I have had a CoastalEtech receiver hitch about a year and now that the weather is good I have my bike rack mounted almost all the time with no noticeable effect on gas mileage. When I have one or two mountain bikes hanging off the back it seems as though there is a small reduction in gas mileage; maybe 1 - 2 MPG. Over the past couple of days however, I have noticed my mileage drop from the high 40s to the (very) low 40s while carrying one mountain bike and it took me a while to figure out what the problem was. I have an aluminum bike rack behind the seat that attaches to the frame that is usually empty, however, after getting a flat 10 miles down the trail the other day on my bike I have strapped on my pack with the tools, pump, and spare tubes. The canvass pack sits on top of the rack and is about 5 inches wide, 8 inches tall and 12 inches long. While driving I have observed the pack in the rear view mirror being pulled in the slipstream, but didn't think much about it until I niticed my mileage start to drop. Today I removed the pack and drove about 50 miles and saw my MPG go bak up to 48.5. The pack evidentally was the culprit causing the drag that was killing my mileage. Has anoyone else experienced drops in mileage with bikes and gear on the back of their car?
we'll be able to see what happens this weekend.... we just got our hitch yesterday.... it will be a lot easier to put the bikes on the rack instead of putting them inside! (but it's nice to know they'll fit in there if they need to!)
Just to back up, since I've only had my Prius since April --- so far I have only had to transport one bike at a time so I've had it inside the car. But sometimes I need to carry two bikes, so I have a trunk rack that I used to use with my old Camry. I haven't tried to put it on the Prius yet -- will it not work? It's the kind of rack that has canvas straps that hook to the top, bottom and either side (for example top edge of the Camry trunk, where it meets the rear window; bottom edge of trunk beneath license plate; and sides of trunk). I'm not worried about the effect on mpg, since I don't often need to use the trunk rack. But will it not work? Thanks
can't answer about the trunk rack... however... depending on the bikes... you can get two in the prius along with the gear (helmets, shoes, after ride clothes, cooler for water bottles, etc).... we did it and had so much attention at the bike ride with people asking us "you got TWO bikes in there?!?!?" those were our road bikes (i didn't like stacking them... but hey... we'd traded in our mdx and didn't have the hitch yet!) not sure it two mountain bikes with their wide handlebars will fit or not????
I hauled two bikes on a hitch-mounted Sportrack tray-type bike rack over Memorial Day weekend. While I usually get around 50mpg on the highway, with the bikes loaded it dropped to something like 45. (I was really surprised.) The bikes didn't have much gear strapped on them (underseat packs only). I wonder if it was the drag from the bikes -- or maybe it was the fact that it was 90 degrees out? We were planning on taking the bikes with us on a road trip to Maine in the late summer, but now I'm not so sure. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Seagull @ Jun 3 2007, 06:23 PM) [snapback]454597[/snapback]</div>
onree..... don't NOT take the bikes over 45mpg... just think of (a) how much FUN you'll have riding them! (B) how good it is for you! and © how much BETTER 45mpg is over most every other vehicle out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we assume we'll take a hit on mpg when we haul our bikes.... but even so, it's gonna be better than what were were getting with our mdx!
I've noticed a very slight drop - but that could also be that I'm in a hurry to get to where I'll be riding.
My wife and I take the front wheels off our two mountain bikes, keep the back Prius seats down, and easily fit bikes inside on our many out-of-state trips. The bikes keep dry and clean. We even did this on a month-long trip to a dozen states and with all our luggage we only used the bottom half of the cargo area and could always see all parts of the hatch windows in back. At nights parked at hotels bikes were locked to the D rings in same position as driving. Reminds me of a lady I talked to when I was waiting the six months for our Prius delivery--she drove with her full sized kayak inside!!
I just went camping a few weeks ago and had a trunk-mounted-type bike rack loaded down with 3 bikes (2 kids bikes, though) and a rooftop carrier loaded to the hilt on the Prius. It only dropped my MPG to about 47-48 (normally get 52-53 mpg). I thought that was pretty good, myself. I was expecting a lot worse. (also, there were 2 adults and 2 kids in the car - and the car was loaded down inside too. the folks at the campground got a kick out of seeing how much we could fit in the car)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desertbriez @ Jun 5 2007, 02:43 PM) [snapback]455868[/snapback]</div> Question for desertbriez and anyone else who has already done this -- this weekend I will make my first attempt at putting two bikes (road bikes) inside my Prius. Other than putting a blanket or towel in between them to cushion the derailleurs and stuff, does anyone have advice on the best way to do this? - Take the front wheels off or leave them on? - Put both bikes in front-first, or alternate one front first, the other back wheel first? - Other tips? Normally with one bike, I take the front wheel off, put the bike in front-fork first, then rest the front wheel on top of the bike. I've done it with both wheels still on the bike, too, but it was harder to maneuver that way. Thanks much. p.s. I tried to put my old trunk rack on the car, but it won't work. Other models might, but this one won't. It would block too much of my view out the rear window and I would not be comfortable about its stability. And since I only have to transport multiple bikes a couple times a year, it's really not worth it for me to get a hitch-mounted rack right now.
This works excellent for us--see my previous posting earlier in this thread. To put two bikes inside [we have mtn bikes]: Place tarp or towels over carpet cargo area. Take off both front wheels. Put back wheel of one bike in so it sits behind driver seat with gears up. Turn handlebars so they align with bike, not perpendicular Place tarp over the bike Place second bike so back wheel sits behind passenger seat with gears up. Turn handlebars so they align with bike, not perpendicular Front wheels, helmets etc. easily fit near hatch door. Thus you have dry bikes, clean car and NO drag!
<_< It only makes sense that having more weight on the car and more air drag from the bikes will affect mileage. It happens with my Volkwagen Golf as well. (We have a Prius with Coastal hitch, the Golf has a welded on 2" Echart hitch) My reason for getting a rear mount rack was the smell of horse manure... I used to drive to mountain bike trails, putting my bike in the back of the Golf. Very soon I noticed the smell of those mountain trails remaining in the car. I decided against roof racks because we have an underground garage, no danger of forgetting to remove the bikes before entering. The two-bike hitch I use is made by Hollywood Racks. When we purchased the Prius, I looked into hitch options (through this forum) and discovered the Coastal hitch that I could put on myself. (Carefully, tightly and touched up with rust-proof paint). Most people don't notice the hitch because I use a U-haul plastic plug on the end which matches the bumper skirt. My rack fits perfectly on the hitch receiver. Keep riding- Nda3rdcar * owner of 3 bikes, mountain/road/commuter P.S. USE A HITCH LOCK/CABLE LOCK on your bike rack. Twice somebody has tried to steal mine.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(singingtiger @ Aug 16 2007, 07:38 PM) [snapback]497503[/snapback]</div> I tried this yesterday and couldn't see a way to avoid bending the front fenders.
