Those with ski racks and attachments, loss of mpg?

[mister_tu]

What are you losing for MPG with your setup on?

Post your setup and what you're averaging for a decrease.

Audi Votex bars + inno snowboard rack + inno fairing. Decrease of about 3-5mpg on the highway.

[PDX04a4]

of course you lose MPG with a roof rack on, the rack completely destroys the aerodynamics of the car.

i have a yakima rack, big powderhound ski attachments and the fairing, i lose about 2-3 mpg with the rack on.

[wheelmanbg]

I have the ski bag in the rear console. No mpg loss :)

[EHOLT]

Here's what I've got. It's hard to tell a difference going over the rockies. Your mpg is killed regardless.

[JeffM03]

I have the ski bag in the rear console. No mpg loss :)

Same.
Those things are awesome.

[Kwarner]

the oem setup looks like it would be slightly, SLIGHTLY more efficient since attachments sit flush and bars do not hang over the towers. unless im just crazy.

[jimbro]

So the OEM avant bars do sit low? Are they the lowest profile of all the rack systems?

[drjonez]

So the OEM avant bars do sit low? Are they the lowest profile of all the rack systems?

OEM Avant bars = Thule.

Hard to say if they sit real low....I don't think they do. Yes, it destroys your mileage....I estimate I'm down 3-4 MPG. Then again, I have no fairing...

Bad angle to see rack height...

(yes, the car was sitting low in the back- I had a bunch of welding equipment in there)

[jimbro]

So all the Thule attachments will work with OEM?

[vinny.dtw]

On my Mdx, having two bike racks didn't give me any worse mileage... Weird to see you guys are on the a4's

[B6Lovin]

It's probably a placebo effect because everyone is driving up mountains to go ride lol

[misterjj2u]

I just got a set of Whispbar racks. F'ing awesome!

[PDX04a4]

It's probably a placebo effect because everyone is driving up mountains to go ride lol

no placebo, my regular daily commute is down 2-3 mpg. during the summer i get 21-24 mpg on my daily commute, during the time i have my rack on i get 19-21. i actually get much better mileage driving up and down the mountain than i do on my daily commute. i'm not sure what my mileage going up and down the mountain with no rack is since i have never done that.

[DownhillA4]

I'll be back to this mode in a few days...

[alpinestar180]

i lose like 2. but whatever. its the least of my concern in winter. i just dont want snow and shit in my car. i also like the space.

[kneel]

With my winter setup i lose few MPG. Down to about 360miles per tank. Before i was about 400miles per tank.

[drjonez]

Wow, that's a GREAT look!

[vinny.dtw]

no placebo, my regular daily commute is down 2-3 mpg. during the summer i get 21-24 mpg on my daily commute, during the time i have my rack on i get 19-21. i actually get much better mileage driving up and down the mountain than i do on my daily commute. i'm not sure what my mileage going up and down the mountain with no rack is since i have never done that.

Are you sure it's not the winter gas blend? Here in mi, our gas mileage drops, and of course the cold weather atomizes fuel better so your right foot may get a little happy

[JeffM03]

Are you sure it's not the winter gas blend? Here in mi, our gas mileage drops, and of course the cold weather atomizes fuel better so your right foot may get a little happy

+1

I drop about 3mpg in the winter due to the gas and winter tires, and I don't even have a roof rack.

[doublezero30]

i hope everyone realizes gas mixer changes with seasons which can also result in your loss of mpg. so those of you who have your racks on in the winter, and off in the summer...may just be seeing the effect of a different gas mixture rather than your ski racks. then again, it could be a combo of both.

edit: i guess i shoulda read to the end. vinny nailed it.

[drjonez]

Are you sure it's not the winter gas blend? Here in mi, our gas mileage drops, and of course the cold weather atomizes fuel better so your right foot may get a little happy

Just to be clear:

-winter fuel does have lower energy content (hence lower mileage)
-cold air does NOT atomize fuel better, it's actually worse. Cold air does have a higher O2 content (density...), meaning more bang and more fun.

[vinny.dtw]

Just to be clear:

-winter fuel does have lower energy content (hence lower mileage)
-cold air does NOT atomize fuel better, it's actually worse. Cold air does have a higher O2 content (density...), meaning more bang and more fun.

eh? Honestly I wasn't thinking about the cold air, I was thinking the cooler fuel. Now I got myself all mixed up. Regardless, it's a known fact for us midwesterners to have worst gas mileage in this weather due to the fuel mixture. May or maynot be a roof rack.

[Valve_Cover]

Yea I'd have to agree that mpg drops in winter regardless of roof racks. rack may not help, but neither does the cold, humid weather, denser air, winter tires, winter blend gas, etc..

[PDX04a4]

Are you sure it's not the winter gas blend? Here in mi, our gas mileage drops, and of course the cold weather atomizes fuel better so your right foot may get a little happy

i have thought about this before but im convinced that our "winter gas" mix isnt all that much different that the summer mix. we already have 10% ethanol in our fuel and the winters here arent extreme so there is no need to modify the fuel in a way to help with winter conditions. i can tell you that i have had my racks on my car all the way to june before (really long season 2 years ago allowed us to ski until the second weekend of june), long after the switch back to a normal gas mix and warmer temps (thus ruling out "winter gas" and the colder denser air giving more power/less mpg theories) and my gas mileage did not change much if at all while i had the racks on.

based on my experience with having the racks on at different points during the year, regardless of what gas mixture is being used, any time i drive with the racks i get a solid reduction in my mileage by 2-3 mpg. in reality its probably a combination of all those factors.

EDIT: also forgot that i drive with contiextreme contacts all seasons year round, so the tires and pressure have zero effect on my mileage as well.

[mister_tu]

I'm sure the interference of aerodynamic from the roof rack decreases mpg, I mean by sheer physics, it has to. There's more wind resistance, forcing the car to use more fuel to compensate for the restriction.

[Matt@EuropaParts]

Thule crossbars, Thule (old-style) fairing, Thule ski/board holder (the larger of the two). I lose a few MPG...not a big deal, just means I get 22-23mpg instead of 24-25ish:

[vinny.dtw]

But then again, all of us have to factor in MANY things for winter and summer mode. Hell, back then I had a set of OEM 15 inch wheels that i put on for winter, vs my 18 inch summers at the time. That ALONE saved me 2-3 mpg...So factor in gas blend, ur roof rack, smaller wheels, etc etc...I'd say it all contributes to it...

[vr6dubny]

I'm running 19x9's with 225/40/19 Blizzaks in the winter...with the votex roof bars and thule 1600 the mpg is down a little...but not too bad...

[kneel]

thats a baller winter setup! Stretched tires too

[BARRY]

with OEM rack, with fairing and no board holders, i drop around 2-3mpg with fairing.

with OEM rack, fairing, snowboards and holders, i lose around 3-5mpg

the fairing helped with noise, and possibly 1-2mpg. nothing more.

[DownhillA4]

What size Thule Fairing you guys run... 44"?

[boostedAvant]

It's really hard for me to tell since I don't ever take my crossbars off and the only time I have anything up there the rest of my car is STUFFED with shit. I would think that it would drop it a little bit but I don't know about 3mpg, seems like it's a combo of everything together. Pic for fun.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Charles.waite]

Whats with the painters tape? Ghetto "3M" rock guard? actually not a bad idea for long distance driving...

[boostedAvant]

Whats with the painters tape? Ghetto "3M" rock guard? actually not a bad idea for long distance driving...

Yeah exactly. Went from Denver to salt lake to Montana to Oregon. Hit an insane rain storm coming down the pass into Slc on my way to pay Tyler a visit. Lots of tape went down in the battle.