Peakster -

It also can keep you awake. I heard that on assignments where cops had to follow a convoy or something for hours on end, they would have ice chests full of icy water. If they got sleepy, they would stick their hand in the icy cold water and wake up presto bingo.

But that site you mention. Drinking water? I don't know about that. Sounds kind of like mumbo jumbo to me ;) .

CarloSW2

Come on Clench totally inappropriate. I'm tryin to teach my kids to be hypermilers and that don't help. This is one site I didn't think I would have to sensor.

I agree
 

I agree -- not cool man.

RH77

I have a black car, and park in an open lot in a downtown area. no shade anywhere. vents only blow more hot air. I just roll down the windows, and try not to burn my hands on the wheel.... :)

I have yet to turn on the air this year. I will probably start using it when temps are over 90.

Check out today's temperature map at 6:00pm:

Attachment 774

How are you people without A/C coping with this heat???

Peakster -

My AC is busted right now. It's on the todo list for fixes. My reward is that when I get to work, it's at least 10 degrees cooler outside and always nice inside. When I go home it's usually after the sun sets, so no big deal.

CarloSW2

Brainstorming Cabin Air
 

Arizona cooler than the Dakotas, Montana, and Alberta -- that's just wrong! Last week, we had that Weather pattern with the Jet Stream allowing hot and humid air into the region. It must have moved North...

So, what is it with the "vent"? It's hotter than the ambient air. I swear they channel it over the exhaust manifold first. I guess the engine compartment heat is flowing into the wiper region and into the cabin air inlet.

Instead of windows-down on the highway, has anyone tried an air director?

Picture a flat/rectangular intake (maybe sourced from the airway between the door and mirror), to breeze fresh air onto the driver... I guess installation would be to roll it up in the window. For vehicles equipped, perhaps a sunroof vent director could help also. I'm hesitant to use it since it extends externally instead of inside the roof.

It's just been hard to get fresh air at highway speeds without rolling the windows down. The vent's useless, and yup, it's hot. Drag is really noticeable, but less than the A/C.

RH77

Peakster - I usually run with driver's window down, drivers vent cracked.....or drivers window down 1/2, left rear window cracked. That seems to be a decent compromise on the Jeep....the dark purple exterior and black leather seats can do a number on ya. Course, I also open every window all day long, and try to park so the sun doesn't shine through the windshield.....

Clench - Windows can and will blow out due to increased cabin heat. Don't ask me to explain how it happens, but my father-in-law had a left front window blow out from heat on his 89 Chevy 3500. Far more common, however, would be windshields and back glass cracking. My brother lived in Cali for a few years, outside of 29 Palms. He put 3 windshields in his Dakota, all 3 cracked from heat buildup inside the cab.

One word: "Convertible." :thumbup::D

Mine's dark green, has a black interior, and on Mondays I spend pretty much the entire day on the road, a good part of it in town with lots of low-speed and stop-and-go traffic. Monday afternoon before last I rolled by one of those bank signs that said the temperature was 120F... and I could believe it (the official high at the airport 20 miles away was 98F).

Haven't had the air on yet this year (except cycling it occasionally to keep the machinery happy). It's a little challenging sometimes, but a thousand times better than having a roof over your head trapping the heat in.

I haven't done any serious drag studies yet, but the few times I've had the top up due to rain I haven't noticed an increase in FE. We'll see if that holds true come this Fall when I have the top up more consistently and can get more reliable numbers.

Rick

EDIT: I realize this post doesn't address the OP's question. The thread has drifted more towards "how do you manage" in general, and I wanted to acknowledge that having a convertible's probably the only thing saving me from running my A/C. I, too, don't know how some of you guys do it. I Am Not Worthy.