Turning AC off when driving hard ?

[BoostedDreams]

Anyone else toggle their AC on and off when they get ready to do a hard pull to redline? I do it subconsciously even if it’s just taking it to red line in 1 or 2 gears. My passenger asked me why I did it the other day lol.
I know back in the day AC robbed horsepower, but i recently reas a YouTube comment recently that under WOT the ac clutch automatically disengages and you avoid losing power. I don’t know if I’m causing more wear the to AC but turning it on and off like that.
Thoughts?

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[bcrichster]

Anyone else toggle their AC on and off when they get ready to do a hard pull to redline? I do it subconsciously even if it’s just taking it to red line in 1 or 2 gears. My passenger asked me why I did it the other day lol.
I know back in the day AC robbed horsepower, but i recently reas a YouTube comment recently that under WOT the ac clutch automatically disengages and you avoid losing power. I don’t know if I’m causing more wear the to AC but turning it on and off like that.
Thoughts?

I certainly do.. I can feel a massive pwr surge when the AC gets toggled off, so that tells me AC is robbing power while engaged.

 

[Snail]

Anyone else toggle their AC on and off when they get ready to do a hard pull to redline? I do it subconsciously even if it’s just taking it to red line in 1 or 2 gears. My passenger asked me why I did it the other day lol.
I know back in the day AC robbed horsepower, but i recently reas a YouTube comment recently that under WOT the ac clutch automatically disengages and you avoid losing power. I don’t know if I’m causing more wear the to AC but turning it on and off like that.
Thoughts?

I do the same, but honestly it shouldn't make a difference to the lifespan of the compressor. Nowadays, almost every manufacturer builds their cars with electric drive compressors as opposed to belt-driven compressors. That means that the compressor turns at a constant speed regardless of engine speed. Your alternator generates the current necessary for its use.

 

[Zeffy94]

I always have my AC on because I start sweating profusely in the summer without it, so maybe that’s why the car feels more sluggish. I was unaware that AC robbed power from the car.

 

[dwag0588]

I don’t worry about it. I turn it off for autocross, but the ECU kills the compressor automatically at WOT otherwise. Try it some time on a hot day. You can feel the air get warmer inside during a pull. You will feel power drop on hot days anyway due to heat soaking.

 

[tinyman392]

I always have my AC on because I start sweating profusely in the summer without it, so maybe that’s why the car feels more sluggish. I was unaware that AC robbed power from the car.

AC robs power from the car simply because it requires power to run an AC. Honestly, it shouldn’t be that much. The reason why your car feels sluggish in hot weather is because IATs go up which causes the ECU to cut boost; this will happen regardless of whether AC is on or off though.

 

[civicls]

I do the same, but honestly it shouldn't make a difference to the lifespan of the compressor. Nowadays, almost every manufacturer builds their cars with electric drive compressors as opposed to belt-driven compressors. That means that the compressor turns at a constant speed regardless of engine speed. Your alternator generates the current necessary for its use.

This is completely wrong. Where did you get that from? The only cars that use motor-driven compressors are electric vehicles. Making the alternator drive the compressor is only beating a dead horse. You are not achieving anything

 

[remc86007]

This car definitely disengages the compressor at WOT. I had it set to only make 200hp in Comfort mode and it still disabled the compressor when I floored it. When only making 200hp there was plenty of time to start to feel the air warm when merging on to the interstate, etc.

The only time turning off the AC will matter for performance in this car is on track. There, you don't want any unnecessary load on the engine at any time so that the cooling system has the best chance of keeping up, plus you don't want the AC system dumping hot air into the engine bay. On the street, there is no way you can overheat the car, so that isn't a concern.

 

[BoostedDreams]

This car definitely disengages the compressor at WOT. I had it set to only make 200hp in Comfort mode and it still disabled the compressor when I floored it. When only making 200hp there was plenty of time to start to feel the air warm when merging on to the interstate, etc.

The only time turning off the AC will matter for performance in this car is on track. There, you don't want any unnecessary load on the engine at any time so that the cooling system has the best chance of keeping up, plus you don't want the AC system dumping hot air into the engine bay. On the street, there is no way you can overheat the car, so that isn't a concern.

Good to know. Thanks !

 

[Warpspeed]

The ECU automatically turns off the relay for the compressor for the AC unit. There is a sensor called Throttle Position Sensor. When the ECU gets the info via voltage from this sensor that it is all the way open, it will turn of the relay so the compressor is not putting a "load" on the motor.

 

[Caestus]

Anyone else toggle their AC on and off when they get ready to do a hard pull to redline? I do it subconsciously even if it’s just taking it to red line in 1 or 2 gears. My passenger asked me why I did it the other day lol.
I know back in the day AC robbed horsepower, but i recently reas a YouTube comment recently that under WOT the ac clutch automatically disengages and you avoid losing power. I don’t know if I’m causing more wear the to AC but turning it on and off like that.
Thoughts?

SO get this.... Everytime I do a hard pull with the AC turned on, the next time I need to turn the AC "on" in the climate menu. So I BELIEVE it actually does shut off the AC. However, the blower is still running so maybe that is what robs power.

 

[Caestus]

This car definitely disengages the compressor at WOT. I had it set to only make 200hp in Comfort mode and it still disabled the compressor when I floored it. When only making 200hp there was plenty of time to start to feel the air warm when merging on to the interstate, etc.

The only time turning off the AC will matter for performance in this car is on track. There, you don't want any unnecessary load on the engine at any time so that the cooling system has the best chance of keeping up, plus you don't want the AC system dumping hot air into the engine bay. On the street, there is no way you can overheat the car, so that isn't a concern.

ehhhhhhhh One can over heat the car on the street pretty easily here in South Florida lol...

 

[remc86007]

ehhhhhhhh One can over heat the car on the street pretty easily here in South Florida lol...

You can heatsoak the intercooler, but I seriously doubt you have overheated the car (coolant and oil temps so high the car goes into limp mode).

 

[Seth_FC3]

Anyone else toggle their AC on and off when they get ready to do a hard pull to redline? I do it subconsciously even if it’s just taking it to red line in 1 or 2 gears. My passenger asked me why I did it the other day lol.
Thoughts?

Oh most definitely lol. I feel like it makes just the slightest difference. I forget to do it most of the time, but I believe it does help

 

[balfoursem]

If you have a car with shifting gears, use this tip and keep the air conditioner on. Use the air conditioner at full power for cooling. The engine temperature is much higher than the ambient temperature when you do this. The air conditioner also helps excellent other components that get hot with heavy use. Using the air conditioner at this rate often helps you go faster and more economically https://www.airconservicingsingapore.com/installation/. But it's certainly not valid if you're driving at high speeds. You should turn off the air conditioner completely when you reach top speed and use only the fan to help maintain the engine and ambient temperatures.

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