Use a towel on the seat to handle the sweat

 

I have the same concerns and situation! Windows down at slow speeds and just fan on high and windows shut at faster speeds...I also am annoyed with the seats in weather like this. Lots of times it will be cool enough that the only part of me that sweats is the small of my back...I tried filling a Zip-Lock bag with ice cubes once and put that back there to keep it cool. It did keep cool...But instead of a sweaty back I had an achey back...The pack didn't feel so great after a couple of hours. Maybe for short trips it would work better.

I know someone suggested in the past a seat cover for your seat that you plug in the 12V outlet and it cools. Like a seat heater but the opposite. Sounds like a good idea to me

 

I do use a towel, so that solves getting the seat sweaty...Now the only problem is the person being sweaty... I guess that's a sacrifice in the quest for great FE!

 

OK, time to throw in some moderation and good sense in here.

Harold has a very good point that cannot be ignored, especially for those who want to keep their HCH's for a longer while.

If you trully like your HCH-2, then it may be best to exercise a little common sense and use the AC with moderation at least in the warmer Summer days. We have discussed this issue along with some pretty significant technical implications in this forum and also at CleanMPG... and basically the indisputable fact is that the IPU derives ALL of its critical & effective cooling from the passenger cabin.

So here's the deal:

• If you are comfortable then the IPU and its modules are happy and their life and performance will baseline as designed.
• If you are running hot without effective cooling then you can pretty much assume you want your IMA to cut-off.

Heat is, and will always continue to be the biggest enemy of electronics and batteries, reduce the IPU heat and it will work better and live longer.

It is up to you.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

So pretty much the question is, do you want better mileage now or later?

I've missed out on these threads...

 

Well 2-3 mpg less with AC on. What a bunch of BS...I get 8 MPG less with my AC on! W/O AC I get 51 MPG w/ AC on I get 43 MPG!

 

Ya, A/C is a killer for our car. If you slowly bring the temp down and its not too hot out so it doesn't have to run all the time then it doesn't affect it a ton. Continous running and, yeah, you might as well sweat...(sweating is good for you, I do it all the time and look at me now! )

 

I could do that but I live in AZ and the temp when I drive home is usually 110 degrees during the summer. I can't take that!

 

Um, no, not BS. People's experiences with these cars vary. I don't doubt at all your numbers. You don't need to doubt mine. I'm not an idiot and I didn't make them up.

1. A glance at my database numbers demonstrates that, on the whole, my average FE has *increased* during the time I've had to start running AC. That kind of puts paid to the (dumb) blanket statement that "AC kills your mileage." It totally depends on whether or not your mileage was already dead. Mine, at around 43 and a half, is nothing to brag about, and thus I don't see as great a mileage hit when I use the AC.

2. My FE hit varies, of course, by how I use the AC and, of course, how hot it is out. When I can use the AC *gently* to *maintain* an already cool car rather than to try to ice a broiling one, I see that 2-3 mpg drop at most, and my tank averages on the whole don't even reflect that. However, as I've posted on another thread, I'm in the middle of a terribly *low* FE tank because in the last couple days it's been trying to cool down a super hot interior in an outside temp of 100 degrees. At the same time, the IMA isn't working as efficiently and I'm not letting it autostop in an attempt to prevent excessive battery drain. (Also carrying more passengers than usual.) Taken all together, that FE hit has been tremendous. But I couldn't pretend to know what's due to the AC versus the manual battery management and the extra weight.

Anyway, I'm not at all surprised that successful hypermilers and folks who live in HOT climates see bigger drops than a more pedestrian driver in a just-hot climate like me. Question is, just how efficient can the car be with the AC? Results, as always, vary.

--doug

 

I wasn't saying your numbers were BS... I was talking about my experience with AC on.