70 degrees + sunshine + high gas prices ===>Why use car AC???

[greatauntoftriplets]

I was driving home from work on surface streets only....fastest limit is 40 mph for 1/2 mile. The rest of the streets are city streets with speed limits of 30 - 35.

It was 70 degrees and sunny in Chicago today...first really warm day in months. A gallon of regular gas is now nearing $3 again.

So what is wrong with these people who insist on running the car AC on a perfectly beautiful warm day? I opened windows and the sunroof...the warm and light felt damn good.

Are these people so fearful of a little air? The speeds we were traveling were not high enough to worry about losing MPG because of aerodynamic drag. So what if your hair gets messed up a bit?

Jeez.

:rant:

Thanks for listening.

[catmother]

1. well it was 80 in phoenix -- too hot to open windows. there are

also times when i have the top down on my car and the pollution is so bad that i can't breathe. i'll use my AC -- thank you.:)

[ClintonTyree]

2. Actually.....

when you open your windows, sun-roof etc. you create much more drag on your vehicle thus decreasing your gas mileage as well. The truth is, windows down vs, air conditioning on is pretty much a wash gas consumption-wise. :shrug: Sorry.

edited to add: no matter what your speeed.

[NYC]

3. Conservation is not for everyone.

Think of all the office buildings that have been built with windows that cannot be opened. I'm not quite sure what excuse they use, but they make sure that air conditioning is required winter and summer, regardless of temperature.

Suicide (jumping out the window) is not the excuse. Many years ago, when I worked south of Wall St., a young man ran down the hallway, and crashed through an unopened window on the 20th floor.

My overall point is that some people re just not conservation minded.

[Crowdance]

4. Allergies. The trees are blooming.

For folks like me, the air at this time of year can be problematic. Pollen drifting from the trees can cause our eyes to close, sneezing and coughing fits, and even fevers. So, I drive with the AC on at this time of year so that I can see and not be distracted by allergic reactions while negotiating traffic. It's a safety issue.

[tnlefty]

5. Why were my neighbor's freakin' watering spouts up and running this

morning?!!!???!!! We just had tremendous thunderstorms, rain, flash flooding, etc. and there is no f'in way that his f'in yard needed to be watered. It seems that some people just don't care about the concept of conservation about any thing!

[leeroysphitz]

6. autopilot?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

7. Long running arguement in my family... the truth is

you save money using AC in a car, it takes no more energy than wind drag.

It is designed to be used in almost all cars.

[happyslug]

14. Since at least the early 1970s

Before that date cars were design to operate without A/C, they had paths around the engine compartment so that force air could enter the passenger compartment. At speed these made the car almost as comfortable as a car with A/C even with the Windows UP, the problem was the system only worked when the car was moving, if the car stopped as in a traffic jam you cooked. Thus as traffic jams became more severe in the 1960s A/C became more and more popular but cars were still designed around the older forced air system. In fact at the time (1960s) it was recommended that you buy the car without A/C and then have it retrofitted. The reason is in the 1960s Cars with A/C had they forced air systems blocked off and thus you had to use A/C with the car.

Come the 1970s, most cars were sold with A/C and designed around A/C. Thus cars could be made smaller and lighter the Auto makers just eliminated the old forced air system completely. This can be severe, for example when GM came out with its new large size cars in 1973, its wheel base and over all size was SMALLER than its mid-size car of the same year (Which was based on an older design from the late 1960s that still reflected the forced air system) BUT the inside of the Large Size car was still larger then the inside room of the Mid-size car. GM then downsized the Mid-Sized cars then the Compact cars. By the time GM was done its cars was all design around A/C as has all the other US makers of Cars (and Japanese makers of Cars).

Thus some people older than 45 still remember reading that Cars did better without A/C then with A/C for that was true of cars of the 1960s BUT NOT AFTERWARD. Sometime it takes a while for people to accept facts have changed, and one of them is the design of cars since the 1960s.

Please note I ignored the effect of the Oil Crisis of the 1970s in the above, it was a factor and forced GM and the other US Makers to downsize their cars, but it was a process already underway do to the switch to cars designed around Air Conditioning.

[nonconformist]

8. I've been known to put on my A/C for a few minutes on a day like that

If a car is parked in that sun for any length of time, it is going to be way over 70 degrees in the car. Plus, even on a mild day, the humidity can be high and that is what really gets to people - not so much the heat.

In any event, I don't use my A/C nearly as much as most people seem to use it.

[ClintonTyree]

11. It's a good idea to run it.....

once in a while even in the winter months. If you don't the seals can become brittle causing a loss of refrigerant when you do use it. My Mom is famous for this. She won't use her AC until she absolutely needs it (that means over 90 degrees for her) and wonders why she has to recharge her AC every year. She drives a 2002 Ford Focus with about 12,000 miles on it so it's not like it's an old clunker. She won't listen to me though, I'm just a "dumb (55 yr.old) kid". :rofl: Mothers....you gotta' love 'em!

[ourbluenation]

9. 70 degrees is not hot - I'd have my windows up and no ac on...eom

[DelawareValleyDem]

10. My options are limited

as I have no AC in my car. Anyway, here's an interesting study that was presented at an SAE event a few years back.

http://www.sae.org/events/aars/presentations/2004-hill.pdf#search='AC%20and%20fuel%20consumption'

on edit: Just noticed a grammar edit at the very start of the presentation. Hey, we're engineers, not English majors.

[Democrats_win]

12. Drag is proportional to the speed squared.

So if you're going 55 mph I'd use the AC. On a nice day at 35 mph, especially in stop & go traffic open the windows to enjoy the weather and save gas. Of course it's not always pleasant when you're in heavy traffic. I'm a fanatic about getting good gas mileage and I'm with you; at lower speeds avoid the AC and save gas.

[htuttle]

13. My 'air conditioning' is always on -- I still get 105 MPG

And after riding that scooter all winter up here in Madison, I'm sort of looking forward to warmer weather...

:)

[sarge43]

15. Because ...

"By God, I paid for the thing and I'm gonna use it! Screw the enviroment!" (Channeling a Freep)

[Roland99]

16. Don't use fast-food or bank drive-thrus (go inside). Also...

don't idle at long red lights. An idling engine uses more gasoline in a minute than it takes to start the engine.

[xultar]

17. ALLERGIES BABY! I swear...I try but by the time I get to where I'm goin

I've nearly wet myself from sneezin