Does anyone really know how much weight and horse power an air conditioning system uses up?
Thank you in advance.

 

I don't know how much HP an A/C uses when running. But I do know that the weight is around 45 pounds.

 

I've always heard it's about 3hp...

on a side note I remember seeing a test with a type-r and they did 2 runs (with and without a/c on) and it turned out the same cause the a/c would automatically cut out at WOT.....not sure if it apply's to other honda's tho....

 

i heard somewhere that it didnt make a difference to drop ac and roll your windows down...ac uses the engines power, but when you roll the windows down it turns your car into a vacuum when you are drivin

 

my ac system on my civic weighed less than 45 lbs when i took it out. that was the condensoer, evaporator , all lines, all brackets, compressor, and controles and fans AND heater core too.

and jsut abotu any honda i ride in i can feel when the ac comes on or goes off, so unless i am lot more sensitive than most people i would say 5-10 hp loss with it on, and 0 hp loss without it.

 

Did anyone see Mythbusters when they tested milage with a/c and without? They ran 5 gallons of gas in some Ford suv and the one with the windows down and a/c off went around the track a lot more than the one running a/c.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rabid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did anyone see Mythbusters when they tested milage with a/c and without? They ran 5 gallons of gas in some Ford suv and the one with the windows down and a/c off went around the track a lot more than the one running a/c. </TD></TR></TABLE>

But how does gasmilage relate to parasitic horsepower loss?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rabid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did anyone see Mythbusters when they tested milage with a/c and without? They ran 5 gallons of gas in some Ford suv and the one with the windows down and a/c off went around the track a lot more than the one running a/c. </TD></TR></TABLE>

An SUV would not be a good vehicle to use for this kind of test. The reason? SUVs are not very good in the aerodynamics department. So rolling down the windows is not likely to make things much worse. The results would likely have been different if a sleeker, more aerodynamic vehicle was used. In this situation, rolling down the windows will probably much more adversly affect aerodynamics, increasing fuel consumption.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by StorminMatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">An SUV would not be a good vehicle to use for this kind of test. The reason? SUVs are not very good in the aerodynamics department. So rolling down the windows is not likely to make things much worse. The results would likely have been different if a sleeker, more aerodynamic vehicle was used. In this situation, rolling down the windows will probably much more adversly affect aerodynamics, increasing fuel consumption.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I totally agree...Too bad I missed that episode! You would think since those brothers are pretty damn smart that they would have thought of what you said...

 

Other than the weight penalty, an A/C system being off consumes no more hp than an idler pulley - which is less than 1 hp.

 

So one horsepower and 45 pounds. I think I'll ride in comfort.