Hey roof rack people...how much did your MPG suffer?

I have 2013 Prius Two with Thule rack and two yakima bike racks. If I'm going under 60mph seems normal but over 60-70mph I see at least 5-8mpg difference. With bikes on top at 70mph I get 38-40mpg, so a big hit there.

 

Well I am glad you asked

look at this then you will see

This is the trip from Houston back to San diego, full load and with 4 people

V/r

Khoi nguyen

 

The guy at REI that quoted me a price on mine has a Yakima with a box and bike combo he said he lost 5 MPG on his 2011 Prius 3

 

Skunkworks ?

what guy, show me the data please

V/r

Khoi Nguyen

 

Yeah agreed guy at REI lied. I had my 29er mountain bike on the roof. Drove 70mph for 200 miles with just my girlfriend. I got 39mpg, so yep liar.

I recommend Thule over Yakima any day, on base racks.

Buy from ors racks direct. Better prices.

 

I have not noticed a big MPG hit until I put the roof top box on the rack.
with the roof top box on I can easily be -10 MPG
My rack is removeable so usually not on there.

 

Lets see if I can make this any more clear. The guy meaning the salesman that works at my local REI store, told me Aka word of mouth that he lost 5mpg, when he installed his. That's all the data I needed. I lost 3mpg on my rack on my tundra so it didn't seem too far fetched. If I could get 33 mpg like yours with all of the stuff I want to put up there I would be pretty happy. At least you didn't drop into the 20s.

 

Here's something:

Tests show bike racks can ruin your mileage

Interesting: roof rack alone had some impact, then adding an air deflector worsened the mileage.

 

Summer is so short and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors so limited, why worry about it?

I just did a 135-mile trip. MPG with 2 bikes on back was 44. It was totally worth it.

With 2 kayaks on top, MPG drops into the upper 30's. That's worth it too.

 

Sorry to advertise, but buy from me!
We stock a lot of Thule and its rare for me to see a lower price somewhere else.


SCH-I535 ? 4 Beta

 

I'm not surprised with the loses found with a roof rack based my past cars.

Now with with my hitch rack on the Prius(not carrying a bike), I haven't noticed a drop. There maybe a drop, but it's so minimal, I don't notice it. MPG carrying the bike, it seems like it's around 1 or maybe 2 mpg at worse. Nothing obvious when reviewing my fuelly data.

 

Recent short article from Consumer Reports on MPG impact due to roof racks. Shocking that they found rack alone is 5mpg loss!

Want To Boost Gas Mileage? Remove That Bike Rack, Says Consumer Reports

 

I have a 2021 AWD Prius. At highway speeds (70+ mph), I lost 5-8 mpg with an empty Toyota factory rack. I would also note that interior wind noise dropped significantly when I removed the rack.

 

I had a Thule and a basket which 10mpg easy lost, the new low profile roof rack people are seeing roughly 5mpg lost.

 

Do you remember what mpg you were hitting with just your hitch toolbox (w/o the roof rack)?

Awesome looking Prius lineup in those shots btw.

 

43mpg and thank you!