Winter slowly paves way for spring, so it is now time to get your roof bike rack set up. As you get ready for your weekend getaway with your family, you definitely want to go along with your bike strapped securely to your roof rack, so that you don’t miss out on any opportunities to ride your bike and explore the terrain.
Nevertheless, there is a problem – you have heard that roof racks have a negative effect on performance, so you do not know how you can overcome it. You have heard that roof racks can lead to an increase in fuel consumption of 25 percent.
You are now trying to decide if it is worth it to bring your bike along with your roof bike rack with you on your trip.
There is no need to worry though, you don’t have to give up completely on your love of taking along your bikes on a trip in order to accomplish this.
Let’s, first of all, check that this assumption above is true before we provide tips on what you can do in order to help.
Are Roof Bike Racks a Fuel Consumption Increaser?
It is safe to say that the short answer to this question is yes, it does increase the rate of fuel consumption.
It is very important to have a roof bike rack, especially if you engage in a lot of outdoor activities as part of your daily life.
You see, these racks are not just useful for taking your bike on a trip. They can also be used as an additional storage space for storing boxes and other items on top of your car’s roof when not in use.
As a matter of fact, in 2015 a study was conducted by two researchers – Alan Meier and Yuche Chen – who studied the amount of fuel actually consumed by roof racks in order to find out how much fuel those racks consume.
As a matter of fact, I found it quite shocking to discover that roof racks have been responsible for the use of up to 100 million gallons of gasoline in the United States.
A study of this nature was the first of its kind to look into the size of the number and to see just how huge it really is.
A recent study published in the Journal Energy Policy titled “Fuel consumption impacts of auto roof racks” published its findings in a recent issue.
There seems to be no end to the popularity of roof bike racks, like other roof racks. If anything, they are expected to keep growing every year, especially as the lockdowns are easing off and people are getting around more and more.
There is a projection that the number of people in the U.S. will grow by 200 percent by the year 2040.
But what impact does a simple thing like a roof bike rack have on the fuel consumption rate of your car, as innocent-looking and light as it looks? Let’s look at this in more detail.
Is it true that roof bike racks increase fuel consumption in vehicles?
It is because of this effect that roof bike racks affect the original shape of your vehicle and disrupt its airflow. This puts pressure on the vehicle’s engine as the engine will have to work harder to stay up to the load. The engine is therefore required to use more fuel in order to keep up with the load.
On the other hand, when a bike is mounted on a roof rack, the weight increases and as a result, the fuel consumption increases as well. All the swaying and wobbling that occurs when a vehicle is moving can also increase fuel consumption.
There was a test conducted by Consumer Reports on two vehicles – a Nissan Altima Sedan and a Toyota RAV4 SUV which were both 2019 models. Their mph was 65 and they were looking for the effects that a roof bike rack and a hitch rack could have when it came to mileage.
- It was found that the Sedan’s MPG was reduced by 28 percent when two bikes were placed on the roof bike rack, and 11 percent without the bikes, whereas the Hitch rack’s MPG was reduced by 25 percent with two bikes and 3 percent without the bikes.
- In the case of the Toyota RAV4, the fuel economy of the vehicle decreased by 19 percent with two bikes, and it decreased by 5 percent without the bikes. Meanwhile, in the case of the hitch rack, the reduction was 12 percent and 2 percent respectively.
The question now is, with all that we have said, is there a way to mitigate this factor? Read on to find out what you can do.
Bike Travel Tips To Reduce Fuel Consumption
Cargo and bikes should be placed inside the vehicle
In the event that your bike or any other charge increases the fuel consumption rate of your vehicle, you do not have to leave it behind.
As a mitigation measure for this, it is possible to place the bikes or cargo inside the vehicle. Some bicycle parts can be disassembled, making it easier for them to fit inside the car or the cargo bay.
If they don’t seem to fit in anywhere, you might want to consider using a hitch rack since it will save you some mileage as opposed to using a roof bike rack given that it uses less space.
You Can Now Get A Roof Rack That Is Eco-Friendly
In the last few years, roof rack manufacturers have become more aware of the negative impact of roof racks on mileage and fuel consumption, so they have started to design eco-friendly roof racks in response.
It has been reported that Thule, one of the biggest names in roof rack manufacturing, has come up with a design they call AeroBlade. Not only is it great for the environment and your vehicle being that it diffuses the wind, but it can also take up to 800 pounds of weight with minimal impact on the vehicle.
It is no secret that Yakima, another big name, has also developed its own eco-friendly roof rack called Wispbar. They claim that it consumes less fuel, makes less noise, and can take on heavy loads just like the AeroBlade does. They also claim that it can also take on heavy loads.
Ensure Proper Installation And Fit
Many times, the reason your roof bike rack causes your vehicle to consume much fuel is that bike rack was not properly installed.
If that is the case, your bike will have a hard time staying in place without wobbling and swaying so much. And it will create a lot of room for air to pass through.
So, sometimes, all you may need to do is to ensure that your roof bike rack is fitted properly to avoid unnecessary waste of fuel.
Invest in a detachable roof bike rack for your car
A detachable roof bike rack will allow you to remove it when you aren’t using it, which will mean that the rack will not be adding pressure to the engine, which will result in a lower fuel consumption.
There might seem like a lot of work involved with removing and installing the rack, but if you think about it this way – you only have to do it when you really need to do it.
Conclusion
There are a lot of fun things that you can do on a trip if you take your bike along with you.
Having a great time doesn’t mean you’re going to give up on having a good time. And that shouldn’t have to be the case.
We have listed some tips above that you can use to reduce the amount of fuel that your vehicle consumes, while at the same time allowing you to continue to enjoy traveling with your bike while using these tips.
Please feel free to leave a comment below if you found this article useful and would like to share your thoughts.
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