Gas Mileage and Roof Racks

[station]

Originally Posted by HUGH

Man!!! Now ya tell me... Well that explains the low MPG



All jokes aside, on my motorcycle I could ride from HB to phoenix AZ on a tad less than a tank of gas. Load up the bicycle and I would have to stop just outside of Phoenix. Same as Saddle bags vs. a huge duffel bag right behind me. Saddle bags would not make it and the duffel bag would.



Wind drag is a MPG killer!


HUGH

Holy crap that moto-rack is rad! I had no idea that existed. schweeeet.

[LoisMustDie]

Weight will make a huge diff too --- keep your car free of a bunch of excess weight --- every 50 lbs you take out of a car will give you 1% better mileage (on average).

[EBasil]

On our Escape, the "Load Warrior" with our old-school roof fairing draws down about 3mpg. That's enough to make it worth my while to spend the 5 minutes to yank it off when we're not using it, but we leave the crossbars on all the time.

Loaded, the hitch-mount 2-bike rack draws down about 1.5mpg.

With the roof carrying three bikes and a full load of gear, with two more bikes on the hitch mount, 3 people, a dog and like four pounds of crack, the Escape gets 12mpg to Mammoth or Big Bear. Ugly at the pump.

[.8down]

Originally Posted by L8 APEKS

Yes, racks make a substantial difference.

am I the only one with a dirty mind?

[kevinator]

This is a partial thread hi-jack (apologies - there's a few truck owners on here). Mythbusters had an episode about the fuel efficiency of pickup liftgates being open/ closed etc. The most fuel-efficient was the Air Gate mesh followed by leaving the gate closed. The closed volume produced an air "pillow" that laminar air flowed right over.

[foofighter]

i saw that as well!

[.8down]

but your still not getting like 28MPG right? I love trucks but with these gas prices on the rise...seems impractical...

[kevinator]

Sometimes I think about offing my Dakota (V6) and using the car with a hitch rack. Never been a fan of roof racks for other reasons. But once you get accustomed to carrying your toys in a pickup it's tough to give that up. Of course, once gas hits $6 a gallon I'll change my tune.

[foofighter]

me? no...avg now is 20mpg vs 24mpg which makes a difference

[kanga]

1.5 - 2 mpg difference between a yakima rack with a luggage basket, two bike mounts and a kayak carrier vs. no rack.

We should also keep in mind the speed at which we drive... dropping to the speed limit will save plenty as well, rack or not.

[Big Rick]

I hate the roof racks on my wagon. Anything over 70 and I can't hear to talk on the phone. On my way in this morning I couldn't go my normal 80+ cause I had to be on a conference call.

I'm gonna get a hitch receiver so I can use the hitch rack I've got on my Prius - that's an MPG machine

[EBasil]

Hitch mount or truck mount racks are so handy, right up until somebody rear-ends your car, nukes X-thousand dollars worth of bikes and leaves you with an insurance agent seeking to pay 10 cents on the dollar for your recycled aluminum.

Trust me.

[Big Rick]

Yeah, but I had a bike fall off a roof rack on the freeway That wasn't a pretty sight.

[.8down]

Originally Posted by EBasil

Hitch mount or truck mount racks are so handy, right up until somebody rear-ends your car, nukes X-thousand dollars worth of bikes and leaves you with an insurance agent seeking to pay 10 cents on the dollar for your recycled aluminum.

Trust me.

I assume though you would have issues if you had a bike inside the car, but maybe not to the extent of having this happen outside. my plan is to get an XB, I was told you ould fit an entire bike inside without taking off the wheels...and its rated at 28 highway MPG.

[Rockinthecasbah]

depends on the bike without passangers, andythign fits with the seats folded and pass seat up , you can get two in with the front wheels off, Dj bikes fit no prob

[hoovermd]

Originally Posted by foofighter

me? no...avg now is 20mpg vs 24mpg which makes a difference

That is almost my experience exactly.

Subaru Outback
Thule Rack
Aero crossbars
80+ MPH typically.

[AKmoney]

In mixed driving, my 2004 Mazda3 5-door would get about 25mpg without the roof rack, 22mpg with (no bikes attached). Because of this, unless I need to carry more than one bike at a time, I always remove the rack and put the bike inside the car. I will never buy a car ever again that doesn't come with a folding rear seat.

[tkblazer]

i took the rack off the xb to see what a difference it made and i'm averaging 33-36mpg as opposed to 30-31 mpg that i was getting before... i'll put the rack on when traveling long distances for a ride with other people

[.8down]

Originally Posted by tkblazer

i took the rack off the xb to see what a difference it made and i'm averaging 33-36mpg as opposed to 30-31 mpg that i was getting before... i'll put the rack on when traveling long distances for a ride with other people

wait you are getting 30's in the XB(is the new body styling?) the new one has an EPA of 28 highway? so you are doing better? thats pretty good news.

[tkblazer]

i do not own the americanized xb.. i have the first gen xb