Fuel Economy Of Roof Rack Vs Luggage Box

For some people the.

Fuel economy of roof rack vs luggage box.

For comparison the additional fuel consumption caused by roof racks is about six times larger than anticipated fuel savings from fuel cell vehicles and 40 percent of anticipated fuel savings. 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. Hitch racks or roof racks which one should you choose. But that s where you ve found a dilemma.

I have personally tried both options on two different vehicles and i can say positively a cargo box gives you more mpg s. Mileage went from 41 mpg at 65 mph to 40 mpg. On my maxima i was able to get 25mpg with no rack at all when i added a yakima fat cat 6 loaded with skis i got approx 20mpg. 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.

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. In fact it significantly cuts your highway mileage all the time it s installed whether there s weight up there or not. 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.