lute@abnjh.UUCP (J. Collymore) (03/16/84)
I would like to thank all of you who sent me mail, or posted to the net, your
opinions or experience concerning power steering on compact cars.
I have decided NOT to get power steering. HOWEVER, one final consideration
remains: Whether to get air conditioning.
I live in Central New Jersey, and commute 30+ miles (highway each way) to work.
Air conditioning is a relief usually between late June and mid-September (ca. 3
months of the year).
My major concerns and questions are:
PROS - A/C will make me and my passangers comfortable 3 months out of the year.
CONS - A/C is about $700-$800 option on the Mazda 626.
- Will I lose mileage when it's running AND when it's off?
- Will its added weight now require that I GET power steering to
compensate?
- Will it interfere greatly with me (or a mechanic) working on the engine?
In short: IS IT WORTH IT?
Those of you with compact cars, living in parts of the country that have
3 hot months to the year; I would be VERY interested in your opinions.
Again, thank you.
Jim Collymoredfi@ihuxf.UUCP (Dan Iuster) (03/17/84)
I have a '83 Nissan Stanza and I got A/C also only for those 3 month a year when the temperatures get over 85F. The mpg impact is relatively small, 27-28 mpg with A/C on as opposed to 30-32 mpg with A/C off, on the highway at 55-60 mph. You may want to get a "sun roof". Its's great in spring and fall when the temperature is in the 60's. Only make shure it is factory installed rather then dealer installed - I heard horror stories about how dealers can butcher the work. Dan Iuster ihnp4!ihuxf!dfi
pmr@drufl.UUCP (Rastocny) (03/17/84)
Auto air conditioning Cons: - Requires more maintenance - Requires more initial investment - Eats more gas during use - Robs your care of power (that small cars need desperately when passing) - May overheat your engine in traffic jams Auto air conditioning Pros: - Keeps you cool - Keeps road noises out - Keeps bugs, dust, deisel fumes, etc. out - Adds to the resale value of the car I'm sure that there are more items to both lists but these are probably the most important ones. If you have allergies like my wife does, you don't have a choice. I stopped worrying about how much it was costing me to operate the air conditioner in my Subaru a long time ago. Now I sit back and watch everyone else get sweaty & irritated while I peacefully listened to a tape. I like it, but decide for yourself. Phil Rastocny
ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (03/17/84)
I have heard that the mileage loss from running an air conditioner may be less than the loss from driving with the windows open.
dave@rocksvax.UUCP (Dave Sewhuk) (03/17/84)
On my Diesel Rabbit, I have not been able to statistically notice any
degradation in mileage running the AC. It does rob a good percentage of the
engine's total power, I usually turn it off to pass someone. It makes long
trips pleasant, you don't have to yell at your passengers on the highway
and the stereo sounds better when not cranked up at full volume, as it would
have to be when the windows are down...
As a side benefit, VW uses the AC to dehumidify the defroster when the
temperature is above 45 F. It clears off the spring/fall window fog in
a matter of seconds, even with the engine cool. This tends to add a
few more months to the use, besides the summer high temperature
months.
--
Dave
Arpa: Sewhuk.HENR@PARC-MAXC.ARPA
uucp: {allegra, rochester, ritcv, ritvp, amd70, sunybcs}!rocksvax!davechim@ncsu.UUCP (Bill Chimiak) (03/19/84)
to get to those things.
kunda@uicsg.UUCP (03/22/84)
#R:abnjh:-50600:uicsg:3400004:000:116 uicsg!kunda Mar 18 17:22:00 1984 Air Conditioner is very helpful in New Jersey, to keep the smell out of your car and keep the cool inside your car!
grw@inmet.UUCP (03/22/84)
#R:abnjh:-50600:inmet:2700069:000:911 inmet!grw Mar 20 13:35:00 1984 AC in a small 4 cyl. car works best on highway drives and suburban commutes. I have found that using the AC in stop and go city driving seems to put the most extra strain (and resulting heat) on the engine. However after many, many years without AC I finally bought a car with it and I don't think I'm going back. The AC may increase wear and tear on the car but if definitely decreases wear and tear on me. The car is replaceable. Cruising east across Canadian 1 last summer with lots of camping gear and two people in the car I found that my top speed went from about 94 to about 103 mph when I shut off the AC. That may not sound very important but was occasionally the only way to pass someone doing 96. Pretty wierd working the AC on/off switch to speed up and slow down. -- Gary Wasserman ...harpo!inmet!grw ...hplabs!sri-unix!cca!ima!inmet!grw ...yale-comix!ima!inmet!grw
andrew@inmet.UUCP (03/22/84)
#R:abnjh:-50600:inmet:2700070:000:374
inmet!andrew Mar 20 14:15:00 1984
I had absolutely pathetic luck with the dealer-installed A/C on my 1979
RX-7. It wasn't a very good system to start with, and kept eating compressors
every year or so until I finally quit bothering with it. Perhaps the more
recent dealer A/Cs for Mazdas are better; they certainly couldn't be worse!
Andrew W. Rogers, Intermetrics ...{harpo|ima|esquire}!inmet!andrew