Drop in MPG

[X-Linked]

yep thats on target --when i used to use roof boxes ( now no longer need them it used to cost me 3mpg on my Jetta's ) Driving a 07 Saab Sport combi stuff goes INSIDE car now

I love my saab for that reason. rear armrest folded down. Could fit 4 pair of skis and still have plenty of room for 4 people to sit normally. With heated seats.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Keerectamundo !!! I'm on my 4th SAAB my new combi is very cool but i've got an original equipment 1992 Turbo Scarabe green hatchback 5 speed w/ 92,500 miles that is Cherry -- one of thelast "turtle-back" saabs

 

[drjeff]

When I put my Thule Evolution 2100 on top of my Trailblazer I hold my own MPG wise. I have it up on the Thule bars and do my darndest to align the front of the box with the top edge of my windshield. Either way, box on or box off I'm getting a grand 'ol 17 MPG

 

[koreshot]

I think some of my mileage drop is due to crap winter gas. I also started keeping the speeds closer to 65mph instead of 70mph and noticed a decent bump in the mileage. The shape of the Matrix roof and doors forces the rack to sit pretty far forward, which probably isn't good for mpg.

 

[tekweezle]

i agree, crap gas with ethanol added will give worse gas mileage.

some things i try to do is to keep the RPM;s low and steady. I try to cruise and coast alot.

 

[bvibert]

The shape of the Matrix roof and doors forces the rack to sit pretty far forward, which probably isn't good for mpg.

I was bummed that I have to have my box over hanging the front of the car a bit in order to be able to open the rear hatch... Doesn't seem to be a real big deal on my car though..

 

[tekweezle]

SUV and other tall vehicles in general have a terrible shape for wind efficiency. I wonder if any of the new car based SUV's are significantly better. some of them are rounded nicely like high performance sports cars. they probably get better gas mileage than their ladder frame/truck based SUV's partially because of lower weight and ride height.

I think you can get some sort of trail hitch mounted box or basket attachment. probably works best with RWD vehicles though since you want more weight on the rear wheels. would suck for rear collisions and parallel parking though!

 

[andyzee]

Ok, I have a solution for you. Most cars are designed to get a range of about 300 miles out of a tank of gas. You add a rack and loose 15%, this brings your range down to about 255. What I did is purchased a Toyota Corolla, this car gets approx. 30 mpg and has a 13+ gallon tank. This results in a range of about 400 miles. Now you throw on a rack and bring the range down 15%, bringing your range down to 340 miles. You're still 40 miles above your present car!

You need to get a Corolla, if you're bitching is the price per gallon, you should not be skiing since skiing is an expensive sport. Unless ofcourse you ski with Marc and Austin which brings up a whole nother topic. :-D

 

[Warp Daddy]

My 07 Saab Sport Combi sentronic tranny gets 32 MPG with a cruising range in excess 0f 500 miles a tank and ALL gear goes inside

My 03 Saab 9.3 --5 speed got 39 mpg / . 90 % of my driving IS NOT CITY driving

 

[thinnmann]

One thing a roof rack that shows your skis does is it tells the world how much fun you are going to be having!



Checkout http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Starting to see more and more cars with two big Thule pods...that must really be a drag....:lol:

 

[ERJ-145CA]

Ok, I have a solution for you. Most cars are designed to get a range of about 300 miles out of a tank of gas. You add a rack and loose 15%, this brings your range down to about 255. What I did is purchased a Toyota Corolla, this car gets approx. 30 mpg and has a 13+ gallon tank. This results in a range of about 400 miles. Now you throw on a rack and bring the range down 15%, bringing your range down to 340 miles. You're still 40 miles above your present car!

You need to get a Corolla, if you're bitching is the price per gallon, you should not be skiing since skiing is an expensive sport. Unless ofcourse you ski with Marc and Austin which brings up a whole nother topic. :-D

Yeah, Corolla is the way to go, I'll use about a half a tank on the 220 mile round trip to Belleayre. That's driving 70-75 MPH, no roof rack, my skis are in the car. At todays gas prices it's about $15.00 to $20.00 in gas.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

Just traded in the Nissan Arnada (12/17 mpg) was costing apprx $85/week in gas....getting the a new volvo wagon, however with 2 kids and all the gear a cargo box is necessary...good thing is it has quick release, so i can take it off and store it when not in use.....

 

[tekweezle]

I've used the boxes on several vehicles and here's a few of my observations.

Gas mileage loss is less in Summer than winter, probably because I don't warm the vehicle up, and don't have to push thru snow. Those two factors always an issue, with or without the box. Also, the vehicle tends to get loaded a little heavier for the weekender than it would for the daily grind to and from work.

What I'm saying, is that it is not just the box, but a whole series of factors.

Also, I notice that the mileage drop is a whole lot less on a higher horsepower vehicle than a lower horsepower vehicle. Put it on a big ole SUV with loads of horsepower, and it barely affects it. Put it on a 1.3 CC 4 banger that gets 48 mpg, and you'll see lots of mileage drop.

Personally, my truck gets 18 mpg in the summer, and now it's 16.5, 17 on a good tankful. I use the garage and do not need to warm the vehicle. It is not loaded any different and it is the very same commute as in the Summer. I do store a box in the garage near it. Can I blame the box for the mileage drop????

i agree. any extra weight on a lighter/smaller engine car can certainly affect gas mileage.

if gas prices continue, we are going to be heading toward having special purpose vehicles-a 4 cyl daily driver and the SUV/Minivan hauler. I think the best you can do is to car pool to defray those runaway fuel costs. i hope there are more choices for bus trips going forward as well.

 

[hammer]

Just traded in the Nissan Arnada (12/17 mpg) was costing apprx $85/week in gas....getting the a new volvo wagon, however with 2 kids and all the gear a cargo box is necessary...good thing is it has quick release, so i can take it off and store it when not in use.....

Is there any way to get just quick release clamps? I have a Thule box I purchased a few years ago, but to save $$ I went with the basic box which just had the basic clamps. It's a pain to put the box on the roof rack, so I usually leave the box up all season and just take the MPG hit.

 

[bvibert]

Is there any way to get just quick release clamps? I have a Thule box I purchased a few years ago, but to save $$ I went with the basic box which just had the basic clamps. It's a pain to put the box on the roof rack, so I usually leave the box up all season and just take the MPG hit.

I got some quick release clamps from a Thule rep to retro-fit onto an old Barrecrafter box that was given to me...