ARB Roof Rack Basket

I recently installed the p/n 3800250 ARB roof basket, on my 2016 Tacoma using the p/n 372010 fit kit. The install was simple and the rack quality built. HOWEVER...the rack killed my fuel mileage. I lost 2-3 mpg at 70mph even with optional aero front cover. It has been tested and verified with the rack off and on. The rack is now for sale. This posting is to advise what to expect should you put one of these on your ride. I should have researched.

 

You might want to remove the eBay and item number out of the posting as that's circumventing the Buy/Sell/Trade Rules. As showering you are selling it on eBay.

 

Reference to eBay removed. Thank you sincerely for advising me of the rule infraction. Coop

 

Thanks for the heads-up; I've been considering this basket for lighter stuff on longer trips.
That's a huge difference for such a small change to aero. I'm assuming the test was with the basket empty?

 

Yes with basket empty. At 70mph the truck was consistently turning over 3000rpm with little or no head wind.

 

Have you thought of buying the brackets to mount on the bed rails so it'll sit behind the cab?

 

No I wanted it roof mounted.

 

I was shocked when I tried a basket about 15 years ago on a Subie Forester I had. Killed my mileage and wind noise was huge.

 

That's wild, I hadn't heard about mileage issues with baskets. Appreciate you posting this.

 

Wind noise and fuel mileage loss are guaranteed with a roof top basket.

 

Not necessarily.

You can put an RTT on the roof and barely notice it, either in drag or MPG loss. A basket might make more noise but saying it’s a given to be dramatically suffering in economy isn’t true.

 

I have to disagree buut that's what makes the world go around.

 

.. firsthand experience doesn’t.

 

I’d be shocked if a RTT on the roof didn’t effect mpg, I’d expect any rack to have an effect as well, though less noticeable.

I keep meticulous fuel records with the road trip app. After adding my frontrunner rack (far more low profile than an ARB basket) in August, I dropped a solid 1 to 1.5 MPG on average (before any fuel blend switches). That said, it was all to be expected and I didn’t care since I bought a truck and not a Prius (not to mention it’s all better than my 5th gen 4Runner).

2 to 3 MPG seems extreme but I don’t know OP’s driving conditions. Lots of high speed/high wind scenarios could make the effect worse.

OA

 

Haven’t lost anything with my Slimline II.

 

Yea an RTT behind the cab and a basket on the roof aren't comparable but apparently it's all about firsthand experience.

 

It could just be our respective driving conditions. It’s definitely proven itself on paper for me. That said the newer frontrunner racks (initially a 3rd gen only design that they moved to both 2nd and 3rds) sits taller than the older 2nd gen design too. When did you get your rack?

Wasn’t trying to start a pissing contest - just stating that if you’re all city driving or something along those lines (generally lower speed) wind resistance won’t factor in much. In my case it definitely made a difference. For some it won’t at all.

OA

 

It’s always about first hand experience, or as close to it as you can get.

 

I’d say based on prior vehicles, a good rule of thumb is 10% mpg hit with roof racks. Plus, they’re noisy.

Which is why got a truck so I can haul stuff in the bed, not on the roof.

 

I'm researching roof top racks and ARB is one of my contenders.

In reading this I think application may have been outside the purpose of a roof rack. Roof racks serve a purpose to haul gear on top - not as a trim to drive around empty 98% of the time. It cannot be expect that gas milage will not take a hit on a permanent fixture on top of your cab - especially if your are doing 70mph! One the other hand I expect hauling gear on top while over-landing, where 35mph is fast, will have a negligible wind resistance effect.

So I think the bigger question is can I take my rack off when I do not need it? It seems like the ARB fitment kit allows easy removal of the rack when not required. For me that's paramount.