have to drill two holes on the metal plate behind each bumperette. A template for drilling the holes comes with the rack system. There is no need for bumper plugs, because after drilling the holes and mounting the rack receivers, you put the bumper covers back on. They covers the holes you drilled and hide everything but the part of the recievers that sit next to the bumper covers. Look on the website I gave you a link to above, and you will see what is exposed. Drilling the holes themselves is a 5 minute procedure, and the directions are provided with the kit. The only other thing I will add is that Russ and I have had many racks for many different cars. This is the best possible application for these cars. Call the guy that makes them with questions. I found him very helpful. His number is on the website.

I use this system on my Boxster and I also highly recommend it!! It is a quality piece and it can be put on or taken off in < 3 minutes. However, be aware that it is not compatible with the newest style "bumperettes" on the 996. It will work on the old style (non-painted) 996 bumperettes.

Hey y'all, There's actually a Porsche Tequipment roof rack for a Cab that does not require a hardtop. It installs like this boxster rack in the link below. http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...port_page1.htm I have one for a 996 that I got as part of a used hardtop purchase. I've got both side supports, crossbars, and the hardware. I'd be willing to make a Rennlist member a great deal on it since it's just taking up space in my garage... Tonger

I actually have the OEM roof rack on my Targa, which is OK (read: better than not being able to transport my bike, though having to live with the look). Porsche doesn't offer a fairing to reduce wind noise. Thule just came out with a new fairing that looks like it will slide in. I ordered and will install it this week. I saw the 996 Cab again over the weekend. It was a Bones rack (not a Yakima). The curvature of the arms looked like it would allow enough room for the rear spoiler to rise. Even if it fits and stays, I wonder whether this obstructs air flow right in front of the engine. The Willwood solution looked interesting, but he lost me at "all you have do is drill two holes." -- M

the wilwood rack works great. i do, however recommend strapping the bike to the car so that it doesn't flop around at 90 mph. i used a nylon strap tied to the seatpost and knotted at the other end (big knot) which anchors the strap in the engine bay. i'll be using the hitch for a tire trailer as well.

The 996 cabrio roof racks fit the 997s....and no, you don't need the hardtop...will be looking to sell the rack at the end of the summer if anyone is interested (lease is up).

How much is the Willwood item?

Re: The Willwood Rack, Bumperettes, and drilling holes in your expensive sports car. The bumperettes for 996 Porsches apparently come in two styles - the black, removable style that bolt to fairly substantial metal plates behind them. This is the setup the original Willwood rack/adaptor was designed for, and installation involves removing the bumperettes, drilling holes in those metal plates, and installing the adaptor and the bumperettes on top of them. However, somewhere around 2003 Porsche changed the style of the bumperettes on the back bumper. Some 2003, and 2003 and up cars have the 997 style, body colored bumperettes, which aren't removable, and have no metal plate behind them. This makes the original Willwood system impossible to use. Lucky me, I have the latter type For those of us with body-color bumperettes, as well as for the later model 997s, Caymans, and Boxsters, Will is designing a new system, that uses a metal "L" bracket that fits behind the license plate, and bolts to the structural aluminum bumper underneath. The good news is once it's all in place the only thing visible that's permanently attached to the car is a thin, 1/4 inch or so black steel "plate" sticking out like a shelf from below the license plate.. this is where the hitch adapters bolt to when in use. The bad news is that installing the system involves further violence to your car.. you have to cut a fairly substantial hole in the back bumper for the adapter plate to fit in and drill 4 holes in the bumper.. luckily, it's all covered by the license plate so you won't see it once done. I have one of these systems on order, but the sizing/dimensions on the adapter plate need to be fairly precise, and may apparently differ from car to car, so you have to get the dimensions of that "L" bracket just right. The first one I got from Will didn't work out, so Will's creating a new one for me as we speak. I've spoken to Will a few times on the phone as we've worked this out, and he's a really nice guy, and willing to work with you one on one to make it work. Will post pics once I get the whole thing working. - N P.S., Yeah, I'm familiar with the Porsche system for coupes/cabs.. for coupes, the Porsche system definitely seems the way to go.. but for cabs, well, can you say "Rube Goldberg"? Sure, I knew you could.. Not to mention you can't open the freakin' top with it installed!!! What good is a Cab if you can't open the top? No thanks.

Nick, Do you know if any of the parts are reusable between the 996 and 997 ? Deciding if i should buy one now or wait till i upgrade to the 997 later this year. Thanks

Hmm.. that'd would be a question better asked of Will himself (his number is on his website, and he seems perfectly willing to answer questions). I suspect, but I don't know, that most of the system would be reusable. I'm guessing all you'd need is the new L-bracket and associated bolts. But again, that's nothing but conjecture on my part. Will would have the definitive answer. - Nick