Roof Rack Mpg Hit

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.

Roof rack mpg hit.

Losses in the engine rolling resistance and wind resistance. 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. The roof rack will mostly increase the wind resistance and wind resistance grows enormously with speed much more than rolling resistance. 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.

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. How bad is the hit to your wallet. 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. Adding a bike to the equation caused fuel consumption to jump by 35 compared to their baseline settings.

As a result the same car that does 50 mpg in the usa does 60 mpg in the uk.