Silk wrote:Ancient wrote:As others have said, at lower speeds it allows me to feel the breeze, which is more pleasant than the dry air-conditioned air.
Not when it's pushing 30 degrees outside. The dry air thing is a bit overplayed. When you cool air, it's simple physics (or chemistry) that the air can't hold as much moisture. It's the same when it's frosty outside. As long as it's set correctly (climate control helps here - I'd never buy a car with manual aircon for this reason) you will get a mix of air in the cabin. I keep mine set at no lower than 20 degrees, and it keeps things cool without turning the interior into a fridge.
Personally I find it more comfortable to be adapted to the outside environment than to continually be in and out of an air-conditioned environment and re-adapting to the heat when outside. Driving in southern California I rarely used the air-con for exactly that reason. I disagree about 'the dry air thing' being overplayed, indeed I find it can be physically painful when cool dry air hits my eyes.
For the "simple physics (or chemistry)" see below.
I also dislike constant temperature settings; they are boring. Far better the variation of a natural environment.
Silk wrote:Ancient wrote:It also allows more connection to the outside and easier interaction with other road users which can be helpful at low speeds. A smile or a thank-you is far less effective and friendly from behind glass; this contributes to a safer road environment.
Really? I'd be interested in how you're giving courtesy signals if you require there to be no glass in between. What do you do when it's minus 10 outside?
At low speeds it is perfectly safe to give courtesy signals verbally. A "thank you" and a smile perhaps to s pedestrian who has moved to the side and got their dog under obvious control; an "I'll wait here" to a horse rider; even a wave out of the window at low speed sacrifces less control than changing gear
. Of course these are non-standard
, but a thinking driver
understands when they can be safely used.
At minus 10 I of course wear appropriate clothing for the conditions, and do not rely on the artifical in-car environment (a reliance which kills people in places where it is regularly minus 10 and colder).
Silk wrote:Ancient wrote:Also my car's handbook says it is best to open windows to assist the air-con on particularly hot days, especially if the car has been sat in the sun.
If the car's been left out in the sun then, even if it's above 30 degrees outside, it could still be even hotter inside. In this case, then it's a good idea to allow the air inside to drop sufficiently by opening the windows. Common sense really. Once the equilibrium has been reached, then you can turn the aircon on and close the windows.
Indeed and it is often not possible to leave a working car anywhere other than in the sun. For those whose motoring consists of driving out of and back to their dream garage, the story might be different; but in the real world air conditioning frequently needs the assistance of having open windows. Air flow also helps. "Once the equilibrium has been reached", you
can (as you say) choose to use the air-con - or not; the choice being entirely that of the vehicle's occupants.
Silk wrote:Ancient wrote:Perhaps Silk, you need to check your car handbook
?
What does yours say?
Mine says "It is recommended to open the windows or doors of a vehicle for which the interior has been strongly heated through the effect of direct sunlight in order to allow the heated air to escape"; of course it is poor grammer and punctuation but the message is clear: Aircon needs help by opening the windows.
It also says "If the cooling system is switched on, the temperature
and air humidity drops in the vehicle" (
my italics). Humidity is moisture held by the air, expressed percentage of the maximum moisture that can be held
at a given temperature. Reducing the humidity therefore makes the air drier than it would otherwise be
at that temperature. This is achieved by condensing the moiture out of the air before it is taken into the car and maintained at the required internal temperature, hence the condensation drips outside your vehicle.
Silk wrote:Do you even have aircon?
Oh! You cheeky monkey you
!