to run or not to run A/C on a track?
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Not to be a Jerk...
But I'm going to be.
What kind of track car has A/C in it. Pull it out for the track or leave it off. Your windows will be down and you can hear the motor better, which will tell you whether you are matching your revs properly. If you have the PDK (I do in my street car), it will just make you hear the motor in all it's sweetness. Go into the A/C when you come off the track!
What kind of track car has A/C in it. Pull it out for the track or leave it off. Your windows will be down and you can hear the motor better, which will tell you whether you are matching your revs properly. If you have the PDK (I do in my street car), it will just make you hear the motor in all it's sweetness. Go into the A/C when you come off the track!
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But I'm going to be.
What kind of track car has A/C in it. Pull it out for the track or leave it off. Your windows will be down and you can hear the motor better, which will tell you whether you are matching your revs properly. If you have the PDK (I do in my street car), it will just make you hear the motor in all it's sweetness. Go into the A/C when you come off the track!
What kind of track car has A/C in it. Pull it out for the track or leave it off. Your windows will be down and you can hear the motor better, which will tell you whether you are matching your revs properly. If you have the PDK (I do in my street car), it will just make you hear the motor in all it's sweetness. Go into the A/C when you come off the track!
when it's 98 F ambient, it's nice to have that cool air.
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You are correct that the radiator fans run when the AC is running, but I wouldn't assume that makes your engine run cooler. The radiator fans come on because the heat from the AC condensers, that are right up against the radiators, produce a lot of extra heat. Most cars run hotter with the AC running, even with the auxiliary fans running.
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Certainly agree..last track day they made us run with windows down , no ac in the Viper...I probably lost 10 lbs of sweat that day. Loss of hp is insignificant!!
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+1 Van, I preach this all the time. Especially to my new students that keep wanting to turn off the air at Sebring with the track temps well over 100 degrees.
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Real race cars don't have AC, if you need to keep cool, get a cool suit or shirt.
SCCA and many other groups require windows down.
Track days and driving instruction are another matter, with the windows closed it is much easer to shout instructions like "BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE".
SCCA and many other groups require windows down.
Track days and driving instruction are another matter, with the windows closed it is much easer to shout instructions like "BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE".
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Real race cars don't have AC, if you need to keep cool, get a cool suit or shirt.
SCCA and many other groups require windows down.
Track days and driving instruction are another matter, with the windows closed it is much easer to shout instructions like "BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE".
SCCA and many other groups require windows down.
Track days and driving instruction are another matter, with the windows closed it is much easer to shout instructions like "BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE".
to open the doors, you can do so.
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I also drag race and a few drops can equal a car in the call. It is more critical at the drag strip then the road course though.
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Real race cars don't have AC, if you need to keep cool, get a cool suit or shirt.
SCCA and many other groups require windows down.
Track days and driving instruction are another matter, with the windows closed it is much easer to shout instructions like "BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE".
SCCA and many other groups require windows down.
Track days and driving instruction are another matter, with the windows closed it is much easer to shout instructions like "BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE".
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Guys,
leave the AC on - Porsche will automatically switch the AC/kompressor off if 100% Power are asked for - it has no influence on the power as it will not run when using 100%.
Stay cool, comfy and alert - has nothing to do with not sporty ...
leave the AC on - Porsche will automatically switch the AC/kompressor off if 100% Power are asked for - it has no influence on the power as it will not run when using 100%.
Stay cool, comfy and alert - has nothing to do with not sporty ...
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Thank you. I thought I was going mad, or someone had inadvertently invented perpetual motion. Of course whether it's mechanical or electrical, there is no 'free lunch' and so either type of air conditioning system (or power steering for that matter) requires engine power to drive it. And, arguably, because electrical air conditioning systems require more energy modal conversions, it is likely to be less efficient.
None of these points bear on whether one should run a/c on track days (but since it is not a race, as noted, driver comfort needn't be sacrificed for incremental performance) but assuming that electrical a/c is 'free energy' just seems to be an incorrect assumption.
None of these points bear on whether one should run a/c on track days (but since it is not a race, as noted, driver comfort needn't be sacrificed for incremental performance) but assuming that electrical a/c is 'free energy' just seems to be an incorrect assumption.
Unless those run solely from an independent battery, they use engine power, though indirectly. Attaching an electrical load to the car, converts into mechanical load at the alternator.. so the engine has to work harder to turn the alternator. You still get the engine load from an electrically driven A/C system, if its powered by the alternator, just an indirect pathway.
Same goes for power steering.
All those electrical things need their energy from somewhere... the rules of physics you learned in high school do still apply. The added load on the output of the electrical generator becomes more forces needed to turn that generator - so the alternator becomes a bigger load on the engine.
Its certainly easier to add an A/C by tying it into the power system, rather than having to add it to the serpentine belt pathway.
Same goes for power steering.
All those electrical things need their energy from somewhere... the rules of physics you learned in high school do still apply. The added load on the output of the electrical generator becomes more forces needed to turn that generator - so the alternator becomes a bigger load on the engine.
Its certainly easier to add an A/C by tying it into the power system, rather than having to add it to the serpentine belt pathway.
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