Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Off-Topic Tech
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 07-18-2010, 02:01 AM   #1 (permalink)
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Iowa
Posts: 62

blue sipper - '06 Honda Insight
90 day: 85.96 mpg (US)

BEAST - '88 Ford F250 Lariet
90 day: 24.82 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Air conditioner really kills mileage

I had the air conditioning fixed in the slug yesterday. About time, temp was in the mid 90's and the humidity was in the low 80% range. Up until I had the ac fixed I was running 90 mpg for 370 miles. I had to do about 80 miles for work and ran the air, by the time I got home it was 82.4 mpg for 450 miles. I knew that ac hurt mileage but the ac combined with my little engine made my poor car even worse as far as pulling power goes, I was driving with little to no wind and would compare it to driving into a 20mpg headwind.

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 07-18-2010, 02:13 AM   #2 (permalink)
Pokémoderator
 
cfg83's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southern California
Posts: 5,864

1999 Saturn SW2 - '99 Saturn SW2 Wagon
Team Saturn
90 day: 40.49 mpg (US)
Thanks: 439
Thanked 532 Times in 358 Posts
Danncomm -

Poor little Insight. I fixed my A/C for carpooling and I saw my MPG plunge. I still keep A/C off for accelerating onto freeways. Need every once of power I can get.

CarloSW2
__________________

What's your EPA MPG? Go Here and find out!
American Solar Energy Society
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 02:57 AM   #3 (permalink)
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Iowa
Posts: 62

blue sipper - '06 Honda Insight
90 day: 85.96 mpg (US)

BEAST - '88 Ford F250 Lariet
90 day: 24.82 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I am way too tired tonight to try to figure out the mileage hit the ac caused. Will try to figure out the difference tomorrow. Would figure somewhere in the 30mpg range to cause that kind of mileage hit in the 80 miles driven.
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 09:34 AM   #4 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,927
Thanks: 877
Thanked 2,024 Times in 1,304 Posts
Last two weeks here I have seen the temp hit 106 with our typically higher humidity.

Sorry folks but no AC is no longer an option for this old man.

I do P&G the AC to try to minimize its impact, but in my Insight it was about a 10 MPG (out of 70) hit. The VX seems to take about a 5-7 hit.

It forces me to change my strategy and just hop on the interstate and not take more time for the back roads and avoid any idling.

When you are in lean burn, even in the 1.5 liter engine on the VX and 5th gear, the load of the AC and just maintaining speed at 62 MPH is about the max lean burn power of that car. The benefit is you spend less time on the road so the overall AC energy use is lower.

When I have to stop, I go max fan and Max AC temp (always on recirculate) to take advantage of otherwise wasted energy.

regards
Mech
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 10:08 AM   #5 (permalink)
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 11,203

CM400E - '81 Honda CM400E
90 day: 51.49 mpg (US)

Daox's Grey Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
Team Toyota
90 day: 49.53 mpg (US)

Daox's Insight - '00 Honda Insight
90 day: 64.33 mpg (US)

Swarthy - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage DE
Mitsubishi
90 day: 56.69 mpg (US)

Daox's Volt - '13 Chevrolet Volt
Thanks: 2,501
Thanked 2,587 Times in 1,554 Posts
Your IMA battery thanks you for AC though. I was just talking with the owner of hybridbatteryrepair.com this weekend and he says heat is the number one killer of packs.
__________________
Current project: A better alternator delete
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 11:35 AM   #6 (permalink)
dcb
needs more cowbell
 
dcb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: ˙
Posts: 5,038

pimp mobile - '81 suzuki gs 250 t
90 day: 96.29 mpg (US)

schnitzel - '01 Volkswagen Golf TDI
90 day: 53.56 mpg (US)
Thanks: 158
Thanked 269 Times in 212 Posts
So how do you do "Regenerative" AC?

The simple version is to hook a compressor up to a wheel and blow the cold air over a thermal mass.

There are probably more efficient schemes than that though.
__________________
WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 12:27 PM   #7 (permalink)
Hypermiling rookie
 
Laurentiu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Limassol , CY
Posts: 288

Opel Corsa B - '96 Opel Corsa 1.2 8V
90 day: 47.27 mpg (US)

VW Bora 1.6 16V - '02 Volkswagen Bora/Jetta
90 day: 35.84 mpg (US)
Thanks: 17
Thanked 36 Times in 21 Posts
Regenerative AC sounds like a good idea. I always think why do the auto-manuf. never bother to insulate the passenger cabin more properly, glass with lower conductivity that would allow smaller more energy efficient units in the cars. Passive cooling is an interesting idea I read about.
Vehicle cooling systems

L.E. it is appalling to think that the few cubic feet of cabin space in a passenger car which are 10's of times less than the size of 1 room require such vast amounts of Watts to keep it cool..
__________________






"It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste" Henry Ford

Last edited by Laurentiu; 07-18-2010 at 04:39 PM..
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 12:32 PM   #8 (permalink)
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 11,203

CM400E - '81 Honda CM400E
90 day: 51.49 mpg (US)

Daox's Grey Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
Team Toyota
90 day: 49.53 mpg (US)

Daox's Insight - '00 Honda Insight
90 day: 64.33 mpg (US)

Swarthy - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage DE
Mitsubishi
90 day: 56.69 mpg (US)

Daox's Volt - '13 Chevrolet Volt
Thanks: 2,501
Thanked 2,587 Times in 1,554 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laurentiu View Post
Regenerative AC sounds like a good idea. I always think why do the auto-manuf. never bother to insulate the passenger more properly, glass with lower conductivity that would allow smaller more energy efficient units in the cars.

Someone at drive green expo asked a Ford rep in a meeting about this. He said they have no plans to insulate the cabin as far as he knows.
__________________
Current project: A better alternator delete
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 01:57 PM   #9 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
JellyBeanDriver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: So. Cal
Posts: 92
Thanks: 2
Thanked 15 Times in 13 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laurentiu View Post
glass with lower conductivity that would allow smaller more energy efficient units in the cars.
More like coatings to reflect infrared energy instead of letting it in to bake the interior.
__________________
1992 Geo Metro, 1.0L 5spd, 435,000 miles on the original engine and trans!
- knuckles/hubs/brakes/13" wheels from a 2000 Metro
- running 175 70R13
- averaging 51.7 MPG, 56.9MPG best tank.
- self built MPGuino
- http://www.dschmidt.com/MPGuinoJBD.html
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2010, 02:10 PM   #10 (permalink)
Jeep Ecomodder
 
JeepNmpg2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Georgia
Posts: 160

Daddy's Jeep - '00 Jeep Cherokee SE
90 day: 19.66 mpg (US)

Mama's Kia - '06 Kia Sedona LX
Thanks: 16
Thanked 24 Times in 13 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox View Post
Someone at drive green expo asked a Ford rep in a meeting about this. He said they have no plans to insulate the cabin as far as he knows.
Of coarse not, that would make sense wouldn't it? For my jeep, if I cut the ac on it is a 1-1.5 mpg detriment, which doesn't seem like much until you realize that it is about 4-6% of my overall. So it would seem that ac's in general draw up to 10% of your engine power. At least mine on recirculate/max and on low, while on the freeway the compressor only comes on for 2 or so seconds then stays off for almost 10.

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread




Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Ram Air vs. HAI vs. Warm Ram Air. Tygen1 EcoModding Central 34 08-10-2014 05:28 AM
My New 4cyl Compact Doesn't Get Good Mileage Stone Axe Introductions 13 02-08-2013 01:06 PM
EcoModding for Beginners: Getting great gas mileage. SVOboy EcoModding Central 55 08-21-2012 12:34 AM
Increase FE with warm air intake silverhawk_184 EcoModding Central 6 12-04-2009 12:45 AM
OEM Air Injection, Yay or nay? Dane-ger EcoModding Central 11 01-14-2008 11:05 AM



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com