I've stopped running the a/c in my car. I live in Dallas.

[Bouncy Ball]

It saves a bit of gas, and I need to save all I can. My husband doesn't use his a/c, either. He arrives home drenched in sweat, red-faced, burning up.

Driving on the highway, it gets pretty loud when you have to have your windows open, but what else to do?

I combine trips, I don't make any trips I don't have to, we use one car when we can. But gas prices just keep going up. I think when they go down a bit it is just to fool people. Then they go right back up within the week.

And I'm sitting here wondering what the hell people are doing who own Suburbans, Hummers, Navigators, Expeditions, Escalades, etc. I mean, my God, how do they afford the gas? Have they cut out other expenses? Stopped eating as much food? Do they not run their a/c, either?

My husband is thinking of getting rid of the cable to have more money for gas. I don't have to drive as much as he does, he has a bit of a commute every day. If he gets rid of the cable, that will free up enough that he can afford gas more easily.

My question is, what does he cut out when gas goes up further?

[Ishoutandscream2]

1. I don't know how you are doing it

The last three summers were pretty mild for Dallas. But we've hit the 100 mark this year, and it's still "officially" spring. Hang in there, man!

[Bouncy Ball]

3. Hey! You're in my area!

Hi there!

:hi:

I know. This summer is going to be bad. Well, what am I saying "going to be?" It IS bad, but it is going to get worse. Ug. Not looking forward to July and August at all.

[anarchy1999]

17. Anyone here that lived through the "summer from hell, 1980?"

40 + days of no rain and 100+,,

Be prepared, it may be happening again.

[shance]

21. I remember the summer of 80 in Dallas. Its not something to forget

n/t

[Horse with no Name]

40. I remember it as well

Was a Junior in High School and had moved from Arizona a couple of years before.
In my 15 years in Arizona I had NEVER experienced that kind of heat,lol.
Dry heat does make a difference.

[Bouncy Ball]

23. I had a heat stroke that summer.

I was playing catcher for a softball team and I played seven innings straight on a day that was 115 degrees, with full catcher's gear on. I fainted cold, transported to a nearby hospital. I had stopped sweating, went all cold and clammy.

[newportdadde]

46. It ruined my dad(farmer). here in MO

[GodHelpUsAll2]

76. I remember that well

I didn't hardly leave the house that summer.

[anarchy1999]

85. May we all start doing rain dances now! It's shaping up to be close to

the dreaded 1980 summer, may we please not have to live through one again!

And we still need more "science" on global warming????

I'm so confused!

[TexasLady]

103. I even had the tshirt/!

"I survived the Texas Heatwave!" I remember it, because we had NO AC and at night we would put our sheets in the bathtub that mom had full of cool water, wring them out, and let the attic fan suck the hot air from outside onto the sheets. Youd have to wet them about every hour, as they dried THAT fast!

[EFerrari]

91. Welcome to DU, Ishoutandscream2!

:hi:

[luxpara]

2. FYI - I read somewhere that it's better on your gas mileage

to run the AC instead of leaving the windows open - the air drag lowers mileage more than the AC...

[pnb]

6. Was just going to say that

I think it actually winds up being 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. So you may as well at least be comfortable and run the AC.

[Bouncy Ball]

7. You could run the vents which are not a/c but not

windows down. I figured that out the other day because the noise on the highway was horrible.

But I'll have to look all this up to be sure, because I'm not so sure that drag is worse than using the a/c. The a/c sucks up a lot of gas, I noticed a difference.

[anarchy1999]

22. Turn it off when you accelerate to get on and at stop lights, use neutral

as much as you can. You can do it, we will survive, turn off all the AC, how did our forefathers and mothers ever make it without A/C?

It is a question that should be dealt with.

[Mythsaje]

37. They didn't travel

in steel/aluminum vehicles surrounded by glass that heats the interior of said vehicle to unbelievable temperatures. For starters.

My wife and I just got (my) first vehicle with A/C...ironic part is that I'm one of those people who can't tolerate it for any length of time.

[susanna]

80. I'm in your camp re: A/C

I only like A/C when it is absolutely necessary. If it isn't, I can and do live without.

[susanna]

79. That's my trick.

Disengaging the A/C frees up a LOT of power on acceleration maneuvers. I turn it back on once I'm up to speed.

[Igel]

100. They kept the windows open and suffered.

They also scheduled their work more intelligently wrt the weather. Many in the south "outsourced" their labor to slaves.

But most people just avoided the south. The great influx of people to Arizona, the Inland Empire, and Texas postdates the advent of airconditioning.

[Tsiyu]

95. My mechanic friend says so

he is always telling me that. So I have tried doing a/c at high speeds and then opening windows at lower speeds.

I don't know how you do it, though, in that kind of heat. Whew! I would melt.

Sorry and I'll wish for cool rain in Dallas!

[trotsky]

10. Yes, the variance between A/C on versus windows open

is typically only about 5-10%, from what I remember reading.

[Bouncy Ball]

14. Sometimes that 5-10% is worth it.

If gas goes much higher.

[SW FL Dem]

81. You have my respect and sympathy.

These days when I can drench myself even if it is 70, I can't live without my A/C. Luckily for me, I drive so little, I only have to fill up once every 3-4 weeks and my tank only takes 16 gallons.

[friesianrider]

44. I heard that too...

Especially if you're driving much over 30 or 40 mph on your commute.

[Butterflies]

47. They proved that false on "Mythbusters"

Adam drove a lot longer when the A/C was off and the windows were open before he ran out of gas.

[Carni]

I think you and the myth busters guy are right

I cannot back this up with links...but my husband is ASE certified in AC and he claims AC on burns more gas than windows down and no AC on.

I also personally have always found that to be the case when I have tracked my mileage per gallon.

I drive a sedan but I am still blowing through some cash to keep fuel in the car and am also sweating it out with the windows open this summer.

On the bright side I have a beautiful tan (on my left arm anyway lol)

[anarchy1999]

84. oh yes, correct with all the above, but What about the air you are being

forced to breath then with no filter whatsoever? Dallas air sucks!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

70. Adam got 30 minutes more driving time by keeping the windows open

and ac off while jamie had ac on with windows closed on only 5 gallons of gas in SUVs

[eyesroll]

4. From what I gather, when you're going above 40 mph or so...

...the drag caused by having the windows open actually uses more gas than the a/c does.

I think people who own Hummers worth as much as a small house aren't really worried about affording the gas.

[Bouncy Ball]

9. Yeah but a lot of the people who bought Hummers, Suburbans,

etc really couldn't very EASILY afford them. But back when gas was cheaper it was easier.

Now some are in a jam. The people across the street have been trying to sell their 2004 Suburban for a month now, no nibbles, nothing. It's nice, too, but I guess no one wants to buy that.

[Carni]

55. Also until this tax year those heavy guzzlers were a write off for some

People were buying them and taking huge tax breaks because they fell under the class of a farm vehicle or something if they were over a certain weight...they could basically write off the whole cost of the vehicle if they owned a business. That loophole has been closed.

[BlueStateBlue]

82. It has? That's great news! n/t

[Carni]

102. Yep! No more taxpayer welfare for the *big wheels* driving H2's EOM

[OldLeftieLawyer]

5. Premium is close to $2.50 here in

the DC area - Northern Virginia.

I was wondering today - a wonderfully balmy day, real windows-down weather, freakish for this time of year here - what are people going to do? This cannot continue. I see the prices going up at the market - increased transportation costs. I see everything going up.

I'm lucky and I know it. But, I guess I was thinking about people like you, BB, and maybe it will help you to know that someone else in another part of the country was wondering the same thing.

Good luck. That's all I can offer........

[xultar]

8. Mythbusters did test & there is nothing to the myth of A/C and MPG

run your ac baby.

[EOTE]

25. That sounds kind of hard to believe.

Anything that runs off of your accessory belt robs horsepower and therefore driving at equivalent speeds would require more fuel. I've even noticed a decrease in fuel economy in my car since I installed a lot of aftermarket amps in my car. The reason for it is that because my battery is draining quicker, my alternator needs to run more which puts more strain on the accessory belt which requires more fuel. It requires a lot of energy to run an A/C compressor, I find it hard to believe that that energy is free.

[xultar]

75. I saw the show. It had no effect on MPG. Pure and Simple.

Read down further in the thread. There are others saying the same thing.

[Rainscents]

11. You can buy fan for your car. one that plug into lighter. It's not much

at least it will help "little" I guess, little is better then, nothiing.

[anarchy1999]

12. Oh no, Bouncy, it has come to this? Jeez almighty~! I am pissed off!

I have two friends living in Cedar Hill without electricity. What is happening here?

I'm so sorry, thank heavens above we only have one paid off little car and Mr. A. works only a few miles away.

Peace out!

By the way, most of those with those monster SUV's, give them an enlistment form.

[Bouncy Ball]

15. Seriously.

I need to download those printable ones and carry them around. That'll be my goal to get done this week.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

77. Hey...

I grew up in Cedar Hill

[realFedUp]

13. I bitched at a poor guy in a drive-in window today

Told him when they were slow to get out
the fast food, I'm wasting gas.

I know, I'm a pain.

[Bouncy Ball]

16. The guy in the fast food window can probably

hardly afford gas.

[realFedUp]

19. so true.....nt

[progressivebydesign]

28. Why don't you turn off your car in line? I do..

unless your starter doesn't work, why do you sit in line? Why not go inside to get your food or turn off your car.. just wondering.

[Lars39]

30. I thought that used more gas than idling.

There's also the wear and tear on the engine with re-starting.
Sounds like a Click and Clack question! :think:

[realFedUp]

42. lol...get Click and Clack on this one

I thought you used more turning the
car on and off also but it's certainly
a valid suggestion.

[catmandu57]

69. When cars were carborated

that was true, a carborator would just dump gas into the engine, today's cars are fuel injected. It uses much less gas to turn off your car and go inside, injectors spray a fine mist and the fuel is utilized much more efficiently.

[taught_me_patience]

65. Very bad idea...

The oil is pressurized by a pump that is attached to the crankshaft. So if your motor isn't running, then the oil pressure will slowly lower. When you start the car up, you'll not have any oil pressure for a few seconds and this is actually where most of the wear and tear on the engine comes from. Letting the engine idle hardly uses any gas and hardly causes any wear and tear on the engine.

Plus you ruin the starter quicker. So the $2.50 you save on gas over three years more is than compensated for by the $250 starter repair bill.

[CAcyclist]

66. Park And Go Inside

or turn your engine off if you can't. Better yet, do without fast food. That stuff will kill you.

[MissB]

18. Is carpooling an option?

If not, I would look at other expenditures. Cutting cable to save on gas seems like a win-win.

[Bouncy Ball]

20. That's what I thought, too! LOL!

I don't care if we have cable or not, that's why it's his bill. But it's about to go bye-bye.

Carpooling isn't an option. Sometimes he has to take his truck out on deliveries during the day (not every day, but it's sporadic, when there are no delivery drivers around).

I wish it were. He is going to trade in his truck (Ford F-150) for a Toyota Corolla soon. Two things: better gas mileage and they can't send him out on deliveries if he has a small car!

[PunkPop]

24. And still the idiot Repubs can't put two and two together.

A (failed) oil man in the presidency and for SOME STRANGE REASON we have the highest gas prices in our history. The ex-chief of Halliburton in the vice-presidency and for SOME STRANGE REASON we are bogged down in a protracted military conflict benefiting primarily large military contractors. Hmmm. What amazing coincidences.

Freaking morons. They will be the downfall of our once great nation.

Sincerely,
A fellow North Texan who despises summer.

[Bouncy Ball]

35. Hey fellow North Texan!

Don'tcha love I-35 in the summer? With the heat coming off the road in waves? The stench? The suffocation? Ahhhh......

:rofl:

[PunkPop]

56. Knew we were in for trouble

after the easy time we had last year.

[Catherine Vincent]

26. ARE YOU LOCO?!?!?!

:-)

[progressivebydesign]

27. Umm. you won't save that much and you're endangering yourself.

Why not move somewhere that doesn't require constant a/c in the car? Just wondering...

[Bouncy Ball]

32. Because moving somewhere cool is SO cheap.

We just wouldn't be able to stand the ease of finding two jobs and the incredible cheapness of moving to the north.

:sarcasm:

Besides, we want to stay here. Rather be in Austin, but no one's and nothing is pushing me out of my state.

[Texasgal]

43. Ummm...

If she can't afford gas, what makes you think she can just up and move? Re-locating COST MONEY. Not only that, but trying to find employment so that she CAN FEED HER FAMILY and have a ROOF over her head.... did you think about that before you posted???

[Bouncy Ball]

45. Maybe my family of three could live with her in Washington?

[Texasgal]

50. Yeah...

Hey...can bouncy ball and family come and crash your pad for a while? She neds to be somewhere where no A/C is needed!

Jeeez...louiz... sometimes these posts boggle the mind. :eyes:

[PunkPop]

63. You two are cracking me up

What a silly suggestion. Yeah, why don't you just MOVE?

[unhappycamper]

29. At highway speeds, my car (1998 Mustang) gets better

gas mileage with the windows up and the air-conditioning on. There is a 2~3 MPG difference.

Try it. Tank up & always drive with windows down & air off. Refill & try it with windows up & air on.

[MissB]

31. Yeah, I can actually track it on my car

Mine is about a 5 mpg difference. Depending on the commute, it may not be a big deal.

[HiddenInVA]

41. Same with my Focus

I have a Focus, which I bought when we figured that the Escort was in
it's death-throes. Luckily I did, as my commute is quite a bit more
now than it was. But - luckily my pay also went up, making the extra
commute well worth it.

I've kept a close eye on the 'run it w/ the A/C on' verus 'run it off'
and I've seen so little difference that I figure it's not worth the
negligible, if any, savings to get home sopping wet from the heat.

(Which anybody here in Northern VA can attest to the humidity.....):hi:

[minerva50]

54. It's even more pronounced with a convertible.

I haven't done the math, but I fill up a lot sooner on a trip in my cabrio with the top down, but on the right day it's worth it.

[ulysses]

33. the a/c in my truck has been broken for 4 years.

I've lived with that for long enough - getting it fixed next week. Atlanta's only livable with a least moderate a/c.

[Carni]

62. Brace yourself because they have jacked up the $$$ of R134A

It was cheap last year and the year before but now this year it has like quadrupled in price.

[gollygee]

34. I remember when only rich people had A/C, at home or in the car

and I lived quite well without it. Michigan gets hot in the summer, and humid as hell. Well I'm not an authority on hell . .. but damn humid anyway.

Why is it that it would feel like torture now to live without A/C when I was perfectly happy without it for so long?

[Bouncy Ball]

38. Because you get used to a/c.

I get unused to it pretty fast, but it's still damn hot. Just because people were used to it doesn't mean they didn't still arrive at home red-faced and drenched with sweat. Ever seen Twelve Angry Men? Damn they were sweaty.

[Horse with no Name]

36. I drove 30 miles yesterday without air conditioning

in Northeast Texas yesterday and by the time I got to my destination I was sweating like a pig and looked like the poster child for hypertension.
It was so hot.
I don't think I will be doing that again.:shrug:

[Bouncy Ball]

39. Yeah, that's another thing.

If you are going to work or somewhere where you need to NOT be stinking, it's bad. It wouldn't be so bad back in the day when NO ONE had a/c so everyone pretty much arrived hot, sweaty and stinky, but now people do have it, so if you show up that way, you stick out like a sore thumb. And stink.

[barb162]

64. what the hell did people do before AC? I personally cannot

NOT have a/c. I get headaches from the heat. I was visiting some plantations in LA a few months ago and the guides were talking about how people took a bath a month basically. Now when they were wearing those long dresses and hoop skirts and everything, I just can't figure how the hell they did it in the South. Maybe that's why they all died so young back in those days

[Bouncy Ball]

67. They just sweat a lot.

A lot a lot a lot. Sweaty all the damn time. Sweat sweat sweat.

When it's 10 pm and the temperature has dropped all the way to 92 degrees, you know it's summer around here.

[formernaderite]

97. Get those small ice wraps for and wrap your wrists....

I had plenty of cars with no AC and lived in the swamps of the mid atlantic region, with high humidity. For long hauls I used those ice packs and wrapped them aroun my wrists. It actually works the same in the winter with heat...anyway, you will feel very cool.

[toey]

48. Its a little known fact that...

you use LESS gas by using the A/C because of the aerodynamics of cars, especially for long distance driving.

:)

[Bouncy Ball]

57. See above.

I believe that's false.

[UdoKier]

49. There's no need for A/C here in SF usually

and we don't drive all that much - just to drop the kids off at school. We spend a total of about $20~25 per week on gas. Is that a lot? I'll do a poll!

Gas is about 50 cents per gallon higher than most of the US here...

[Conservativesux]

90. You can blame CARB for that extra gas money we have to pay

at the pump here in CA.

[Johonny]

51. Hmm

I put a nail in my tire and went to get it repaired. The repair guy asked how I liked my hybrid. "Oh I love it, the milage is great I'm saving a lot of money".

Repair guy response "Oh that doesn't really bother me I'm more concerned with power"

Now I make 3-4 times what the repair guy makes, yet HE can't concern himself with milage over engine power? How do they afford gas. Answer clearly looking cool is everything to these people. Thus while food would seem important to you. It's clear they would rather starve than not look cool in their hummer.

[Lisa]

52. check the tire pressure too ...

Even having one tire that's under-inflated can affect your mileage.

While you're at it, make sure that the air filters are unblocked, and that you've unloaded anything from the vehicle that you won't be needing.

[Bouncy Ball]

58. Check, check, and check!

:thumbsup:

[steve2470]

53. For God's sake, Bouncy, turn on your AC. It's hot enough in Texas and FL

to turn me into a Republican because of heat-induced insanity. Find another way to save energy. I've had to live for days at a time without car AC and it was most unpleasant. Going back to work after lunch with a sweaty shirt, ugh.

[Liberal In Texas]

59. Yikes!

I can't stay outside more than about 10 minutes the last few days here (Dallas) it's so humid.

You have a long commute? It's one thing I'm thankful for was the forsight to live reasonably close to where my wife and I work. It was a struggle 4 years ago to find a good place that we could afford relatively near downtown (it took about 9 months) but we did, and our gasoline costs haven't hurt as much as many others here in the metroplex who drive 30 minutes each way.

Good luck to you and your husband.

[barb162]

60. what's cut next is turning down the a/c in the house or getting more

fuel efficient cars, closing the shades in the house in the daytime, growing your own food,etc., unless you are already doing that stuff.

[Bouncy Ball]

68. We have deciduous trees that are fully grown and wonderful.

They shade both the east and west sides of the house in the summer and let light and heat in in the winter. AWESOME!

The guy across the street moved here from Chicago last May. He decided he hated all the landscaping on his property so he had it ALL ripped up and carted off. Fully grown trees, hedges, everything.

Then it got hot.

And he realized why that stuff was there. His house was BLAZING fucking hot. And he has clerestory windows, too. Damn. Wish I could have told him before he did that.

We are going to trade in my husband's truck for a Corolla very soon.

And we never turn the thermostat lower than 78, higher if we can stand it.

[barb162]

71. I drive a Corolla and it's really good on gas. We usually do 78 on the

temp but it gets way warmer upstairs. We will turn the A/c higher at night as it's cooling off outside and /or use ceiling fans. But I have never been one to take hot weather well even as a young kid. I love the way A/c pulls humidity out of the air. I know people from here, Chicago, who have moved to Houston and they call it supersummer what we call the summer months

[Mr.Green93]

61. You can use the A/C

The vehicle is more aerodynamic with the windows up. Modern A/cs are very efficient. There is no need to suffer. You are not saving that much going without. Think of your health and mental well being.

[DS1]

72. I drive so little these days my car's battery goes flat more than I'd like

I should all but cancel my car insurance and save the 140/month :mad:

[DS1]

73. Bouncy - something to think about

I think you'll just about break even on the highway for anything over ten miles because your car will be a magnitude more aerodynamic with the windows shut while you're at high speed. The extra drag you're creating with the windows down eats up a lot of gas, too. For city driving, if you can tolerate it, windows down would be the better option. So windows down in city until you get on the highway then treat yourselves to a/c.

My entirely non-scientificly educated but you must admit it makes at least some sense advice :-)

[Ms. Clio]

74. Air pollution is also a concern, though

Last time I was low on gas on Central Expressway in the summertime I shut off the AC and opened the windows and I began to get chest pains from the fumes.

I think the people driving the big honking gaz guzzlers just aren't really feeling the pain yet, and that gas would have to double or triple in price before it truly had an impact on them.

Sorry for you and your husband, though. Dallas without AC is simply brutal. :(

[Lydia Leftcoast]

78. Are you jobs located in the same direction from your house, so

that one of you could drop the other off at work and continue onward?

Or would it be feasible for one of you to drive a short distance to a park-and-ride location and take a bus to work?

I don't know your situation, but these may be possibilities

[BeTheChange]

88. Park and ride.. ahahahahahaha!

In Texas? You beautiful wonderful californians :)

Bouncy, it's been 98-100 degrees for the last few days! I dont even want to leave my house. We live in an apt and they built them so crappy that our airconditioning unit needs to to be made for an industrial building to work correctly. It never shuts off anymore and Ive got it set at 75. I went out today and cracked the window in the car for a couple minutes.. it was like a friggin heat furnace was coming in.

This is absolutely unreal and its only mid June. Ive been ebaying privacy curtains all night. Turn the ac on. Cut back on something else if you can. I swear, Id exist on a diet of spaghetti before I gave up ac when the temps are like they are right now. Not to mention the horrid air quality.

[Fescue4u]

83. Opening your windows uses more gas

Turning off the a/c and rolling down the windows made sense 20 years ago.

But with todays aerodynamic cars, and efficient a/c systems, its backwards.

Save some money, rollup the windows and turn on the a/c

(now if you rollup the windows and turn off the a/c THAT will save some money, but you'll proably die of heatstroke in texas)

[SouthernDem2004]

86. Gas prices are just under $2.00 here. A/C for everyone! :) /nt

[blogslut]

87. Public Transportation

If you live and work within Dallas proper, you can take the bus almost anywhere. Nice, air-conditioned buses and no driving worries. Win! Win!

[Maine-ah]

89. ya wanna send some of that heat this way please!

We have had one good week up here, and it feels like March again!!!!

We usually don't run the AC in the car, don't usually have to up here. I do have one small AC for the house because of the dogs & cat. The house sitting in the sun has been known to creep up to 90-95 degrees in the summer, and keeping the windows open while we're not home is not an option. I have one dog who is allergic to bees and they always manage to sneak in through the window screens, and I'd rather not come home to one "blown-up" dog, and two other "fried" animals.

[BornLeft]

92. Not entirely scientific

but on Mythbusters they did a test AC vs Windows down and the windows down uses more gas.

[RebelOne]

93. There is no way that I will drive without a/c

in the summer here in the Atlanta, GA area. I hate the heat and can't stand to sweat. Gas here is under $2 a gallon at most stations (at least it was yesterday). And I only have to drive 30 miles round trip to work, so I am not using a whole lot of gas.

[Moxygirl]

94. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones

as I live in Florida and never use AC. And its not because of gas usage but simply because I don't need it. I think people in America are spoiled. Having AC is a luxury not a necessity.

[blindpig]

96. good for you

AC is not a necessity, no matter what the whiners say. I mean, how did people live in this part of the world before it? We almost never use it in the car and for only about 10 weeks in the house. Helps to live in a brick house in the woods.

The steps that you are taking are common sense and everyone should do so. We are a one car household, there is no extraneous driving. The amount of energy that Americans waste in pursuit of "freedom" and "the American Way" is staggering.

We are the cutting edge of an America of lessened expectations.

[Zomby Woof]

98. Do you stay within the speed limit?

Speeding wastes more gas than A/C, which doesn't waste gas at all. I monitor my usage VERY closely, with and without A/C, and can verify it has NO EFFECT.

But speeding? That is why there was once an enforced federal standard of 55mph - to conserve, and bolster safety.

Suffer in the heat, if you wish, but you truly won't save money and gas unless you drive at safe speeds.

[moriverrat]

99. If you are going downhill...

Especially if you will have to stop in a half minute or so, running the A/C will use your car's momentum to drive the compressor instead of burning gas. It will slow you down a bit, though.

You could get quick bursts of cool air that way without ruining your mileage.

Also, open windows create a drag at higher speeds, as an earlier person mentioned.

[liberaliraqvet26]

101. As much as I would love to save gas...

here in South Florida I just cannot stop using my a/c. Sorry