Car airconditioning

[JOKER96BRAVO]

SUVs and expensive cars do this alot because of gas prices.
Not everyone who has an expensive car has more money to fork out in gas
every week due to the AC. Just my opinion.

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

True story,
There is a man who lives by my parents who has grown tired of explaining
why he refuses to drive over 55 mph. He took some white shoe polish and
wrote on his back window " $$$ 55 Saves Gas $$$ ". Funny part about that is
that he drives two trucks, one mid size and one full size. One of which he
purchased last year. I assure you he uses neither of these vehicles for
utility purposes. It's amazing what some people will do to save some dough
without giving up a little personal comfort. Seems logical to buy a fuel
efficient car if you care that much.

 

[sitarro]

I read somewhere the other day that driving with the windows open and the ac off was more cost effecient at slow speeds but at higher speeds it is more efficient to close the windows and turn up the ac. The drag of driving at high speeds with the window open is worse for fuel economy than windows up and ac on.

Smokers can do best at highway speeds to crack open the sunroof especially if it has that particular setting that just lifts the rear of the sunroof. I smoke cigars and pipes and have found this works best.

 

[GotZoom]

Should you avoid using air conditioning at low speeds? In general, if you can be comfortable with the windows down and the air conditioner off you can save gasoline, but only if your speed is below about 40 miles per hour. Over 40 mph, open windows disturb too much of your air flow and the air conditioner is preferable. Best of all is to keep both the A/C off AND the windows closed.

http://geology.utah.gov/sep/energy_efficiency/gasoline/mileage_tips.htm

Go easy on the air conditioning. Roll down your car's windows and let in the summer breeze. Using the gas-hogging air conditioning as sparingly as possible will give your car's fuel economy a real boost. Air conditioning can drag down your car's fuel economy by 10 percent to 20 percent.

On days when air conditioning is a must, first try cooling your car the old fashioned way -- rolling down the windows, opening the vents, peeling back the sunroof. You'd be amazed how much hot air you can clear out of your car just by opening up for awhile.

Flipping on the air conditioning full blast as soon as you hop into a hot car is a big waste of gas and money.

Keep in mind, though, that at highway speeds, modern cars are more fuel efficient with the air conditioning on than with the air off and windows down.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/fuel-efficient/4.asp

Depending on your car's make and model, driving with the windows rolled down instead of running the air conditioning may cause increased drag, and therefore be less efficient than running the air conditioning with the windows up.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2629_increase-gas-mileage.html

 

[-Cp]

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.

Turning the AC off at slower speeds (when you need it the most) makes about as much sense as sticking a recovering alcoholic into an open bar and telling him not ot have a drink...

GOOD LORD - are you sure you're not related to my wife's dad? - i.e. CHEAP-ASS....

 

[Mr. P]

Should you avoid using air conditioning at low speeds? In general, if you can be comfortable with the windows down and the air conditioner off you can save gasoline, but only if your speed is below about 40 miles per hour. Over 40 mph, open windows disturb too much of your air flow and the air conditioner is preferable. Best of all is to keep both the A/C off AND the windows closed.

http://geology.utah.gov/sep/energy_efficiency/gasoline/mileage_tips.htm

Go easy on the air conditioning. Roll down your car's windows and let in the summer breeze. Using the gas-hogging air conditioning as sparingly as possible will give your car's fuel economy a real boost. Air conditioning can drag down your car's fuel economy by 10 percent to 20 percent.

On days when air conditioning is a must, first try cooling your car the old fashioned way -- rolling down the windows, opening the vents, peeling back the sunroof. You'd be amazed how much hot air you can clear out of your car just by opening up for awhile.

Flipping on the air conditioning full blast as soon as you hop into a hot car is a big waste of gas and money.

Keep in mind, though, that at highway speeds, modern cars are more fuel efficient with the air conditioning on than with the air off and windows down.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/fuel-efficient/4.asp

Depending on your car's make and model, driving with the windows rolled down instead of running the air conditioning may cause increased drag, and therefore be less efficient than running the air conditioning with the windows up.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2629_increase-gas-mileage.html

Aerodynamic drag, one of my favorite subjects. Near an dear to me heart.

By leaving the window down you will increase drag. On the other hand there is a speed at which windows up is not efficient. The variables are many, but for folks in cars just understanding the bolded part below will help (maybe ). This is all truly a physics balancing act.

All objects experience aerodynamic drag when moving through air. This drag force is a function of the size and shape of the object and is proportional to the square of the speed. This means that an object moving two times faster has four times the aerodynamic drag or that at three times faster has nine times the aerodynamic drag. This force is usually given with units of Newtons (N) or pounds force (lbf). When aerodynamic drag is discussed in terms of power, it is then proportional to the speed cubed. This means that doubling the speed results in eight times the power required overcoming aerodynamic drag.

http://www.canecreek.com/166.html

 

[The ClayTaurus]

Everybody get your geek on!

http://www.sae.org/events/aars/presentations/2004-hill.pdf