Does Car’s Air Conditioner Affect Gas Mileage?

When mercury rises high and sun appears to be literally breathing down our neck, an air conditioner seems like a blessing we can’t thank the God enough for. Air conditioning in the car is an even bigger blessing because you can’t really even imagine to sit in a car without air conditioning when its 170 degrees outside.

Car air conditioning is one of those luxuries that we have got so used to of in our daily lives that we don’t even think about it on daily basis. But in today’s economy, people have started to get worried about their car’s AC compressor eating up extra gas. Saving gas in any situation is a good idea, considering the rising costs and the fact that it is a limited resource, but making you suffer in boiling temperatures is not necessary.

AC parts don’t guzzle gas from the car. In fact, it hardly makes any difference in your gas bill. The introduction of modern and more fuel efficient cars, this myth has been proved completely wrong. AC compressor does use some gas while getting started, but in the modern cars it’s miniscule.

Studies have found that a car running with AC is more fuel efficient than a car with its windows down. When we drive with open windows, the air coming inside the car creates a kind of drag that puts extra pressure on the engine. Hence, the fuel consumption increases and the performance of the car decrease.

If you want to maintain the performance of your car in the long run, then it’s advisable to use the air conditioner in hot temperatures. But if you want to decrease the consumption of the fuel further, follow the following steps.

* Park your car in shade: The hotter your car is, the more fuel your AC uses to bring it to an optimum temperature. Thus, make sure that you never park your car in direct sunlight. Direct sunlight is not only harmful to the exterior, but also damages its internal parts.

* Open the windows: Open the windows for one or two minutes when you first sit in the car. This will allow the hot air and heat accumulated inside to escape and outside breeze to cool down the car to a certain level. Then, you can switch on the A/C compressor and it will use even less fuel than before.

* Use better seat covers: Some kind of seat covers get heat up very quickly and remain hot for a very long time. Get the covers which allow air to go through them and don’t absorb heat.

Now that we have busted the myth for you, go ahead and enjoy your car AC without any guilt. Your car uses much less gas when running on AC then with open windows. So, stop worrying and enjoy your ride in perfect temperature.

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