Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff5may
From this perspective, the question lies in the amount robbed from the available motive force. With less power applied to move the vehicle, the cooling system steals a larger piece. Maximizing the leverage of the phase change circuit will net only a few percentage points of efficiency. After that, the level of comfort will be affected.
Running lower system pressures and or compression ratios will decrease power draw. This comes at the expense of reduced cooling system capacity. Not much of an expense in less tropical climates, but the closer we get to the equator, or the middle of the summer, the more insufficient the reduction in capacity becomes at satisfying comfort. This effect has a way of rearing its head on a holiday weekend in gridlocked traffic.
Hardcore options are plenty, but it all boils down to a personal decision: where does the need for comfort outweigh the performance? Sweating like a pig during the rare occasion pays large dividends the rest of the time.
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It is not necessarily true that reducing compression ratios and power draw will decrease the system's performance. By that logic, blocking the condenser's airflow would help the system's performance by increasing power draw and compression ratio.
I noticed that when I converted to the Envirosafe refrigerant, the AC worked better when stuck in traffic, and the head pressure is lower too, I think by about 20 PSI if I remember correctly.