Typical? Only if the rack is empty. With skis or bikes or kayaks on the rack, it will lose a lot more.
A wind tunnel test showed that adding roof rails alone decreased a car’s fuel economy by about seven percent. It got a lot worse when various cargo items were tested on the rack. How Adventure Gear Strapped to Your Roof Affects Gas Mileage -- Do Roof Racks Hurt MPG?
what does it look like? is there a wind deflector in the front? Typically I had trouble seeing big difference until the roof top box was on there.
Just one of the those SportRacks. No deflector. I could see that helping and probably make one up next summer. Took it off since I am not kayaking now. lol
Are you kayaking with the Beluga whales? Below is what I do these days...you cannot quite do that with a Prius and get the liftback down, but I got the idea from a guy here who stuffs the 10-ft kayak in his Prius and then ties down the liftback. Over 10-ft and you gotta be on top in most cases.
Haven't hit the ocean yet, so no belugas though we saw them this summer in the inlet. I got a 10 footer and I would stick it in but I didn't like the idea of lake water all over the interior. We also have a smaller trailer we have been towing behind the wife's Corolla. That works out quit well.
Why wouldn't you just take them off when not in use? For mine, it only takes 10 minutes and works great for carrying 12' and 14' kayaks. I couldn't imagine the straps & pads lasting a long time being exposed to the elements all the time.
Photo208 by Bill the Engineer posted Jan 14, 2018 at 12:11 AM Just had the roof rack and bikes on my 2010 again today. Yes there is a mileage hit, and yes the rack will sing at certain speeds, but it is getting the job done with way better mileage than the average car. The trick is to remove the rack when you don't need it. I used a crayon in the door jams to mark where it should sit on the car so re-attachment is fast and easy. Bill the Engineer
Unnecessary. They have improved recently. Look under the roof door jam of a new Toyota. There's a hole. That matches up perfectly with a pin on the clip for the rack. That ensures correct placement, in addition to providing a slip-proof grip.
Arouind 100K. My wife telecommutes now, so it only goes on grocery runs and the occasional trip to Lowes.
