There's nothing quite like taking a summer drive in a convertible with its top down, but doing so may be costing motorists a great deal at the pump. Driving on the highway with the top down could reduce gas mileage by as much as 14 percent, and according to Cars.com, automakers are looking for a way to limit the impact.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for motorists, industry insiders have yet to find a suitable fix to the problem. Though they have attempted to deflect wind to minimize drag in a number of different ways, including adding a mesh window screens, they have done so to little avail.<\/p>\n
"Designers are making every attempt they can to make the air flow smoothly up the windshield, across the roof and down the back deck," James Smith, former president of the Society of Automotive Engineers, told the website. "And when you remove that roofline you have more area there – more room for the air to get recirculated back in."<\/p>\n