Pulse & Glide - Air Conditioning

[BlackDeuceCoupe]

...

[whokilledthejams]

105? The solution to dealing with that kind of heat is to move.

Of course, I start complaining at 75F about how I miss winter.

Methodically pulsing AC is a good idea, though. I would do that with the Subaru I had, because the AC made me take about a 3mpg hit. On the other hand, in the xB, I had a tank at the beginning of the month where I ran the AC for 200-odd miles at 65mph on the I90, and still managed a reasonable 34mpg. Also, I forgot to check my tire pressure before that trip, which had gone back down to ~35psi (I've intended to run 40-45psi lately, with reasonable success). So, the AC alone isn't that huge a drain for me, except uphill or merging, I notice it the engine drag somewhat.

Of course, if I'm driving alone, I'll usually just open windows. At interstate speeds, I don't like them all the way down, but I find in most cars, you get a nice circulating breeze with the two passenger-side windows (in a sedan or wagon, obviously) both open about 1-2". No detectable mpg hit, a reasonable noise level, but enough of a breeze to keep things tolerable.

[atomicradish]

The A/C on my older car will automatically turn itself on/off whenever the temperature rises or drops above a preset temperature. I loved the feature because it kept the A/C from running constantly. It's too bad Troy doesn't have it.