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For the record, I'm not a crazy mileage-hungry obsessive techie feather-footed freak. Oops, did I say that aloud? All in jest.

I'll be using my AC, thank you, because I like it. Yes, I like it. Don't hurt me now.

I know a lot of you enjoy maximizing the economy, and that's fine. To each his own. I like to strike a healthy compromise. After all, if you get so hot you pass out and then crash your car into a tree, don't you think you'll do some instant polluting? Not to mention, some financial damange... Let's all hope that doesn't happen, though.

 

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i went to REI and they have something called a Kafka scarf for around 10 bucks. anyways, you soak it in water and it expands to form this squishy tube that lasts for a week. the crystals in the scarf make squishy ***** that trap in water. then you just wrap it around your neck where some of your big arteries/veins are. it feels really good and it really does keep you cool

 

Flare, I've used one of those before.

Wayne, the Prius is much more dependent on the battery, which can be a good or bad thing. In heavy traffic, use of the AC will drain the battery and therefore cause the engine to be on excessively for 5 or 10 minutes afterwards to charge the battery back up. That tends to kill mileage -- perhaps a drop of 1 MPG per tank each time it happens. Then again, if cruise control is on the battery tends to charge up rather quickly and even attempt to burn off some excess energy, so the use of AC isn't as dramatic. Under heavy traffic, AC may reduce mileage by 15%. Under little to no traffic, perhaps 5-10%? I haven't ever driven without AC completely, so I'm taking a guess.

 

Thanks Wayne for another good tip.
So far I've "weathered" temps up to about 87.
Haven't really noticed it too much durring the drive but oddly enough
I do feel really hot after I arrive and enter the cool building.

I keep a dry towel on the center console to keep the armrest clean and
sometimes an occasional brow wipe.
On days when I have passengers I'll work the A/C button.

This is only May....I'm sure I'll remember your tip come June-September.

Now that the spring rain storms have FINALLY arrived I'm battling foged up
windows in the HCH which requres the A/C compressor to clear.
This is 100% more frustration than not using A/C to cool.
Wiping the dense condensation off of the windows is not a practical option.
I never counted on this new twist.

Wind, heavy rain, standing water and AARG defroster is trashing
my otherwise high MPG and I hate it.

Steve

 

It was 80s a couple of days ago in southern CO, but yesterday it was in the 30s and 40s with mixed rain and snow. Didn't have to worry about A/C yesterday. :blink:

Summer in Colorado is usually a dry heat, so I can usually do without the A/C. But 100 degrees is 100 degrees, so if it gets to that point, we'll see. Actually, the "evaporative" technique should work well here since the air is dry. Quick evaporation of the water should feel really refreshing. I'll just need a big spray bottle.

Now when my wife and I take the trip to humid Iowa, I'll bet the A/C will be on -- she's the boss! Her desires outweigh my quest for high MPG!

jinno

 

Hopefully you guys are still safety concious while driving and sweating and using your hands for spraying water on yourself and you passengers. Dont spray it on the steering wheel though - that is just silly. I know all the other cars on the road are fuel guzzlers but they still have a right to live and not get hit by some sweaty MPG nut who could not get a proper grip on his steeringwheel.

Anyways - you guys should think about insulating your AC pipes - you will get more cold air per compressor revolution so you can probably get away with using the AC only 50% of the time.

Good luck

 

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lol, you guys. The lengths you go to in order to get better mileage. You might as well step in an oven