Turning on the a/c

[caineroad]

I know turning on the a/c decrease fuel economy, is it true the colder you turn the a/c, more fuel it wastes? or does not matter?

And the fans, if I switch it to 4 max setting or the circulation button, does it use more fuel as well?

Lastly, does the alternator generate more electricity through fuel burning if the battery is losing charge because I use too much cigarette lighter accessories, or turning the speakers loud?

During the summer, it's really hard to resist, I get grumpy when I am sweaty in the car.

[ciscobear]

You use more fuel travelling on the highway with your windows down than up using AC. AC systems nowadays are very efficient. There is no place for sweat

[sickpuppy1]

if the AC is on,it uses X amount of fuel,period. Now that being said, if you turn it warmer, the compressor will cycle on and off,so yes warmer saves fuel. Once it gets comfortable,turn the knob till compressor shuts off and maybe it will save some gas, I dont know how much. As hot as it is here, it doesnt get comfy till I get home, so mine is full blast all the time. 100 degrees at 70+ percent humidity sucks

[RETRO]

Yes I run my A/C for the 42 mile commute this year I am avg 41.5 mpg..I will sacrifice fuel mileage for comfort.

[malibuguy]

i pulse my A/C

i generally leave it cranked for the first like 10 miles until the cabin gets cool, then i pulse it off going up hills & shit

averaging over 50+mpg my last 6 tanks

[caineroad]

Actually my average mpg is far less than you guys for some reason when my a/c is not on, a full tank of gas can run 600km(372miles) highway
In surface road, it is close to 475km(295miles)

how about you guys?

is there a problem with my engine? i never hit 40mpg

[kurisu]

Actually my average mpg is far less than you guys for some reason when my a/c is not on, a full tank of gas can run 600km(372miles) highway
In surface road, it is close to 475km(295miles)

how about you guys?

is there a problem with my engine? i never hit 40mpg

That is about how much I get; 380 miles with the last bar blinking. I think mpg depends on how you drive and the roads you take. The best I did was about 39.+ during the spring where I don't use AC and driving around 65mph.

Now I pretty much drive 65-80 with AC on and my last mpg was 34~

[bobolinko]

I know turning on the a/c decrease fuel economy, is it true the colder you turn the a/c, more fuel it wastes? or does not matter?

And the fans, if I switch it to 4 max setting or the circulation button, does it use more fuel as well?

Lastly, does the alternator generate more electricity through fuel burning if the battery is losing charge because I use too much cigarette lighter accessories, or turning the speakers loud?

During the summer, it's really hard to resist, I get grumpy when I am sweaty in the car.

What's more important, a tenth of a MPG or your comfort and sanity?
Boils down to just more than .5 cents per mile for AC... BARGAIN !!!! :drinking:

[caineroad]

What's more important, a tenth of a MPG or your comfort and sanity?
Boils down to just more than .5 cents per mile for AC... BARGAIN !!!! :drinking:

Well... my condo management supplies 24/7 air conditioning already so i figure it is worth it to scarifies some comfort in the car and enjoy it when i get home.

anyone jealous? lol:laughabove:

[malibuguy]

i average a little over 500miles when i fill up...& thats with usually the second bar left on the gas gauge

[Altitude]

Actually my average mpg is far less than you guys for some reason when my a/c is not on, a full tank of gas can run 600km(372miles) highway
In surface road, it is close to 475km(295miles)

how about you guys?

is there a problem with my engine? i never hit 40mpg

There are too many variables to compare your mileage to others. As long as you are in the ballpark of the manufacturers rating then you're good to go.

I get from 28 to 32 mpg (winter to summer respectively) driving around town. I just did a trip from Colorado to Maryland and back under a variety of conditions and averaged 34.9 for the whole trip.

The 40+ numbers you see are operating under ideal conditions and likely using hyper mile techniques.

[Bluevitz-rs]

The A/C will cycle on and off to maintain a temp range preset by the system at the condenser. It doesn't matter what you set the temperature at because the system heats the air after it's cooled. The higher you set the fan the faster it warms the condenser and the more the system has to cycle to keep cooled, so you use more fuel.

[caineroad]

The A/C will cycle on and off to maintain a temp range preset by the system at the condenser. It doesn't matter what you set the temperature at because the system heats the air after it's cooled. The higher you set the fan the faster it warms the condenser and the more the system has to cycle to keep cooled, so you use more fuel.

That's really helpful. Thanks

On the other hand, in winter you dont use the compressor for heat. Does cranking up the fan or turning the heat dial changes fuel efficiency?

[Bluevitz-rs]

Turning the heat up won't change how often the system cycles but turning the fan up will.

[malibuguy]

The 40+ numbers you see are operating under ideal conditions and likely using hyper mile techniques.

i literally have to BEAT THE HELL out of mine to get low 40s per tank, somewhat ideal conditions & hypermiling techniques results in low to mid 50s for me

[caineroad]

Turning the heat up won't change how often the system cycles but turning the fan up will.

How about the circulation mode vs just air in?

Thanks

[nemelek]

Actually my average mpg is far less than you guys for some reason when my a/c is not on, a full tank of gas can run 600km(372miles) highway
In surface road, it is close to 475km(295miles)

how about you guys?

is there a problem with my engine? i never hit 40mpg

I get 39-40 in the summer with the air running. It's the winter fuel blend that drops mileage 1 or 2 mpg.

[Bluevitz-rs]

That's really helpful. Thanks

On the other hand, in winter you dont use the compressor for heat. Does cranking up the fan or turning the heat dial changes fuel efficiency?

Sorry didn't really read this post...

If you have the defrost on the A/C is running all the time. In the winter it will still cycle if the condenser gets warm enough.

Running the heat will only effect warm up time in the winter, which greatly effects millage. I usually don't turn the fan on until the blue light turns off and even then only on low until the car gets up to about 160°. (I have a gauge)

[Idahotom]

i pulse my A/C

i generally leave it cranked for the first like 10 miles until the cabin gets cool, then i pulse it off going up hills & shit

averaging over 50+mpg my last 6 tanks

I do the same: like going down some big hills around here, in DFCO, I'll crank it to the max, pulling that same hill later in the day I'll turn it off. It will stay coolish for a while after turning it off, But when it's REALLY hot, screw it, I just leave it on! I am especially liking my WHITE tinted window Yaris, it is everything I hoped for summer driving, cool and cheap to operate. 46.96 MPG last tank.

[malibuguy]

you don't get cut off with the A/C on...unless things changed since my xB

you still get like instead of 9999mpg...its like 157mpg, haha

[Kal-El]

It's crazy not to use your AC, unless for some reason you like to suffer or prefer having hot air blowing in your face with the windows down.

In a Yaris, it's costing you not even one penny per mile to be comfortable with the AC on. In fact, right now at today's gas prices, it only costs about 8.5 cents a mile to drive. AC on might raise it to 8.7 cents per mile. If one is too cheap for that, sell your car and stay home. :smile:

For comparison, 4,000 miles during 3 months of summer driving with the AC on = about $80 extra (for AC). That's a rough over estimate but just gives you an idea. $20 a month is well worth the luxury.

[caineroad]

Hi,

when I have my a/c on, I lose 50km from a full tank of gas

i've done that experiment many times

i think 50km is quite a lot..... if thats makes me cheap then ok i'd take it:iono:

[Idahotom]

Having a Scan Gauge makes it pretty persuasive to use the air when needed, but not more then that. I don't drive around sweating, but I do give a little thought to big upgrades and downgrades, and mine does DFCO when the air is on, according to the Gauge anyway. It hasn't got real hot here yet also, when it hits triple digits I'm sure I'll say the hell with it and just leave it on! But for the more moderate temps I am cheap enough to use it sparingly, while still staying cool, best of both worlds there! For sure the dollar cost is nothing, it's more being super efficient I get off on, and why I drive a Yaris to start with.

[caineroad]

$20 a month is well worth the luxury.

a/c is luxury :clap:

[Yaristeve]

a/c is luxury :clap:

I disagree; when you reach my age, A/C is a necessity.

[monchito18]

in Puerto Rico it's a necessity.

[Kal-El]

My AC goes on anytime it passes about 70° F. Warm air is unacceptable to me. :smile:

[daf62757]

My AC goes on anytime it passes about 70° F. Warm air is unacceptable to me. :smile:

Amen!

I just drove from Indianapolis to Chicago.....74 MPH and stopped to gas up....just a hair over 40 MPG with the AC on the whole way.

I think it is foolish to not use the AC!

[daf62757]

a/c is luxury :clap:

Maybe in a 3rd world country.....but not North America!

[caineroad]

Maybe in a 3rd world country.....but not North America!

Lol exactly! It is not luxury. Lol some people have misunderstood me:wink:

[john21031]

The higher the fan, the more fuel you will burn. This is because the higher the fan, the quicker it will remove the heat from the condenser, whereby lowering the compression and causing the compressor to come on again and start compressing freon.

Recirculation saves fuel because your cooled air in the cabin is recirculating and you are not trying to cool down the outside air as it happens in the fresh mode.

More electrical load does use more fuel. That is because the alternator will create more resistance on the belt and crankshaft making the engine work harder and burn more fuel. Turning the heater does nothing as it only opens the hot coolant of the coolant system and lets it go into the heater core in the dash... if anything, it may prevent your radiator fan from turning on, thus reducing the fuel consumption. Dont power anything from the batter if you can help it, it's only designed to start the car and provide emergency power when the hazard lights are on or you need to turn on the lights in the cabin.

[mo_feezy]

I just got back from a 4500+ mile trip in 14 days. I ran the A/C the whole time, pulsing on and off as needed in the mountains. Used cruise control at the speed limit plus or minus a couple mph depending on conditions. My lowest tank (let friend drive half of it) was 37mpg. My highest was 42.8mpg.