Roof Rack Vs Hitch Rack Fuel Economy

As we found when we tested roof and hitch mounted bike racks the suv s mileage on the other hand showed less of a drop.

Roof rack vs hitch rack fuel economy.

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. But that s where you ve found a dilemma. With a roof rack and carrying two mountain bikes there was a 19 percent reduction in fuel mileage and 5 percent less when empty. That s why you ve decided to invest in a cargo carrier.

Adding any rooftop carrier cargo box or ski rack doesn t come free. 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. The empty roof rack had a nearly 2 percent impact on fuel economy which. Hitch racks or roof racks which one should you choose.

With a hitch rack carrying the same two bikes the suv had a 12. 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. In fact it significantly cuts your highway mileage all the time it s installed whether there s weight up there or not. 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.