Nissan Rogue Forum

Has anyone experimented with removing the roof rack cross bars when not in use? I've heard that cross bars on any car can add wind resistance. Maybe we could squeeze an MPG out of it with them removed? It makes sense....anyone played with it? It would be hard to test probably! Every little bit counts in these troubled fossil fuel times.

That is something that I wanted to do also but did not get the courage to do it yet.

I did the other way around: Did not have them and installed them as aftermarket mod. I did not see any difference in mileage. But for sure, that should do something as they bring more drag, but how much and is it worthy, that is the question.

I get better mileage by driving smoother, slower (5 kph less on highway gives me about 0.5 l/100kms less consumption), so I'd rather play on these than to play with the cross bars.

Anything that causes drag, will cost you out of your pocket. Mind you, a couple of small bars won't make a huge difference if you drive mostly city, but if your driving is alot of highway, removing them will make a difference. As they say....the smoother the surface...the less friction.

Driving style has the biggest influence on fuel economy. I'd recommend tackling the bigger MPG factors. Crossbars will increase drag but by an insignificant amount.