Staying Cool AND Getting Great Gas Mileage

yes, it's not 100% recirc. with recirc, you're cooling mostly cooler air, instead of hot outside air.

i have a filter button that blocks all outside air for a few minutes, it works great, but i understand toyota doesn't put it on all vehicles for some reason.

 

I would think you would get better mpg if you choose recirc as you're only cooling the inside cabin air at 75 or whatever it is as opposed to the outside 90 degree air and the fans will lower the speed. I run my AC at 69 on recirc and it drops the mpg by 3 to 5mpg but it's worth it to me.

Coastal Cruiser---I lived in LA for about 4yr and never used the AC as it was pretty much perfect all the time rarely got to 90 or above. We had no AC in the house and almost never used the heat. What you pay for in extra taxes there you prob make up for on your power bills not running heat or AC. Beautiful weather

 

Mine is set to Auto 24C (75F) year round average temp here is 33C (91F)

 

Ive been here 62 years. Where exactly did you live? I'm in LA County, east of LA, and we've hit 85 to 90 several times in the last 3 weeks alone. 100 degrees in the valley areas north of LA. We currently have a Red Flag Fire Warning for the next 3 days, stretching all the way from Santa Barbara to San Diego, with strong dry winds in some areas. Welcome to the beautiful California coast!

I'm in a 60 year old house, it never had AC. (If it did, I could never afford the $400+ a month electric bill.) All the doors open and fans blasting in the summer. If I want AC, I jump in my car for relief! Thank God for a Prius.

 

What can we talk about next???

We've beat the "to use, or not to use the recirc button" to death. You KNOW you're old and retired (or just bored out of your wits--I'm both! ) when you spend hours in a car chat room, droning on about a recirc button!
SHEESH!

How about this: "What color socks should Prius owners wear?" "Does your blinker blink 3 times, or 6?" "Do you keep your Kleenex in the glove box, door, or center console?!"

(I still think I bought a chick's car! I need to trade it for a Tundra.)

 

I wear black, white or none at all...

 

At 2:30 this afternoon, my home outdoor thermometer shows 100 degrees (and it's in the shade). This is ridiculous for October. And now some officials say we are headed for a " Mega Drought", which I guess means 10+ years? Reservoirs throughout the state are very low. They better do something, fast, maybe even rationing water. (The minimal water usage cutbacks they had in place earlier this year, really didn't do anything. (Many residents don't seem to care... and will keep wasting water until it's too late. Their green lawn comes first!)

I'll be blasting the AC in my Prius. I might lose 1 mpg.

 

Here in socal ac is a must. I also illegally tinted all windows so we'll see how that goes with the local authorities, so far I love the tint it really cuts down on the heat and for 220 is like free...some days I could care less if I take a 10 mpg hit, I need to survive!

 

Well I promise that is BO-GUS! Central Heat and AC systems bring in ZERO outside air, none, zilch, nada.

Now, in some areas of the country, a "Heat Recovery Ventilator" is required in NEW construction by code and the HRV does serve that purpose as well as helping control indoor humidity.

 

auto let's you set the temp you want, and the computers control compressor speed, fan speed, vent position and fresh/recirc. many like the ease of use, but i'm too ocd to allow all that to happen out of my control.

 

yes, usually face until the car cools down the add feet i think.

 

It'll change from vent, to high/low, to heat. Not sure if it ever goes to heat/defog.

 

Just to be sure, it only selected the optimum vents to use not the the direction of the vanes

 

I keep picturing the vanes slowly oscillating left/right.