# Food for though v. roof-racks **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [January 5, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754 "2009-01-05T07:39:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/1 "2009-01-05T07:39:34Z")
I recorded some data over the past few months and I was surprised how drastic my gas mileage ratings changed with and without a roof-rack. -97 civic hx -10 gallon tank -barrecrafters sb/ski roofrack burped full I-90 usage w/roof-rack approx 290 miles **29MPG** w/o roof-rack approx 370 miles **37MPG** :fry: This data is an approximate average recorded during trips to and from Albany. Average speed between 75-85 mph. Obviously my results varied based on weather conditions/traffic/etc but this is an approx. average. I began to notice a difference as soon as I first installed the rack, I even had trouble getting up some of the larger hills on I-90 and found myself downshifting and losing speed (silly civic:roflpicard:) I now only use the rack when I ABSOLUTELY have too. Food for thought for you guys, as _I’m sure most of you already know this._ I knew it made a difference but my results truly surprised me. Take it off if you don’t need it! ---
**Author:** ![Karter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@Karter](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Karter)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/2 "2009-01-05T07:41:31Z")
> [@maxwell"](#): > > This data is an approximate average recorded during trips to and from Albany. Average speed between 75-85 mph. did you shut the car off while the cop wrote you a ticket, or leave it to idle freely? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:43am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/3 "2009-01-05T07:43:56Z")
> [@Just Karter](#): > > did you shut the car off while the cop wrote you a ticket, or leave it to idle freely? reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly? I stick right around 78 but without cruise it varies. We all know traffic can move on the thruway and most of the time cars flow at 80 or more. And I have never received a ticket on the thruway. (knocks on wood) But thank you for that justkarter. ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/4 "2009-01-05T08:07:34Z")
About 6 months ago I was reading about how much of a difference the roof rack makes, even the small stock ones, and went out and took the cross bars off the one on my truck. Took 5 minutes and I have never used it once in 5 years of owning it. I’m not expecting much for gains, a MPG or so, but it’s was a free mod and doesn’t cost me anything on convenience. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:10am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/5 "2009-01-05T08:10:37Z")
> [@JayS](#): > > About 6 months ago I was reading about how much of a difference the roof rack makes and went out and took the cross bars off the one on my truck. Took 5 minutes and I have never used it once in 5 years of owning it. I had read up on it too and talk to some people with roof-racks but until actually logging data myself I had no idea. It blew my mind having almost a 10mpg difference. With an iffy economy and fluctuating gas prices the best bet for anyone is to cut costs and this is one way to save some serious cash. ---
**Author:** ![ultradriver10000](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ultradriver10000/32/7397_2.png) [@ultradriver10000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ultradriver10000)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/6 "2009-01-05T08:30:13Z")
> [@maxwell](#): > > I had read up on it too and talk to some people with roof-racks but until actually logging data myself I had no idea. It blew my mind having almost a 10mpg difference. > > With an iffy economy and fluctuating gas prices the best bet for anyone is to cut costs and this is one way to save some serious cash. You also have to remember you drive a small low hp car. On my Jeep I had a HugeDeathKillSlayer rack that on average used 2-4 MPG of fuel. Also you have to think about the type of driving you do. Aerodynamically speaking, drag hurts you exponentially as speed increases. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:34am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/7 "2009-01-05T08:34:22Z")
> [@ultradriver10000](#): > > You also have to remember you drive a small low hp car. > > On my Jeep I had a HugeDeathKillSlayer rack that on average used 2-4 MPG of fuel. > > Also you have to think about the type of driving you do. Aerodynamically speaking, drag hurts you exponentially as speed increases. Very true, the civic is a low HP car that relies on aerodynamics and at higher speeds it hurts more. Around town the difference is negligible. 4 mpg on a larger SUV is still quite a difference. 15 gallons of gas equates to 60 miles lost and most likely 3-4 gallons of gas depending on your fuel economy. Thats $$ ---
**Author:** ![fiend540](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bcef8e/32.png) [@fiend540](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/fiend540)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/8 "2009-01-05T09:20:04Z")
I noticed similar results when I had a rack on my car (surprise a vw with a roof rack). ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/9 "2009-01-05T09:21:57Z")
I can do one better, I put the top down on my bmw which is like removing 2 roof racks and… I kid I kid… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 10:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/10 "2009-01-05T10:14:26Z")
> [@fiend540](#): > > I noticed similar results when I had a rack on my car (surprise a vw with a roof rack). you never see those :roll2: lol ---
**Author:** ![Quattro\_Krant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ac91a4/32.png) [@Quattro\_Krant](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Quattro_Krant)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 10:15am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/11 "2009-01-05T10:15:02Z")
Do you have a fairing? That will help negate some of the losses from the rack but you will still loose mpg’s. I run a Thule rack on my roof with 2 velo vises, a front wheel holder, and a big mouth on my car year round. The difference in MPG’s is worth not having to constantly remove and store/trip over and then re-install when it’s needed IMHO ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/12 "2009-01-05T11:26:28Z")
Yeah, I’m not going to kid myself and hope that I’m saving 4 or 5 mpg on my Expedition. I’m guessing .5 to 1 mpg. If I average 14 mpg a year for 10000 miles with it, and 15 mpg for 10000 miles without it, I saved 47 gallons. $95 for 5 minutes work is worth it for me. Oh, and it helps all the little animals by reducing my giant carbon footprint just a little bit. Between the car, truck and boat I have more of a carbon crater. :lol: ---
**Author:** ![bigwoode](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bigwoode/32/5175_2.png) [@bigwoode](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bigwoode)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/13 "2009-01-05T12:46:01Z")
TDI is great for this… torque eats it up ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/14 "2009-01-05T13:42:55Z")
> [@Quattro Krant](#): > > Do you have a fairing? That will help negate some of the losses from the rack but you will still loose mpg’s. I run a Thule rack on my roof with 2 velo vises, a front wheel holder, and a big mouth on my car year round. The difference in MPG’s is worth not having to constantly remove and store/trip over and then re-install when it’s needed IMHO Sadly the POS barrecrafters rack came without a fairing… I have thought about custom fabbing one but idk… it takes me 2 min to take it on and off and I usually only use the rack for SB trips… The fucking rack didn’t even include stainless steel hardware and all the bolts are now a lovely shade of rust and all 4 locks seized within 2 months of WNY salt. Thule is the way to go IMHO ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/15 "2009-01-05T13:46:45Z")
> [@JayS](#): > > Yeah, I’m not going to kid myself and hope that I’m saving 4 or 5 mpg on my Expedition. I’m guessing .5 to 1 mpg. If I average tup a year for 10000 miles with it, and 15 mpg for 10000 miles without it, I saved 47 gallons. $95 for 5 minutes work is worth it for me. > > Oh, and it helps all the little animals by reducing my giant carbon footprint just a little bit. Between the car, truck and boat I have more of a carbon crater. :lol: :tup: good mindset I hate driving a low HP civic but I can’t beat 35-40 mpg plus my motorcycle is plenty fast while still getting around 40 mpg I’d say my carbon footprint is pretty small. ---
**Author:** ![deebo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/deebo/32/5218_2.png) [@deebo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/deebo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/16 "2009-01-05T14:06:20Z")
why dont u put some sort of siqq shield in front of the rack to incread aero dynamics ---
**Author:** ![layzie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/layzie/32/7599_2.png) [@layzie](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/layzie)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/17 "2009-01-05T14:07:39Z")
> [@Just Karter](#): > > did you shut the car off while the cop wrote you a ticket, or leave it to idle freely? god you fucking suck so bad ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/18 "2009-01-05T14:09:51Z")
> [@layzie](#): > > god you fucking suck so bad lol it’s ok I ignored it. He’s just pissed off his car won’t go over 50 with his fat fucking ass in it. I mean c’mon, who doesn’t average 80 on I-90 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/food-for-though-v-roof-racks/60754/19 "2009-01-05T14:11:07Z")
> [@deebo](#): > > why dont u put some sort of siqq shield in front of the rack to incread aero dynamics siqqq shield eh? [www.siqqqshields.com/fuckyeah](http://www.siqqqshields.com/fuckyeah)