[RAVMAN]

The Thule Spare Me works GREAT. I used one on my 1996 model for awhile (until I also started towing a camp trailer, then it was in the way). I later switched to a YAKIMA ANKLE BITER. The weight of the bikes on the rear door was NOT a problem.

The Thule Spare Me mounts through the center of the spare wheel, not over the tire. It also has an off-center adjustment to make up for the spare tire not being in the center of the vehicle.

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/product.asp?sku=943&dept_id=8

The YAKIMA rack attaches to the ROOF RACK. It's quite a stretch to get the two bikes on the roof, but for me... this works best.

The Yakima Anklebiter has been discontinued by Yakima, but is still available from some sources -
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8002063.html

 

[RAVMAN]

It looks like you have the older style of RAV4. Does anyone know if the way the tire mounts is any different between the older and the newer? I don't want the recessed tire in mine to be a problem.

The "recessed" tire on the 4.2 will NOT be a problem with the Thule Spare Me rack. The rack mounts through the CENTER of the wheel... being recessed is not an issue. 8)