[ds968]

Long story short, I like the cabin temp at meat locker levels, so have the AC switch on all the time ( deliberately ). Even in the winter ..well, for whatever winter in California is.. Anyway, I have had the AC on permanently for seven years now.
It's not that I also keep the fan / blower on all the time, but I never bother to turn off the AC switch because I use it so often, it's just second nature, so may as well leave like that. I guess after all this time asking if doing so is harmful to any engine component, electric or otherwise is a bit too little too late, but the car has 105,000 miles and the original alternator, which I'd think is the only engine part where a greater power drain may be applicable with the AC on, is still charging perfectly so that's not a problem.. but am I causing undue faster wear and tear on anything else of importance in this car by running with the AC on 100% of the time, and particularly with what I'm now told is a greater load on cold starts ( no pun intended [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] ) ?

I do the same with the MBZ which has been a daily driver now for a couple of years..

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[flash]

many people do exactly as you do - i've been guilty of it too, now that i live down here

it does indeed put a bigger load on the engine, and cold starts are a big one

when you hear a belt squeal, 9 times out of 10 it's the AC belt - the load is quite heavy - on a full size SUV it can be as much as 20hp at the wheels - on our cars it's more like about 12 - the load is more when the temp is set lower - it is a compressor - it has to work harder to make lower temps

you should not:

start the car with the AC on
idle with the AC on high
sit in traffic with the AC on high

"high" is not the fan speed - ac on high means set to the lowest temp

to make an ac system more efficient, and reduce drag, raise the temp, and then turn on the fan - increase the fan speed to push more of the cooler air out rather than lowering the temp

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[Fox944]

i hardly ever use my AC, even during the summer months. I'd rather just crack open the roof & windows. Not a fan of lowering how much power i'm putting down at the wheels in my fun car. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

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[flash]

there is a tradeoff though - at road speed, the AC drag is actually less than the wind drag of an open window or sunroof - but, around town, the open window is better

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[94SilverCab]

I only turn on the AC to keep things lubricated, or a particularly long day at the beach. Otherwise its all top down for me.

Jay

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[Fox944]

Yea, if i'm going on a long trip at speed on the freeway, i'll turn the ac on occasionally. Around town its windows & sunroof cracked open.

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[ds968]

Funny, in talking to Bob about this he helped me realize I have a " turbo flip switch " in the car [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img] If I turn off the air conditioner switch , which btw is always not just on, but at the coldest possible setting, the car may take off like a bat out of hell. I thought the drag from the AC is simply for the first second or two when it kicks in and no effect after that.. seems I was wrong !
Sheesh, if I do that and also remove the steel bolt wheel spacers I have all around, I may gain back the 10% equivalent HP I'm giving up for comfort and aesthetics [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif[/img] . Naah, on second thought, I can't give that up [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

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[ds968]

After a second consecutive miserably hot day here, and a prediction for many more to follow this summer , I am compelled to ask the following question : has anyone installed ( in any of their 968s, or their other cars )  a remote-control  engine starter with a heater and AC start feature ?  Expensive luxury cars ( Bentley, etc. ) come equipped with those goodies, but I would imagine there must be after market systems out there which can be retrofitted to any given car,as well... ??             

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[flash]

i don't think i've ever seen one of those in a manual trans car.  you could probably rig one for the tip though

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[Ernie]

I have one in my jeep wrangler 5 speed manual (just a remote start). Compustar makes them. Do a google nd maybe you can find some info on them?

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[ds968]

Actually planning to put one in the MBZ, not in either of the 968s .. The MBZ is a tiptronic also - called 4-matic or something like that, but bottom line it's an automatic trans. Anyway, thanks Ernie for the Compustar reference , I'll start there and do some additional research on a other systems as well .

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[Ernie]

Happy to help, ds! Best of luck with that "cold start", but that a/c switch should be off when starting that car, right?

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[ds968]

Yeah I guess it should be off at the start and turned only a couple of seconds after that , otherwise I suppose it just adds more load to the components ( alternator and who knows what else ..) and that can't be good...I already have the extra load from tne SC so adding anything else might create premature wear and tear issues ...or so I hear, I don't know if that's a fact or myth .

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[Bulti]

4-matic is Das Haus' permanent 4x4 system..

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