Roof Rack Mpg Hit

When consumer reports tested how roof racks affected fuel economy in 2013 they noticed a 5 mpg drop at highway speeds from an empty rack.

Roof rack mpg hit.

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. That roof rack you absolutely had to have may come in handy now and again but a new study from berkeley lab says that it s also costing you quite a bit of money in lost fuel economy. Adding a bike to the equation caused fuel consumption to jump by 35 compared to their baseline settings. 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.

The gear with the most impact were the dual mountain bikes strapped to the roof which impacted the fuel economy by 31 percent or 9 mpg. Mileage went from 41 mpg at 65 mph to 40 mpg. How bad is the hit to your wallet. The roof rack will mostly increase the wind resistance and wind resistance grows enormously with speed much more than rolling resistance.

Fuel consumption is made up of several components.