Am I saving gas if I don’t use my car AC? Does it make any difference if I use my ac or not?
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Am I saving gas if I don’t use my car AC? Does it make any difference if I use my ac or not?
Of course it doesl. The airconditioning requires running a compressor and a circulation fan. The compressor usually is run off a belt from the engine shaft and takes energy from the motor to run, which uses extra fuel for the extra load. The fan usually runs on electrical power, which is also generated by the motor through the generator. This represents an additional load as well, but usually quite a bit less than the compressor. Some studies have been done to check whether running with the windows down and the AC off is really more efficient tha running the AC. That is because the windows open creates an additional air drag related to speed as the airflow is spoilt. This in turn makes more engine load.
Short answer is yes, running the AC in your car does burn more gas most of the time but not always. At speeds under about 35 MPH, your car will certainly consume more gas running the AC than if you had the windows open. Assuming it was necessary to have the windows rolled down to avoid roasting in an oven, then the air resistance caused by the turbulence of having windows down is actually greater than the gas used by the AC. As you probably know, the vast majority of gas consumed by a car is used to fight wind resistance at highway speeds. If you were to keep your windows rolled up all the time regardless of the temperature in the car, then you would save gas by not using the AC but this typically isn’t practical.