Chasing without air conditioning; how bad can it be?

[Mickey Ptak]

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Originally posted by Steve Peterson

So if you have big fancy lights, weather stations and antennas on your chasemobile you really burn the gas.

Oh you bet. I had a descent setup in 2003 before a tree limb hindered my anemometer. My gas efficiency was nothing short of crap. I was only getting about 325 miles per tank. That is very bad for my car. I have a 6-cylinder four-door cutlass supreme. I have never had a vehicle that got such good gas mileage. It takes about $27 to fill up and I am good for the next 400 + miles. Now I just have three antennas and one little amber light and it doesn’t seem to effect to much.

Thanks for the links Steve.

Mick

 

[Mike Sharp]

OK so SUV's are not economical anyway, our temps this side of the pond don't go to such extremes. But we get our fair share of rain.
However I personally hate air con. I find that it dries up my sinus and throat. I stick to the option open the windows and have the demister on if needed.
If I have the choice give me a motor with electric windows and no aircon.

 

[David Young]

Originally posted by Steve Peterson
\"The use of air conditioning will cause a decrease in gas mileage but this may be the lesser of the evils. When you turn the a/c off and roll down the windows you will probably double your economy loss.

A very recent "Mythbusters" episode reached the opposite conclusion: Driving with the AC on full-blast resulted in more fuel consumption than driving with the windows down. This was at 45mph in identical SUVs. Highway speeds and/or different vehicles may give a different result, of course.

Originally posted by Steve Peterson
I better go bondo all my hail dents out this winter to get maximum aerodynamics for next Spring. :lol:

You may not want to do that. Why do you think golf balls travel so far?

 

[Scott Olson]

I have AC and on the really hot occasions have used it. The problem is that just running the fan is sometimes cooler because it blows harder, when I turn the air on a little bit of cold air trickles out. I have been known to drive with the windows down, which is all the same for has mileage since my car is about as aerodynamic as a jagged rock. I do remember one suprise storm here in Eastern SD which put up some severe well organized thundertorms. By the time I got home I felt flushed and had a nasty migraine, this even with plenty of water.

 

[Steve Peterson]

Originally posted by David Young

A very recent \"Mythbusters\" episode reached the opposite conclusion: Driving with the AC on full-blast resulted in more fuel consumption than driving with the windows down. This was at 45mph in identical SUVs. Highway speeds and/or different vehicles may give a different result, of course.

I was going to mention that episode but didn't because they really didn't do it comparing what we are doing on the highways. At least I don't drive 45 mph on my chases, hehe. I didn't think they came up with opposite results if my memory serves me right, although I could be wrong on this. I thought that they came to the conclusion that it was almost the exact same either way and the best result they got was driving without A/C or the windows down at the same time. Now if you do that to save 1 mpg, you are hardcore. I could also reason that SUV's aren't going to differ as much as cars since most aren't that aerodynamic to begin with.

Originally posted by Steve Peterson+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Steve Peterson)</div>

I better go bondo all my hail dents out this winter to get maximum aerodynamics for next Spring. :lol:[/b]

<!--QuoteBegin-David Young


You may not want to do that. Why do you think golf balls travel so far?

Actually I don't think the physics is quite the same on that. I think the fact that the ball is spinning has something to do with the use of the dimples. Maybe a physics expert could answer this for us? If that is the case I guess it would be more effecient when the tornado picks up and flings my car, LOL. Yea, not going to hope for that anytime soon.

 

[David Young]

Originally posted by Steve Peterson+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Steve Peterson)</div>

I didn't think they came up with opposite results if my memory serves me right, although I could be wrong on this. I thought that they came to the conclusion that it was almost the exact same either way and the best result they got was driving without A/C or the windows down at the same time.[/b]

The only reason I remember this clearly is that I saw a repeat broadcast of the episode on...Sunday night, I think. Might've been Saturday. Anyway, their computer model predicted that driving with the A/C on would give better mileage, but when they actually tested it (2 identical SUVs, 5 gallons of gas in each, on a closed track at 45mph), the vehicle with the windows down went 15 miles farther before running out of gas. Take that extra 3mpg and multiply it by a full tank of gas, and it's fairly significant. (They initially wanted to test at higher speeds and with a full gas tank in each vehicle, but track officials said no.) And yeah, driving with the windows up and no A/C would definitely give the best fuel economy, although it might kill you in the process!

<!--QuoteBegin-Steve Peterson
Actually I don't think the physics is quite the same on that. I think the fact that the ball is spinning has something to do with the use of the dimples. Maybe a physics expert could answer this for us?

I'm no expert, but here's how I understand it: As a golf ball flies through the air, the dimples serve to keep the air flowing around the ball closer to its surface for a longer period of time, resulting in a weaker partial vacuum behind the ball. The weaker vacuum means less drag for the ball to overcome, and the ball flies farther. Putting backspin on the ball will induce a lifting effect as well, resulting in even greater distance. That's the quick-and-dirty. If you want more detail, look here.

All of that, of course, is on the scale of a golf ball. Whether hail dents have a noticeable effect on a vehicle, I have no idea, but I doubt it.

 

[Adam Atkins]

No air conditioning

I haven't air conditioning on "the cruiser," my 1993 Dodge Intrepid that can easily be mistaken as a copper, especially when I chasing... That was bad when I had to drive cross country from Portland, OR to Norman for school, a total of 3 times. When you're going 90 through Wyoming, it's kinda hard to hear anything when the windows are rolled down and the wind is roaring in your ears, the radio is cranked up, and the truck horns are blaring at me. I consider this a minor problem when I'm chasing though because the heat or fan can blow away foggy windows.

WHAT'S WORSE? NO WINDSIELD WIPERS!!! Yeah, my motor broke so I chased with a healthy dose of Rain-X for about 6 months before I could shell out the $300 for new equipment. It was quite a hamper when I was dealing with horizontal rain on May 4, 2003 in SE Kansas. I ended up pulling over and letting the core dump on me so I didn't get to see my 2nd tornado of the day after Girard.

We're all fixed up now, but the problem is it's Mid-November...I got a fever...and the only cure is more tornadoes.

 

[Doug Lee]

Hail dents on horizontal surfaces might act like miniture versions of the spoilers seen on race cars, and would help with traction. The effect would be a result of the diameter and depth of the dent plus the speed of the car. Most times that would be too small to render any benefit.

If you find yourself having to drive with out AC and need some way to prevent or clear the fog on your windshield, you could get a fan that plugs in the cigarrette light outlet, and postion the fan to blow on the glass.

 

[Shane Adams]

I've always found the "defrost" feature to be helpful in removing window fog :wink:

 

[Doug Lee]

But what if your blower doesn't work, like mine?

 

[Mike Peregrine]

I'll pay the extra $2.34 per chase to run the air full blast arctic mode, thank you. Nebraska and Kansas - in the warm sector - in June - is no party. A little evapotranspiration and Theta-E and you've got 75 degree dew points with temps in the 80s. It gets oppressive out there - plus I don't like being able to smell my passengers on the way home.

I chased without air for a while, and now that I have it again don't know how I ever survived without it ... I also feel like it's better for the electronics to run it - but can see the biggest drawback to a/c is when I step out of the ice cold chasemobile into the real world in the middle of a chase, ready to try and capture a moment, only to have every camera lens I own instantly condense. It really sucks waiting for a camera lens to adapt to heat/humidity outside the car.

 

[Damon Scott Hynes]

Think of your fellow chasers--using the AC wrings moisture out of the air...a decent chaser convergence with all cars idling using AC can reduce the dewpoint in the misoscale!