Minimizing A/C use

[camopaint0707]

man I'm learning so much

[SentraSE-R]

Impossible. I hate to burst your bubble, but someone has to. A sealed car in Orlando in July will soar to 150 degrees in 30 minutes without AC. It's simple physics. If you don't believe me, just park that Malibu, and sit in it, engine off, for 5 minutes, and see how well your imaginary insulation keeps the car cool.

Your rental Malibu must have automatic climate control. That's even worse than AC, since it's blending cool AC air with heater air to maintain cabin temperature.

[Joenavy85]

^^^also to balance humidity

[Old Tele man]

Originally Posted by Joenavy85

^^^also to balance humidity

...exactly, because water vapor (humidity) "holds" heat. That's *why* a clear night will typically be colder than a humid night...water vapor can hold a lot of BTU's!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by cfg83

dieselbeetle -



Yeah, I have a black dash cover for my dark brown dash. I don't think you want a reflective dash cover. You still need a dark color, otherwise the color of the dash will reflect onto the window. At least that's what happens to me.

CarloSW2

I have wondered about this too. I'm starting on a dash cover as a mod for cooling. I need an insulator to cool the vent-ducting just under the dash. I have an old wind screen heat shield I thought I could cut and tailor--maybe. But if I cover it with a dark color I will recreate some of the heat gain inside the cabin. I certainly can't use white or silver (!), but anything is better than my stock black! Any suggestions?

@Sentra-SE-R: I am sure you are correct that cars heat up in the sun, but car-off and car running with fan running after running the A/C are really different scenarios. The A/C unit will still be cooling recirculating air for a while. BTW, my tint keeps my car far cooler than you would expect: metalized, heat rejecting, and DARK, I don't get into a cool car, but it's a lot cooler. I'm working on the roof liners after the dash. I'm gonna be cool without A/C one day.

[SentraSE-R]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

@Sentra-SE-R: I am sure you are correct that cars heat up in the sun, but car-off and car running with fan running after running the A/C are really different scenarios. The A/C unit will still be cooling recirculating air for a while.

No automobile can avoid getting hot enough to fry an egg on its hood in Orlando Summer sun. All a fan does is move that 100+ degree air around inside the Malibu. So, park that Malibu in the Summer Orlando sun for half an hour, starting with it being 75 degrees inside. Take a house fan and extension cord with you. Do you seriously think it's not going to rise to 150 degrees inside that car within half an hour?

[SwamiSalami]

Originally Posted by cfg83

dieselbeetle -



Yeah, I have a black dash cover for my dark brown dash. I don't think you want a reflective dash cover. You still need a dark color, otherwise the color of the dash will reflect onto the window. At least that's what happens to me.

CarloSW2

oh yes. I'm quite familiar with the reflection syndrome. However, on a recent road trip I had success with laying a towel over my dash. The towel was light blue and yes, reflective. However, the only times that this reflectivity gave me a problem was when the towel got bunched up. This caused distorted shadows and made seeing out harder (as you were saying). In other words, you get used to the reflective effect the light dash cover has, because it has no shadows or patterns that can become visual obstacles. THESE are what impairs vision, not the light color's reflectivity.

[SwamiSalami]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

No automobile can avoid getting hot enough to fry an egg on its hood in Orlando Summer sun. All a fan does is move that 100+ degree air around inside the Malibu. So, park that Malibu in the Summer Orlando sun for half an hour, starting with it being 75 degrees inside. Take a house fan and extension cord with you. Do you seriously think it's not going to rise to 150 degrees inside that car within half an hour?

I never said anything about the car being turned off.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

No automobile can avoid getting hot enough to fry an egg on its hood in Orlando Summer sun. All a fan does is move that 100+ degree air around inside the Malibu. So, park that Malibu in the Summer Orlando sun for half an hour, starting with it being 75 degrees inside. Take a house fan and extension cord with you. Do you seriously think it's not going to rise to 150 degrees inside that car within half an hour?

That's why, after a couple minutes, you turn the A/C back on. Then toggle off. Then on. Low fan. Internal recirculation. Takes away heat and humidity, runs the A/C a fraction of the time. Saves fuel. Nobody freezes.

[California98Civic]

Oh! Apparently one trim level of the 2010 Malibu (the highest level it seems) does have "climate control" instead of just AC: 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ Sedan 2.4L 4-cyl. 6-speed Automatic Features and Specs