Transporting bikes inside car. take brake rotors off or leave on?

Planning a winter trip to Tucson AZ in February 2027. Trying to avoid having them on the hitch mounted carrier for the trip across the country. We maybe able to make it work. I did a test fit on the weekend. It’s my M/L revolt, and wife’s 54cm Trek Domane AL5+

Would you recommend taking the rotors off the wheels? I saw a youtube video about ‘axle protectors’ made from cardboard. I may do that as well… getting 4 wheels inside the car takes up a decent amount of space.