Car airconditioning

[Bonnie]

Im taking a survery as to how many of you all use your car airconditioning in hot weather and whom among you does not.


Im curious because I see many people with new nice cars, BMWs, Lexus, Mercedes, etc and in the middle of the day when it's 95 degrees they have the windows down...

Is there a trick to staying cool that way that I am unaware of???

 

[Annie]

Im taking a survery as to how many of you all use your car airconditioning in hot weather and whom among you does not.


Im curious because I see many people with new nice cars, BMWs, Lexus, Mercedes, etc and in the middle of the day when it's 95 degrees they have the windows down...

Is there a trick to staying cool that way that I am unaware of???

They probably and have the air conditioning on full blast too!

 

[Bonnie]

They probably and have the air conditioning on full blast too!

OOOOHHHhhhhhh

 

[Annie]

OOOOHHHhhhhhh

Of course, I'm just guessing!

 

[nt250]

Of course, I'm just guessing!

I'd say it's a good guess.

Smokers don't need to keep their windows down all the way. It's actually better if you just leave it open a crack. It's a physics thing. I have no idea why it works that way, but smoke gets sucked out a window quicker if it's only open a little bit than if you open it all the way.

But smoking has become such an emotional issue that some people just can't be reasonable about it.

The air died in my Focus and I was dreading taking it in. My last car was a Plymouth Voyager and they wanted $900 dollars to fix the air in that. I had bought it used, and it was about 8 years old, and I just couldn't see sinking that much money into it. So I suffered two whole summers with no air conditioning. I finally traded it in when the engine went and got the Focus.

But the Focus wasn't too bad. It only cost me $194, and the car is almost 6 years old now, so it was worth.

I don't believe in buying new cars unless you really need one. I buy a car and I run it until it makes more sense to buy a new one. Making a car payment is probably the worst investment you can make. I like my little Focus.

I am glad they fixed the air, though. I have a garage, but getting into it after work, and with it sitting in the sun, was torture.

 

[GotZoom]

They probably and have the air conditioning on full blast too!

I don't smoke but my driver's window and sunroof is always open (unless rain of course). If it's 85 degrees or so and above, the AC is on.

I have also been known to drive a convertible in 30 degree weather with the heater on high.

Love the "open" feel - windows down, sunroof open, convertible top down, etc.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

both cars do, but the caddy's needs a new compressor, and that's $250. We never bothered to check it when we bought it last Nov. It will likely get fixed after we refi our house next month.

 

[Said1]

I take an air conditioned bus. Does that count?

The heat in Tim's car is stuck on, it does have air though.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Im taking a survery as to how many of you all use your car airconditioning in hot weather and whom among you does not.


Im curious because I see many people with new nice cars, BMWs, Lexus, Mercedes, etc and in the middle of the day when it's 95 degrees they have the windows down...

Is there a trick to staying cool that way that I am unaware of???

I don't use my AC if I am in town. I only use it on the freeway, but if it is stop and go traffic, I will roll the windows down and turn the air off. It helps conserve gas by only using it when I am at cruising speed.

 

[Mr. P]

I don't use my AC if I am in town. I only use it on the freeway, but if it is stop and go traffic, I will roll the windows down and turn the air off. It helps conserve gas by only using it when I am at cruising speed.

I’m going to learn something. How does this conserve gas at cruising speed vs idol?

The A/C compressor will cycle when it needs to, regardless of engine rpm.

 

[nt250]

I don't use my AC if I am in town. I only use it on the freeway, but if it is stop and go traffic, I will roll the windows down and turn the air off. It helps conserve gas by only using it when I am at cruising speed.

That's when you need it the most.

Are you anal, poor, or just cheap?

 

[fuzzykitten99]

I’m going to learn something. How does this conserve gas at cruising speed vs idol?

The A/C compressor will cycle when it needs to, regardless of engine rpm.

Its because stop and go decreases MPG (aka city miles/in-town miles) , then adding AC, I lose even more MPG range.

The only time I have AC on in town is when I have the kids with me. Otherwise, the heat isn't all that bad.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Are you anal, poor, or just cheap?

Are you trying to be a jerk? Kind of a bold statement from someone with less than 200 posts, and doesn't even know me.

To answer your question...
I have 2 kids, a house, and I am trying to start a home daycare business. End of story.

As to traffic/heat... heat doesn't really bother me when I have the windows down. As long as I am in town, the AC stays off unless I have my kids with me. Before I got married, NONE of my cars had AC. So I'm used to it.

 

[nt250]

Are you trying to be a jerk? Kind of a bold statement from someone with less than 200 posts, and doesn't even know me.

To answer your question...
I have 2 kids, a house, and I am trying to start a home daycare business. End of story.

As to traffic/heat... heat doesn't really bother me when I have the windows down. As long as I am in town, the AC stays off unless I have my kids with me. Before I got married, NONE of my cars had AC. So I'm used to it.

OK, got it.

Anal.

 

[Dan]

OK, got it.

Anal.

Oh, is that how you got it?

Zing!

 

[KarlMarx]

I have a/c in my car and use it. I don't roll the windows down, because I don't smoke.

I'm also lucky enough to live in a house that had central a/c installed by the previous owner and work in an airconditioned office.

For some reason, the heat bothers me, I have a hard time sleeping in hot weather. I used to dread summers because of the heat, now, I enjoy them more, since I know I don't have to deal with the heat any longer.

One thing I've noticed, though. Air conditioning makes me less tolerant of the heat. If I have to be out in the heat for a long time, e.g. doing yardwork etc. it seems to bother me more than it does others who don't have a/c.

 

[Nienna]

We use the air in the car & house.

 

[Bonnie]

I have a/c in my car and use it. I don't roll the windows down, because I don't smoke.

I'm also lucky enough to live in a house that had central a/c installed by the previous owner and work in an airconditioned office.

For some reason, the heat bothers me, I have a hard time sleeping in hot weather. I used to dread summers because of the heat, now, I enjoy them more, since I know I don't have to deal with the heat any longer.

One thing I've noticed, though. Air conditioning makes me less tolerant of the heat. If I have to be out in the heat for a long time, e.g. doing yardwork etc. it seems to bother me more than it does others who don't have a/c.

I think that people's blood actually thins out when you live in a warm climate. I grew up in Fla, as a kid I could take the heat, even enjoyed it, but that's usually because I was in a pool. Even my grandparents adapted to the heat after a few years, generally, but still needed the air on very hot days. Im not sure how people up in the Northeast do it though, as they can't be that adjusted to the heat that they can sit in a car in 95 degree heat with humidity outside which means inside the car would be around 118, wearing business clothes, suits, panty hose etc and not arrive back to work a drippy sweaty mess? From the moment I get into a hot car I feel like I can't breath, I can't wait to feel that cold air on my face...But hey if others can do it more power to them!!!
At night however I love having the windows in my car down and the sunroof open to feel that balmy breeze coming in. It's so peaceful. When I had my convertible the top was almost always down at night from May till October.

 

[nt250]

I think that people's blood actually thins out when you live in a warm climate. I grew up in Fla, as a kid I could take the heat, even enjoyed it, but that's usually because I was in a pool. Even my grandparents adapted to the heat after a few years, generally, but still needed the air on very hot days. Im not sure how people up in the Northeast do it though, as they can't be that adjusted to the heat that they can sit in a car in 95 degree heat with humidity outside which means inside the car would be around 118, wearing business clothes, suits, panty hose etc and not arrive back to work a drippy sweaty mess? From the moment I get into a hot car I feel like I can't breath, I can't wait to feel that cold air on my face...But hey if others can do it more power to them!!!
At night however I love having the windows in my car down and the sunroof open to feel that balmy breeze coming in. It's so peaceful. When I had my convertible the top was almost always down at night from May till October.

There must be something in the blood. Or the water. Something!

I'm from New England and in 1988 I had to go to Raleigh, NC for a two week class for work. It was July. Oh. My. GOD! I have never experienced heat like that in my life. I can't even come up without enough metaphors for how hot it was. It was too hot to go to the pool at the hotel. It was so hot it was like standing inside a 350 degree oven. It was hot.

I smoke, and this building didn't allow smoking inside, even way back then. The building was kind on the crest of a hill, and it had a massive parking lot that you could see pretty much all of from outside the front door. One day I was standing out there, smoking, and absolutely dying from the heat. I saw this car pull into the far side of the parking lot, watched a woman get out of her car, get her stuff out of the back seat, and walk towards the building.

She was wearing a long sleeve polyester dress. I thought, she has GOT do be dying in this heat. As she got closer I also saw that she was wearing panyhose, was in full make-up, coiffed hair. The whole nine yards. It took her a good 30 seconds to get from her car to where I was standing, all of it uphill, involving several steps.

She smiled at me as she walked by and went into the building. She didn't even break a sweat. I swear, this woman was NOT sweating at all. I'm standing there, DYING, and she didn't even notice the heat.

 

[Bonnie]

There must be something in the blood. Or the water. Something!

I'm from New England and in 1988 I had to go to Raleigh, NC for a two week class for work. It was July. Oh. My. GOD! I have never experienced heat like that in my life. I can't even come up without enough metaphors for how hot it was. It was too hot to go to the pool at the hotel. It was so hot it was like standing inside a 350 degree oven. It was hot.

I smoke, and this building didn't allow smoking inside, even way back then. The building was kind on the crest of a hill, and it had a massive parking lot that you could see pretty much all of from outside the front door. One day I was standing out there, smoking, and absolutely dying from the heat. I saw this car pull into the far side of the parking lot, watched a woman get out of her car, get her stuff out of the back seat, and walk towards the building.

She was wearing a long sleeve polyester dress. I thought, she has GOT do be dying in this heat. As she got closer I also saw that she was wearing panyhose, was in full make-up, coiffed hair. The whole nine yards. It took her a good 30 seconds to get from her car to where I was standing, all of it uphill, involving several steps.

She smiled at me as she walked by and went into the building. She didn't even break a sweat. I swear, this woman was NOT sweating at all. I'm standing there, DYING, and she didn't even notice the heat.

I wish I knew the secret??