Roof Rack Affect Gas Mileage

If most of your driving is freeway and you re worried about 2mpg then take the cross bars off when not in use.

Roof rack affect gas mileage.

Their study was published recently in the. The same of course applies to roof racks and other cargo accessories. 40 mpg roof mounted thule xtender 739 ski carrier with skis. He found that compared to the baseline of no roof rack the empty rack reduced his mpg by 12 7 and the roof rack with a bicycle reduced it by a whooping 27 3.

Any roof carrier will cut your mpg significantly. A bike roof rack with bikes may make the largest impact on gas mileage. Roof rails will not effect mpg cross bars may to some degree and mostly is not only while traveling at a freeway speeds. A few years ago i checked my economy with and without rack over a few thousand miles and i was taking a hwy 10 mpg hit with a rack installed.

How much does a bike roof rack affect gas mileage. If you re traveling with your bikes attached to your roof you ll have to stop more often for gas. Some roof racks have cross members that can be unscrewed and stowed inside. Mileage went from 41 mpg at 65 mph to 40 mpg.

5 6 l 100 km approx. 6 0 l 100 km approx. 39 mpg thus the cargo box on the roof increased fuel consumption by about 5 compared to the baseline. 42 mpg roof rack with thule dynamic 800 aerodynamic cargo box.

5 9 l 100 km approx. Using a roof rack and toting bulky equipment on top of your car isn t the only thing affecting your gas mileage however. Since then i dont run around with a rack or crossbars unless i am using them. A roof rack with bikes attached greatly decreases gas mileage.

The empty roof rack had a nearly 2 percent impact on fuel economy which translates to a little more than three quarters of a gallon of gas. A five percent change in fuel economy is worth 75 each year or 375 in five years. Removing racks or at least cross members also makes it quieter inside the vehicle especially at higher speeds.