Car Air Conditioning: Maximize Your Cool Factor

Upgrade to a cooler level this summer. With your A/C, that is. 

Because as temps start to soar, a little air conditioning isn’t just #summergoals. It may be #summermusts. But what should a climate-concerned, budget-conscious driver know when it comes to how you can maximize every ounce of auto freeze that you can? 

Here’s some favorite cold, hard, money-saving, better-for-the-environment tips:

Sure, the first tip may seem obvious. But you don’t always really need your A/C cranked up. Opening the window and/or sunroof may just do the job for you — and then why squander the gas when prices are sky-high? 

Or go for the hybrid option and go between A/C for a set time, then windows, then A/C, then windows… and repeat to keep cool. 

No need to pre-game your A/C by blasting it before you start driving. Sure, you may think it’s the smartest way to cool down your ride, but air conditioning actually works better when you’re in motion. Why? Because the faster the engine turns, the faster the A/C compressor will run. Cars in motion are kind of like bodies in motion. They need to be revved up to get the energy going. 

Plus, blasting it for a pre-cool down will just waste the A/C. Waste not, want not, right? And if you drive an electric or hybrid vehicle, then pre-cooling reduces battery life… so you’d want to keep your car plugged into the charger if you feel you absolutely must do it. 

Pro Tip: Open the windows for about 10-20 seconds when you first put on the A/C. It may seem counter-intuitive, but since the air inside a car is much hotter than outside air, you’ll be getting your cool down a great jump start.  

Then once the A/C is working its magic, roll back up the windows.  

It’s like Lil Jon says: get low (get low, get low, get low, get low, get low).  Set the A/C to the lowest temp and then adjust the fan. This will dry the air out less and keep your system running efficiently.  

In a typical system, the air is cooled to 38 degrees. If you crank up the A/C higher, you’re actually forcing the system to do extra work it doesn’t need: namely, reheating the cooled area. 

So crank up the tunes, not the A/C.

Depends on who’s in your car. If it’s just you and a friend (or hopefully, more than a friend) in the front seat, then it’s cool (literally) to keep on recirculation mode. Bonus, you’ll save $$ on gas. 

But if you have passengers in the back, turn it off. Otherwise, you’ll be chillaxing in the front and sucking up all the air behind ya.

Dirt and dust don’t just clog your pores and ruin your summer selfie game. But the dual destructors can also mess up your driving A/C mojo by restricting air from optimally passing through your vents.  

Check your owner’s manual, but you’ll probably replace them about every year or two, or 15,000-20,000 miles. You can replace them yourself or when you bring your car in for your checkups.  

As always, empowered drivers are safer drivers, more thoughtful drivers, and more engaged drivers. Check out more of our awesome safety tips on our blog, such as:

• 6 Ways to Defend Yourself Against Drunk Drivers

• Dating 101: How Can Your Car Drive Up Attraction?

• Break up With Bad Driving Habits

• Car Fires: Can It Happen To You?

• 5 Car Noises Not to Ignore