Suzuki Swift Air Conditioning (lack thereof)

[OmwToGallifrey]

Okay, so call me a sissy but the lack of a/c is killing me. The heat index was 110 today and mind you that was outside of my car. My car didn't come factory with a/c.

I have heard that you can get kits and install the a/c yourself. Anyone here have any experience with a/c kits?

I've heard that it can cost well up to $1k to have a/c installed professionally.

[Ryland]

Cheapest way is going to buy all the parts used, if you go that route you might want to talk to a shop that repairs AC and ask them what seals to replace while you have everything apart.
AC will take a great deal of power from your 1L engine and will make your mileage drop like a rock.

[3n3rgystar]

Back when I had my swift minus the a/c and only a few days out of the year did I drive and feel like it was unbearable. What I did was get some bags of ice and fill up the floorboard then let the vent blow over the ice and it worked very well to keep me cool.

[OmwToGallifrey]

I'll try that then.

The a/c only takes power when it's in use, correct?

I remember seeing an episode of mythbusters where they did windows down vs. AC. They said it was more efficient to use a/c than to have the windows down, creating more drag. Was this because they were using larger vehicles and the a/c wasn't taking all the power from the egine?

[DonBarletta]

My Swift which I had for ten years had the 1L engine and no air. I endured the very few super hot days that we have here in the Northeast. The bags of ice are a great idea, and yes, not only is it very expensive to have AC professionally installed; your gas mileage while using it WILL drop like a rock, as was commented above.

I remember one time I drove from San Diego to Salt Lake City. It was over 100 all day, but I had a 5 gallon jug of water with me, so I just spent the entire day misting myself by spraying water on my face, head, and neck - and that kept me totally cool and comfortable. And that is yet another solution which can be implemented immediately by you for less than $1, by buying a sprayer at the dollar store.

[3n3rgystar]

Originally Posted by DonBarletta

My Swift which I had for ten years had the 1L engine and no air. I endured the very few super hot days that we have here in the Northeast. The bags of ice are a great idea, and yes, not only is it very expensive to have AC professionally installed; your gas mileage while using it WILL drop like a rock, as was commented above.

I remember one time I drove from San Diego to Salt Lake City. It was over 100 all day, but I had a 5 gallon jug of water with me, so I just spent the entire day misting myself by spraying water on my face, head, and neck - and that kept me totally cool and comfortable. And that is yet another solution which can be implemented immediately by you for less than $1, by buying a sprayer at the dollar store.

That's a great idea can take and put one in the refrigerator for ice cold water spray. Another thing is a cold shower that not only saves on hot water but will cool you down for a while special if you shower with some cotton swim trunks and t-shirt that stays wet for a while.

Also a piece of ice every once in a while put in your mouth allowed to slowly dissolve will go a long ways in your perception of being hot.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by OmwToGallifrey

The a/c only takes power when it's in use, correct?

Removing the A/C belt will help increase your mileage but if you remove your A/C belt then you can't run the A/C every month or so like the owners manual recommends to keep everything lubed and to keep the seals from drying out so in the long run it will cost more on upkeep, it also takes fuel to haul around the extra weight of the A/C.

[kgwedi]

My 2000 Metro normally idles at .13 GPH. the A/C raises my fuel flow by .17 GPH, plus the .03 of the fan on high, to .33 GPH.
My current tank has been in central Texas and the temp was over 100 most days. I used the a/c lots. FE dropped to around 45 MPG from close to 60.
I also have a Very steep, rocky hill that I can't make up with the a/c on even in first gear.
I never thought removing the belt alone would help with the a/c off. Thanks to Ryland, I'll try that when it cools down a bit.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by DonBarletta

I just spent the entire day misting myself by spraying water on my face, head, and neck - and that kept me totally cool and comfortable.

Water misting / water evaporation is often used to cool things down.

Some café terraces in the Florida Keys use it.

We use water evaporation cooling on an industrial scale at work.