Rant: I hate riding with other people who have something against A/C!

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: JimRaynor
Are you fat?

Maybe the other people riding with you aren't and get cold faster than you.

This is a very important question. Hot to a fatty is sweater weather to me.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: DougK62

Originally posted by: JimRaynor
Are you fat?

Maybe the other people riding with you aren't and get cold faster than you.

This is a very important question. Hot to a fatty is sweater weather to me.

Cool to one is freezing to me.

 

[nakedfrog]

Humidity is much more of a factor for me. Even relatively warm days can be very uncomfortable in the car if the humidity level is high.

 

[DanTMWTMP]

"it's my car and i'll turn on the damn a/c. OK?!"

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: shimsham
i ride with all my windows down when its not blazing. feels better than the a/c to me.

Agreed. I prefer "fresh" (So Cal freeway air isn't truly fresh) to A/C. Besides, not a one of my cars has working A/C, but I haven't checked out the Acura yet. It's supposed to work but we'll see... Still waiting for a release from New Jersey so I can register it here in SoCal.

 

[bobbybe01]

When you ride with him, make sure you got some hot honeys from work and then say: "It's gettin' hawt in hurrrr, so let's take off all our clothes."

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Humidity is much more of a factor for me. Even relatively warm days can be very uncomfortable in the car if the humidity level is high.

agree. turning on the A/C and recirculate REALLY helps on cutting down with the humidity level.

on a warm, non-humid day windows are down and sunroof is open :thumbsup:

 

[bacon333]

i'm used to riding in cars without AC. now that i have a car with AC...i still roll down my windows. try it!

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
Shoots if you rode with me you'd ask to turn it down I bet. When I drive I drive with it on full blast, 24/7.

:thumbsup:

In Texas, driving without A/C is just something you don't do (except between December and February).

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: bacon333
i'm used to riding in cars without AC. now that i have a car with AC...i still roll down my windows. try it!

You ride with your windows down and your A/C on?

 

[TitanDiddly]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: bacon333
i'm used to riding in cars without AC. now that i have a car with AC...i still roll down my windows. try it!

You ride with your windows down and your A/C on?

I think he means that he just doesn't use it.

 

[Mo0o]

If he's going to turn on the AC then he might as well turn up the fan, its going to consume the same amount of gas i thought.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
tell him he's deluded. the ac pump works at the same speed regardless of fan setting.

yeah, technically, but when you have the fan turned down the A/C pump will spend less time cycled on. in my accord, the pump is only working about half the time when you have the fan at "1." by the time you get to 3, it's on all the time, so i only use the settings 1,2, and maximum hurricane blast, because as long as it's working all the time, you might as well use it efficiently.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
Shoots if you rode with me you'd ask to turn it down I bet. When I drive I drive with it on full blast, 24/7.

:thumbsup:

In Texas, driving without A/C is just something you don't do (except between December and February).

That goes for Phoenix as well.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Staley8
I've ridden with some people who say "I dont use the air b/c it hurts my gas mileage". Then they fly down the freeway with their windows open. It seems to me that ruining the areodynamics of your vehicles body would hurt the gas mileage just as much if not more. Also in those cases I usually say "Here take this dollar, that cover the difference in your gas bill due to the A/C being on".

On the freeway, having the windows down really is measureably worse than using the A/C as far as mileage is concerned. A/C is only worse than having the windows down when driving in town because A/C hurts acceleration far more than cruising. If you're driving at a steady, constant speed, the A/C is more efficient than having the windows down.

ZV

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Staley8
I've ridden with some people who say "I dont use the air b/c it hurts my gas mileage". Then they fly down the freeway with their windows open. It seems to me that ruining the areodynamics of your vehicles body would hurt the gas mileage just as much if not more. Also in those cases I usually say "Here take this dollar, that cover the difference in your gas bill due to the A/C being on".

On the freeway, having the windows down really is measureably worse than using the A/C as far as mileage is concerned. A/C is only worse than having the windows down when driving in town because A/C hurts acceleration far more than cruising. If you're driving at a steady, constant speed, the A/C is more efficient than having the windows down.

ZV

I heard that for most reasonably modern vehicles, the switch over point (where AC becomes more gas efficient than windows) happens around 50-60mph.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Apex
I heard that for most reasonably modern vehicles, the switch over point (where AC becomes more gas efficient than windows) happens around 50-60mph.

The aerodynamic drag from having the windows down is huge. It may not really come into play under about 45 mph or so, but there can't be that much of a difference if you're at a constant speed.

The A/C compressor in your car (reasonably modern cars) uses less then 5 horsepower to run, usually arounsd 2 hp because of the parasitic frictional loss of the drive belt. A/C hurts efficiency because the compressor is resistant to changes in its speed, so if you accelerate, it's much more of a drag than if you're maintaining a constant speed.

I think the reason the switchover point is normally said to be 50-60 mph is because that's the speed in the real world where you're not slowing down and speeding up often. It's the lowest real-world cruising speed.

This is all just off the top of my head though.

ZV

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Vic
The AC compressor puts roughly the same amount of load on the engine regardless of the fan setting. The torque loss is minimal but the hp loss is more considerable because of the compressor's resistance to high rpms. Regardless, you will probably lose roughly 20% fuel efficiency.

Personally, I don't like AC, and don't understand people who run it even on relatively cool days just because they can't put their windows down. It's a nice day, for Christ's sake, roll the windows down and enjoy it. Soon it will be winter and your life is slipping away. And contrary to popular stupidity, having the windows down causes a very minimal drop in fuel efficiency (less than 1%).

Otherwise, it has to be a really hot day and I have to been in business clothes for me to turn on the AC. If it's 90F out, and I'm in shorts and t-shirt, there is absolutely no way in hell I am turning the AC on.

There is no fvcking way my vehicle is 20% less fuel efficient with the A/C on!!! So, you're saying that if I usually get 20mpg if I drive with the A/C on I will get 16? That's WAAAY off.

Ever sit at a stop light on a warm day with the windows down and no breeze? It can get mightly hot in a car. Fvck that. I'll run the A/C and take the 1mpg difference in fuel economy. No hesitation.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Apex
I heard that for most reasonably modern vehicles, the switch over point (where AC becomes more gas efficient than windows) happens around 50-60mph.

The aerodynamic drag from having the windows down is huge. It may not really come into play under about 45 mph or so, but there can't be that much of a difference if you're at a constant speed.

The A/C compressor in your car (reasonably modern cars) uses less then 5 horsepower to run, usually arounsd 2 hp because of the parasitic frictional loss of the drive belt. A/C hurts efficiency because the compressor is resistant to changes in its speed, so if you accelerate, it's much more of a drag than if you're maintaining a constant speed.

I think the reason the switchover point is normally said to be 50-60 mph is because that's the speed in the real world where you're not slowing down and speeding up often. It's the lowest real-world cruising speed.

This is all just off the top of my head though.

ZV

That is simply not true. Or let me say, not true for cars built in the last 10-20 years (depending on manufacturer). In order to reduce wind noise from buffeting (where you get wind noise even with the windows up), manufacturers aerodynamically design their cars so that the air goes around the windows. The best example I can give of this is drive down the freeway with the window down, put your palm in line with the window frame and then stick it outside 6 or so inches, and notice the difference in wind resistence.
Nowadays, people race with their windows down even, especially autocross and 1/4 mile.

PLUS, I always drive with the window cracked. Always have. Probably goes back to when I used to smoke. In the meantime, I have drive hundreds of thousands of freeway miles. If I turned the AC on and rolled the window up, I lost 20% gas mileage. Every time. On the freeway doing more than 70 mph. In my current car, if I road trip on the freeway with the window down (say to Seattle and back on I-5), I get about 26 mpg (EPA is 21/27). If I run the AC, I get 19 mpg.
The myth of the "switchover point" is just that. A myth. Pure BS. End of story.

 

[Kelvrick]

I get around 2mpg loss in my camry 4 banger. From around 29 to 27-28. This is going from winter when I don't use ac to summer when I have ac on to and from work with 30 minute commutes. It'll be on 1/3 of the time going to work, all the time going home from work.

Thats what, a 7% loss?

I calculate mileage from the same brand of gas, same station, same pump. Been going to the same place for about 4 months now, with a new fillup needed each week. Thats about what I found on average.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Vic
That is simply not true. Or let me say, not true for cars built in the last 10-20 years (depending on manufacturer). In order to reduce wind noise from buffeting (where you get wind noise even with the windows up), manufacturers aerodynamically design their cars so that the air goes around the windows. The best example I can give of this is drive down the freeway with the window down, put your palm in line with the window frame and then stick it outside 6 or so inches, and notice the difference in wind resistence.
Nowadays, people race with their windows down even, especially autocross and 1/4 mile.

PLUS, I always drive with the window cracked. Always have. Probably goes back to when I used to smoke. In the meantime, I have drive hundreds of thousands of freeway miles. If I turned the AC on and rolled the window up, I lost 20% gas mileage. Every time. On the freeway doing more than 70 mph. In my current car, if I road trip on the freeway with the window down (say to Seattle and back on I-5), I get about 26 mpg (EPA is 21/27). If I run the AC, I get 19 mpg.
The myth of the "switchover point" is just that. A myth. Pure BS. End of story.

Actually, you're incorrect. Air enters the car at the rear of the side windows and collects at the rear window, causing a sail-effect that increases drag. The reason has to do with the shape of most modern cars' greenhouses. You'll notice that the beltline of the car is wider than the roof, this is better for areodynamics. However, this tends to pull air in at the rear of the windows (ride in the back seat of car with the front windows down, I guarantee that you will get severely buffetted by the wind) which increases drag significantly if the windows are down.

My car is EPA rated at 25 highway. With the A/C on at a constant 75 mph I get 26 mpg. Running with the windows UP and no A/C I get 26.5 at best. I don't bother with the windows down at freeway speed because the sheer noise generated by the wind buffetting in the back seat area is highly annoying.

I have NEVER had a car lose 20% mileage with the A/C on. Not my old Accord, not my dad's Explorer, not my sister's BMW, not my mom's Maxima. At most you should lose 1 to 2 mpg. If you lose more than that, something is seriously screwed up with your car. "End of story."

ZV