Roof Rack Vs Hitch Rack Fuel Economy

Hitch racks or roof racks which one should you choose.

Roof rack vs hitch rack fuel economy.

That s why you ve decided to invest in a cargo carrier. But that s where you ve found a dilemma. 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. 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. 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. In fact it significantly cuts your highway mileage all the time it s installed whether there s weight up there or not. 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.

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. For some people the. Adding any rooftop carrier cargo box or ski rack doesn t come free. 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.