Roof Rack Vs Hitch Rack Fuel Economy

He compared the gas mileage of his car at 54 7 mph 88 kph with 1 no roof racks 2 an empty roof rack and 3 a mountain bike on the roof rack.

Roof rack vs hitch rack fuel economy.

For some people the. In fact it significantly cuts your highway mileage all the time it s installed whether there s weight up there or not. Beyond that the two items tested with the least impact on gas mileage were the paddle board and thule luggage carrier both of which caused about a 19 percent decrease in fuel economy or 5 5. 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 s why you ve decided to invest in a cargo carrier. Hitch racks or roof racks which one should you choose. Adding any rooftop carrier cargo box or ski rack doesn t come free. With a roof rack and carrying two mountain bikes there was a 19 percent reduction in fuel mileage and 5 percent less when empty.

But that s where you ve found a dilemma. Hitch racks by the time you get the whole family loaded up in your vehicle there s no room for all the luggage and gear. To find out how bike racks affect a car s fuel economy consumer reports tested a roof rack and a trailer hitch rack loaded with two adult sized bicycles on a 2019 nissan altima and a 2019 toyota. The empty roof rack had a nearly 2 percent impact on fuel economy which.