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Poll: Driving with Airconditioning

V

Viperoni

Lifer
Who actually turns off their AC while driving?
My aunt in a 96 Countour with 2.0 told me that she almost never drives with the AC cuz it takes up too much engine power....I looked at her funny...
I guess with a small block 305 you don't feel the AC power grab that much....

*Can't spell* 😛
 
I leave it on if it's real hot...if there's a nice breeze, I power down the windows and slide back the moonroof 😉
 
Here in L.A. I constantly drive with the AC on. I drive an '85 Volvo 740GLE (4 cylinder) with 201,000 miles on it -- and with the turbo I can definitely leave it on while I pass other cars. 🙂
 
Well in my car it has more than enough power to have it on whenever, but either way the car turns off the compressor at WOT. In the jeep though the a/c is known as taking off the top and doors and hanging my legs out the side 🙂
 
i leave mine on always unless its 70 or cooler outside, otherwise its just too hot in fl to not have it on. i have a 90 accord 4cyl, and it goes pretty well w/ it on or off, i don't notice much of a difference.

dan,
i used to have an 86 740gle non turbo, and there wasn't that much a difference on that either, i guess it might have something to do w/ the fact that i lived in a completely flat area when i had that car, but i can't say i have ever really noticed a difference, i think its mostly in people's heads
 
In my poor little underpowered Saturn (SOHC), turning off the a/c make a big difference when the need to accelerate quickly is important. I'd say it makes about 10-15% difference.

Fuel economy only drops from 40 to 38 MPG (hwy), so I usually leave it on (if it is hot).
 
I HATE air conditioning!!!!! I have a 93' Maxima w/ 3.0L six and turning on the air doesn't pull that much power, but I like the windows OPEN!!

Winter suck, can't drive with windows down. Well you could... COLDDD
 
I must be realy picky, but I can feel the loss of power in everything I have driven, up to a 247hp v6. However in the larger engines it does not alter the car much, but still noticable. I would assume in a large v6 or v8 there is no difference. I had heard rumor that on the Plymouth Breezes, if you had the A/C on you could not even pass on the highway. On mylate 80's volvo 740 it was like putting out a parachute. This is the main reason I no longer buy cars with less then 6 cylinders. My $.02.
 
I drive with it on all the time, my car's 3.1V6 is largely unaffected and my dad's 5.9L turbo diesel doesn't give a rats arse if it's on.
 
I like to have windows open when I drive but if its real hot I turn it on. For some reason even with it blasting I notice no performance diff (engine only has 145 horsepower). I've actually done 0-60 and noticed absolutely no difference in time - well maybe like .2 at most increase with full AC on...I do know that some cars can really tell when its on though.
 
Maybe you guys have wuss compressors then 😀 😛

I know this one is pretty dam big, just a tad smaller than the 100amp alternator I have...


BTW: Driving with windows open *usually* uses up more fuel than with the AC on (aero drag)

 
If it is above 60 degrees, a/c is on wide open. Even if my top is down and doors are off, I sometimes have it on to get a cold breeze on my legs. 🙂 Friggin jeeps have such a fscked up power curve, and lousy mileage, that it doesn't make a difference anyway.
 
Midnight Rambler,

Your reasoning is correct only for highway driving because aerodynamic forces (drag) can usually be neglected for low flow speeds as compared to other inefficiencies that may dominate. For local traffic driving it is still more efficient to just roll down the windows. Unless, it's really too hot and you can't stand the smell of the dump truck in front of you.
 
Usually dont use it but when I do I have the windows open so I can hear the music of the engine and its exhaust.

Really love to have a Ferrari V-12 just for that sound.

Top That, NSF4
 
i pretty much always have it on during the summer. texas is hot. when driving over 30 is more efficient to have the a/c on, when under 30 theres not much drag created anyway, so rolling down the windows doesn't increase it enough to match the power-robbing compressor.
 
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