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Roof Rack degrade

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by spiderman, Sep 28, 2018.

  1. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Wow, put a roof rack on Spidey and lost 4 miles/gallon after two tanks measuring. Is that typical?
     
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Typical? Only if the rack is empty. With skis or bikes or kayaks on the rack, it will lose a lot more.
     
    #2 fuzzy1, Sep 29, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2018
  3. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    You might try streamlining your Mother-in-Law! …that should help a bit! :rolleyes:
     
  4. Pluggo

    Pluggo Senior Member

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  5. n23

    n23 Junior Member

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    I'm kinda surprised you only lost 4.
     
  6. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    What about added wind noise at highway speed?
     
  7. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    what does it look like? is there a wind deflector in the front?
    Typically I had trouble seeing big difference until the roof top box was on there.
     
  8. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Just one of the those SportRacks. No deflector. I could see that helping and probably make one up next summer. Took it off since I am not kayaking now. lol
     
  9. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Oh yeah, lots of additional noise in the form of an annoying hum.
     
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  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Are you kayaking with the Beluga whales?
    Below is what I do these days...you cannot quite do that with a Prius and get the liftback down, but I got the idea from a guy here who stuffs the 10-ft kayak in his Prius and then ties down the liftback. Over 10-ft and you gotta be on top in most cases.
    [​IMG]
     
  11. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Haven't hit the ocean yet, so no belugas though we saw them this summer in the inlet.

    I got a 10 footer and I would stick it in but I didn't like the idea of lake water all over the interior. :eek:
    We also have a smaller trailer we have been towing behind the wife's Corolla. That works out quit well.
     
  12. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    You can see in the FE graph when I put on the rack (highlighted) and then off again.[​IMG]
     
  13. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Why wouldn't you just take them off when not in use?

    For mine, it only takes 10 minutes and works great for carrying 12' and 14' kayaks. I couldn't imagine the straps & pads lasting a long time being exposed to the elements all the time.
     
  14. Bill the Engineer

    Bill the Engineer Senior Member

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    Just had the roof rack and bikes on my 2010 again today. Yes there is a mileage hit, and yes the rack will sing at certain speeds, but it is getting the job done with way better mileage than the average car. The trick is to remove the rack when you don't need it. I used a crayon in the door jams to mark where it should sit on the car so re-attachment is fast and easy.

    Bill the Engineer
     
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  15. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    How many miles you got on your Barcelona Red 2010:whistle:?

    Ours just clicked 190k and still going strong (y).
     
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  16. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Unnecessary. They have improved recently. Look under the roof door jam of a new Toyota. There's a hole. That matches up perfectly with a pin on the clip for the rack. That ensures correct placement, in addition to providing a slip-proof grip.
     
  17. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    I have for the winter. Mine take a wee bit longer to put on and off.
     
  18. Bill the Engineer

    Bill the Engineer Senior Member

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    Arouind 100K. My wife telecommutes now, so it only goes on grocery runs and the occasional trip to Lowes.
     
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  19. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Spiderman- Sorry about the quake- OK up there for you?