> > > As I understand it, and I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, > driving around with your windows open consumes more gas from the drag > effect > than running the A/C does, at least at highway speeds. > Best I can tell, that one's entirely dependent on the vehicle and how fast it's driven. There are all kinds of tests all over the internet, both formal and informal, and the conclusions seem to vary widely. The best rough estimate I could see is that most cars have an economy breakpoint about 50 to 60-ish, where it's better to take the constant economy hit from the compressor than the speed dependent hit from the windows. I'm not sure how much of a drag hit the Vanagon takes from rolled down windows, but "highway speeds" in a Vanagon tend to be lower than for other cars, so in the end it's probably a crapshoot. -- John Bange '90 Vanagon - "Geldsauger" |
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