Air conditioning and genuine fuel economy rhetoric
 

The air conditioning compressor can sap a considerable amount of power, upwards in the 15 horsepower range. That's enough to drive the average car 35 MPH. That puts a serious dent in fuel mileage.

The Feds calculate 1 supertanker of crude out of every 10 is to feed motorvehicle air conditioning in the US.

Actually, few besides us give a rip, especially with today's "cheap" fuel. No, don't look ahead, demand and enjoy your immediate gratification NOW!!!

All that puke is making my monitor stink. :D

I use AC when the wife needs to keep her makeup from running down her face.

Hopefully enough to keep the seals from dry rotting.

I do love how my very dark paint means I have solar heating whenever the sun is shining in colder Winter temperatures. I generally only use heat when the windows need defogging.

regards
mech

get angry much........
or use facts and truth very much......
obviously failed ranting seems to be your norm.
Now for some facts.....
I drove an Infiniti Q45S from 60k to 270k miles and documented reasonable modes (bellypan, grille block, taller tires) on this forum.
THe epa was 18/23. I consistently got 28-31mpg on the highway with the a/c permanently on. as you can see by a 90 day log, I got 23.08 with city driving, with a/c on.
It's all documented.

There are places for pointless rants and histrionics, but this is not one of them.

In my experience most of Ecomodder is about practical applications and practices. If you want to rant about social and political vectors that may or may not be directly related to the burning of fuel, please do it somewhere more attuned to that kind of discussion. Because this ain't it.

You are shouting at the people who are taking direct action to be the exact opposite of the very things you condemn.

AC is very useful when the humidity is fogging the glass. And I don't think the AC is as much a hit on fuel economy as you claim, it certainly does not keep me below 50mpg.

Please, prove this.......now.:thumbup:

BTW, I ran the a/c on/ a/c off test in my 1999 Vanden Plas Jaguar and the difference was 4 miles per gallon .....up from 28mpg with the a/c off.

wasn't even worth all the wind beating and noise.

Again, please show proof of your 'claims'
unless of course this was a drug/alcohol induced rant. :eek:..then you just owe us an apology. ;)

editing your post from a 500 word rant to a 50 word whine does not add any more validity to your topic.
Or improve the flawed logic.
Please PROVE that a/c using '15 hp' puts a 'serious dent' in fuel mileage.
you were 'claiming' 50% decreases in running a/c. (the RANT)
PLEASE PROVE. FACTUALLY.

"Power steering, the water pump, and other accessories use energy generated by the engine. Fuel economy improvements up to 1% may be achievable with more efficient alternator systems and power steering pumps."
Where the Energy Goes: Gasoline Vehicles

see, that's how it works......

Effects of Air Conditioner Use on Real-World Fuel Economy
Paper #:2013-01-0551 Published: 2013-04-08 DOI:10.4271/2013-01-0551

Citation:Huff, S., West, B., and Thomas, J., "Effects of Air Conditioner Use on Real-World Fuel Economy," SAE Technical Paper 2013-01-0551, 2013, doi:10.4271/2013-01-0551.


Author(s):Shean Huff Brian West John Thomas
Affiliated:Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Pages:11
Abstract:Effects of Air Conditioner Use on Real-World Fuel Economy

Effects of Air Conditioner Use on Real-World Fuel Economy

On-road and laboratory experiments with a 2009 Ford Explorer and a 2009 Toyota Corolla were conducted to assess the fuel consumption penalty associated with air conditioner (A/C) use at idle and highway cruise conditions. Vehicle data were acquired on-road and on a chassis dynamometer. Data were gathered for various A/C settings and with the A/C off and the windows open. At steady speeds between 64.4 and 113 kph (40 and 70 mph), both vehicles consumed more fuel with the A/C on at maximum cooling load (compressor at 100% duty cycle) than when driving with the windows down. The Explorer maintained this trend beyond 113 kph (70 mph), while the Corolla fuel consumption with the windows down matched that of running the A/C at 121 kph (75 mph), and exceeded it at 129 kph (80 mph). The incremental fuel consumption rate penalty due to air conditioner use was nearly constant with a slight trend of increasing consumption with increasing vehicle (and compressor) speed. A lower fuel penalty due to A/C operation is observed at idle for both vehicles, likely due to the low compressor speed at this operating point, although the percentage increase due to A/C use is highest at idle.

The biggest hit I've ever seen by A/C on my Mustang was 20 MPG. Now, for some details....
There's a slight downhill stretch on my commute home. On Cruise control @ 35 MPG, Instantaneous MPG on the ScanGauge is 80 MPG. With A/C on, Instantaneous MPG is 60 MPG.
Real world differences at higher engine load are FAR less - maybe 2 or 3 MPG.
Most people don't even believe it's possible to get 30 MPG out of a 4 liter Mustang. :shrug:

Well played!����

15hp just for the AC might be the case for buses and coaches, but not for cars.