I use my AC more in the winter than the summer

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
12/01/2016 at 08:50 • Filed to: None

Something I realized yesterday is that I have the AC running in my Miata far more often in the fall/winter time than in the Summer. This is mainly due to the defroster running to keep my windows free from fog. Plus in the summer time I just drive with the top down unless it’s raining so I don’t need it. This is mildly annoying since my AC compressor is a power hog and there is a weird leak in the system somewhere so it makes strange noises. I wish the defogger didn’t need the AC to work but such is life.

DISCUSSION (38)

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 08:58

I wish I could turn the AC off and just have the fan for the defog.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 08:58

The defogger shouldn’t need the compressor to work, should it?

AfromanGTO > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 09:08

That’s such a Ford thing. My Mazda used to do that, and it annoyed me. My GTO and SS do not turn the AC compressor in the defrost setting. I personally hate driving with the AC on, and never do driving alone.

404 - User No Longer Available > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/01/2016 at 09:19

Wonder of WWD is actually talking about the defroster ( front top air vents) instead of the defogger (rear electric grid). I know most defrosters need the AC compressor for dehumidifying purposes. Both my Solstice and G6 did that.

Wacko > 404 - User No Longer Available
12/01/2016 at 09:27

every car i ever owned or been in since about 2000 did that too.

i just don’t remember in any of my 90s cars since they had no A/C or non working A/C.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Wacko
12/01/2016 at 09:32

The AC was out on most of my 90s cars, but I always still had heat. MR2 has heat but no AC or compressor from factory.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 404 - User No Longer Available
12/01/2016 at 09:33

Weird. I remember old cars before AC was standard still having heat. Hell, I still own an MR2 with no AC but heat and my 90s cars generally had shot AC but the heat still worked.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AfromanGTO
12/01/2016 at 09:45

Yeah I have thought about custom wiring it to not do that but I assume it must turn on for a reason. It does certainly work well at defogging the windows.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
12/01/2016 at 09:46

Well yeah having the option would be nice. Sure it works better with the AC but I liked in my Honda how setting it to AC just automatically turned the button on. But I could turn it off if I wanted to.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 404 - User No Longer Available
12/01/2016 at 09:47

The words defogger and defroster are so backwards that it doesnt make any sense to me. I use the rear defroster to get frost off my window. I use the top air vents to get fog off my windshield but they are called defrosters.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Wacko
12/01/2016 at 09:48

Yeah I wonder how cars without AC even defog the windows at all since my car seems to think its necessary to do so.

Berang > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 09:50

I wonder why old cars defrost just fine without AC. But new cars won’t.

My SAAB defrosts fine with the heat barely on and the vent barely open. The ‘98 Lexus would turn the AC on when defrosting, although you could turn it off and leave the defroster on, but the windows would just fog up again unless you set the fan to the highest setting.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/01/2016 at 09:51

Well it’s due to the humidity. And I assume that my car being a soft top convertible makes it worse at keeping humidity away.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Berang
12/01/2016 at 09:55

My AC does use a button but it is a button that clicks into place so it operates more like a switch. This is probably why Mazda didnt design it so that I could turn it on/off at will. I would gladly run the defroster vents without the AC since it would probably be fine to keep an already cleared window clear. Then I could just use the AC sparingly when really needed.

Tekamul > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/01/2016 at 09:58

Heat + Dry air works faster than just heat.

Scary__goongala! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 09:58

I deleted my PS. So until I get the pulley that replaces the pump I’ll be without AC. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve used it. But it is nice to have. If anything every stops working in the AC system I’m taking it all out. I don’t use it enough to bother fixing it and ditching the whole system drops like 47lbs of weight.

Wacko > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 10:00

just takes longer without A/C

needs actual engine heat to dry out the humidity

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Wacko
12/01/2016 at 10:09

Yeah that’s why using the AC to get it clear in the morning is fine and I would like that. But after driving for a while, I would like to be able to switch it off but still have the vents blowing to keep it stable. I find instead I have to choose between foggy windows or accelerating normally. But the best solution is generally just to drive top down regardless of the weather.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 10:17

The stupid climate control system in the Mini basically means I have no defrosters since I have no AC. The compressor is on the verge of failing catastrophically and I don’t want it to seize and eat a belt. Whenever I hit the defroster button it goes into an auto mode with the AC on and fans full blast. Hitting any button pulls it out of this auto mode and back to where it was before I turned the defroster on.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Scary__goongala!
12/01/2016 at 10:17

I used it about 2 or 3 times on 100+ degree days on long highway trips this summer. Those times would have really sucked without it I suppose but I wouldnt want to go through the hassle/cost to fix it if it broke. You deleted PS on your NA? I thought the Manual racks were actually worse and didnt make it worthwhile.

Scary__goongala! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 10:25

The manual racks have a slightly slower ratio. But I kept the same powered rack on the car. Drain the PS fluid, remove the belt, and remove the seals that are inside of the rack. There are write ups for it. I did this because my PS was leaking and I didn’t want to pay for a new one. I like the difference, the stock steering is overpowered in my opinion.

404 - User No Longer Available > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 10:27

Well really depends on where you are I guess. In Canada we use both to melt snow.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
12/01/2016 at 10:27

I dont think I could ever drive this time of the year without defrosters. That would be a hopeless endeavor. I would have to stick my head out the window like it was the blues brothers or something.

flyingmetalbird > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 10:27

Power hog is damn right

When I turn the A/C in my ‘94 it feels like I’m running on 35 horses tops. I used it a few times this summer when it was raining, but otherwise it’s top down.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 10:46

It has only been an issue for me in heavy rain for me so far but it is going to be a pain as it gets colder. I am thinking that I am going to get the system reprogrammed to think its not equipped with AC (There are tons of things you can easily tweak in the software of Minis and I will see if I can change this when I tweak the way door locks and headlights function). The AC system is expensive to fix and I honestly haven’t had a need for it with giant windows and a HUGE sunroof.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Scary__goongala!
12/01/2016 at 10:52

This sounds like fun, I will look into that!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
12/01/2016 at 10:53

Make sure you dont screw it up. Dont want the door lock button to activate the ebrake or some shit haha.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > flyingmetalbird
12/01/2016 at 10:55

Mine also whines/wheezes with the AC blowing under hard acceleration. So I tend to just avoid having the AC on. It is acceptable on the highway though at a constant 70mph and then the difference is negligible.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 10:57

Well my remote doesn’t work in the first place since the drivers lock actuator is bad and I have a mechanical E-Brake. I basically just want to tweak it so all doors open when I unlock the drivers door and so they don’t automatically lock again.

My bird IS the word > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 12:02

I rarely use my ac at all and now all of a sudden it doesn’t work. Considering it’s a 2010 I’m a little salty.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Berang
12/01/2016 at 12:03

I have long wondered this, too. Cars from the 60s would defrost, my 2001 ZX2 would defrost, and so would my Caprice (when it was broken and in dire need of a recharge; but it also didn’t turn it on for defrost like modern cars do). I’m not sure my 2000 Lincoln would, my 2015 Focus definitely wouldn’t, and neither would the 2008 Mazda 3...

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 12:05

As I think about it, due to where I live, I think I do as well. It’s rarely hot enough for A/C for very long here in the summer, but it rains a fair bit of the year and defrosting is often necessary... I use the A/C far more to remove fog from my windshields than any other reason, even though none are convertible.

Berang > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
12/01/2016 at 12:12

Kinja'd!!!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > My bird IS the word
12/01/2016 at 12:52

Shit yeah I would be pissed as hell. I like things to work, regardless of how much I use it. Other than my power door locks, I just pulled the fuse since those are useless to me.

My bird IS the word > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 13:16

“superior” German engineering. Or perhaps I should blame the French since it is technically a Renault engine.

AfromanGTO > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/01/2016 at 14:14

What about pulling the fuse. My brother used to do that in his 300ZX in the winter.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AfromanGTO
12/01/2016 at 14:59

Well then I would have no AC to run at all. Sometimes it does help, especially when first starting a drive. But there is no need to keep running it for hours on end. But if I just turn off the vents entirely, the windows will likely fog back up. Ideally, I would just have the option of AC or no AC. Same as I have the option of what gear I want to be in.

Nauraushaun > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/03/2016 at 22:24

in the summer time I just drive with the top down unless it’s raining

Kinja'd!!!