I really would like to take a small trip or two with my family and leave the SW at home. I HATE to drill holes in my roof of a new car, but it is a very CLEAN and sturdy installation. Towing a small cargo trailer is possible but it looks like there is a substantial amount of modification only made worse by the S exhaust system. I remember seeing everyone travelling in the minis in England in the 1970's and all had the racks and boxes and luggage etc, with everything all tied down up there.

Sooo, for those who have made the "plunge" and installed a rack, basket or box and thrown their suitcases, baby carriages and the whole lot up there, how has it changed your actual MPG? How did it feel driving and pulling hills etc.? Let know before I get out the big drill, OK?

Bicycles need not apply, they don't really qualify as increasing your wind resistance by more than a hair or so, I am thinking. Thanks.

 

just got my rack installed and love the look. I haven't purchased the box yet. It will be the yakima box, rather than Thule or the MINI oem version.

 

Actually bicycles do affect gas mileage, a well laid out "load" of boxes as you suggest might make less difference. Haven't had the MINI long enough to analyze but on my M3 on a trip at 90mph....23mpg with no rack, 21 with rack/no bikes, 19 with rack/bikes. I would expect a similar drop with the MINI and a roofrack.

 

I definitely notice a difference with a rack on. I have the MontBlanc, and with skis, I have estimated a loss of about 3mpg. Sometimes I follow a tractor trailer which seems to help.

 

I drive with my roof rack on nearly all the time (just the cross-bars) and I haven't ever noticed a bit of difference in MPG.

 

But what about with a load, like I described, a luggage filled box?

 

I have the Yakima bike rack. It has a nice clean fit and confidentally holds two bikes.

GAS mileage has definitely went down even with no bikes. You can expect with normal driving of losing 2 to maybe 3 mpg. I only put it on when I know there is going to be some serious biking down the road.

It definitely makes the Mini look cool.

I'll eventually put some pictures up1

 

How could you tell if it's on all the time

 

With 2 bikes on my Yakima, I go down at least 5-7 mpg on the freeway.