# Turn the AC ON!!



## noe (Dec 31, 2014)

Some snobby rich chick gets in my car. After a minute driving, which I had my window open, and it was 65 outside. Great day. Beautiful. She snobbily says. Turn the AC on. So I opened up all the windows. She gave me a 3! LMAO! FTW!


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## Ziggy (Feb 27, 2015)

Hmmm .... surprised you didn't get a 1* ... considering that you are in a "service industry". Turning on the AC doesn't seem like an unreasonable request, maybe she just finished jogging


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## Lidman (Nov 13, 2014)

Well I have would have no problem putting on the Ac as long as uber is willing help for they excess gas it burns.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

noe said:


> Some snobby rich chick gets in my car. After a minute driving, which I had my window open, and it was 65 outside. Great day. Beautiful. She snobbily says. Turn the AC on. So I opened up all the windows. She gave me a 3! LMAO! FTW!


Picking up pax with your windows down is tacky


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## Backdash (Jan 28, 2015)

Bullshit story


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## Lidman (Nov 13, 2014)

ReviTULize said:


> Picking up pax with your windows down is tacky


at .90/mile, I say make the pax sweat it out, since they're most likely not going to tip anyways, but you are 1/2 right, i'd leave the winows closed with no ac on. at those rates


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

You get better mileage with the windows up


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## ElectricEliminator (May 15, 2015)

ReviTULize said:


> You get better mileage with the windows up


I believe it was the EPA or NTSB that just recently put a report out stating that you're better off running the AC than rolling down the windows. The excess drag from the open windows is worse for your mileage.


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## noe (Dec 31, 2014)

Ziggy said:


> Hmmm .... surprised you didn't get a 1* ... considering that you are in a "service industry". Turning on the AC doesn't seem like an unreasonable request, maybe she just finished jogging


No, she didnt just finish jogging. She was talking about how she was laying around not doing anything. She was a snob. It was the way it was ordered. A please would be nice...I bet if they told you to fasten their seat belt you'd be like. "Yeah, I'll be right there"


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

ElectricEliminator said:


> I believe it was the EPA or NTSB that just recently put a report out stating that you're better off running the AC than rolling down the windows. The excess drag from the open windows is worse for your mileage.


Unless at idle that is true as any load placed on the engine raises the rpm and burns gas. If you are idle for a long period having your windows down and ac off is more efficient but if you are idle for that long it is also better to turn the car off.

That said, my ac is on 99% of the time.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

If it is more than 80F/27C outside, the AC goes on in both the cab and the UberXmobile, passenger in car or not. If the customer asks me to turn it off, I will. I have had customers ask me to turn it off in 95F/35C and 100% humidity. I have had customers ask me to turn it on when it was 50F/10C outside.

D.C. Taxicab Commission Regulations do require that cab drivers turn it on between 15 May and 15 October upon demand of the customer. The driver is not required to keep it running when he does not have a passenger, but he is required to turn it on if the customer asks for it. It does not matter the temperature outside, if the customer asks for air conditioning between 15 May and 15 October, the driver must turn it on.

All cabs must have working air condition between those dates. It has not happened lately, but there have been cases where a Harassmen-ER-uh-_Hack_ Inspector has been running around the streets making cab drivers turn on their air condiditon. If it did not work, the driver received a summons (actually he received four, one for the non-working air condition, one for an incomplete trip sheet that was complete, one for bald tyres that he bought brand new last week and for which he has the receipt _on him _[never mind the three day old inspection sticker on the cab], and one for a dirty cab that he had washed that morning and for which he has a receipt, as well).

I have yet to have a UberX passenger ask me to turn on the air condition, although I did have an Uber Taxi passenger ask me to turn it off when it was 83F/28C outside.

I do it, more out of force of habit, than anything else.


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## JuanMoreTime (Jan 25, 2015)

I roll down my front windows when I pull up to facilitate better communication, but once the pax is in my car, I always ask what they prefer. I'm in LA, so it's usually pretty nice out. Some people prefer A/C, some prefer to have the windows down. I'm fine either way, except if I'm on the freeway (when it's actually moving) I'd prefer to have to windows up and the A/C on so that my hair doesn't blow all over the place. I average 33-35 MPG whether my A/C is on or not. Doesn't seem to make an appreciable difference.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

JuanMoreTime said:


> I'd prefer to have to windows up and the A/C on so that my hair doesn't blow all over the place.


Ahh, hair; I remember it well.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

ElectricEliminator said:


> I believe it was the EPA or NTSB that just recently put a report out stating that you're better off running the AC than rolling down the windows. The excess drag from the open windows is worse for your mileage.


That's not even recent. Been that way at least the last 10 or 15 years.

FYI using the heater or a/c to reasonable levels is actually addressed in the Houston city ordinance. I have less issues with my asthma by keeping pollen etc. out of my my car so I never drive with the windows open anyway. And I use the kiddie locks to stop pax opening them.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

JuanMoreTime said:


> I roll down my front windows when I pull up to facilitate better communication, but once the pax is in my car, I always ask what they prefer. I'm in LA, so it's usually pretty nice out. Some people prefer A/C, some prefer to have the windows down. I'm fine either way, except if I'm on the freeway (when it's actually moving) I'd prefer to have to windows up and the A/C on so that my hair doesn't blow all over the place. I average 33-35 MPG whether my A/C is on or not. Doesn't seem to make an appreciable difference.


When I'm by myself, I prefer the windows down so I can stick my head out like a dog


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## LoneXer (May 30, 2015)

noe said:


> Some snobby rich chick gets in my car. After a minute driving, which I had my window open, and it was 65 outside. Great day. Beautiful. She snobbily says. Turn the AC on. So I opened up all the windows. She gave me a 3! LMAO! FTW!


That's their way of telling you the car stinks


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## KGB7 (Apr 23, 2015)

ElectricEliminator said:


> I believe it was the EPA or NTSB that just recently put a report out stating that you're better off running the AC than rolling down the windows. The excess drag from the open windows is worse for your mileage.


Read the EPA report for MPH comparecen. 5mph vs 55mph.


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## IndyDriver (Nov 6, 2014)

KGB7 said:


> Read the EPA report for MPH competences. 5mph vs 55mph.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but its not a hard rule that AC is always better. It depends on the speed as well, right?


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## KGB7 (Apr 23, 2015)

Even if its 60c, the humidity is the enemy of BO.

I keep AC running so i dont smell like a concentration camp.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

IndyDriver said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but its not a hard rule that AC is always better. It depends on the speed as well, right?


It's a professionalism thing.
Regardless of science, humidity, etc...
If I need to make a phone call or have a big meeting/event that I am going to, I shouldn't have to ask you to roll up the windows. If they want it down...they'll put it down.


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## KGB7 (Apr 23, 2015)

IndyDriver said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but its not a hard rule that AC is always better. It depends on the speed as well, right?


AC will always reduce MPG, unless you drive a gas gusling SUV. Smaller engines (4 cylinders) will suffer more in MPG with AC On.
The more cylinders a car has, the lower ratio/% mpg your car will suffer from AC On.

A cat towing 5lbs vs a Horse towing 5lbs. A cat will eat 5oz of food, vs a horse that eats 5lb of food. Energy ratio consumption and output.


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## IndyDriver (Nov 6, 2014)

ReviTULize said:


> It's a professionalism thing.
> Regardless of science, humidity, etc...
> If I need to make a phone call or have a big meeting/event that I am going to, I shouldn't have to ask you to roll up the windows. If they want it down...they'll put it down.


I completely agree. I typically would pull up/wait windows down in mild weather then ask what they prefer. This is a customer service business. I was just curious about the mpg.


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## TimFromMA (Mar 4, 2015)

Lidman said:


> Well I have would have no problem putting on the Ac as long as uber is willing help for they excess gas it burns.


Yup. Windows down is better for fuel economy than windows up with AC on. Just ask the Mythbusters.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/ac-vs-open-windows/


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## IndyDriver (Nov 6, 2014)

TimFromMA said:


> Yup. Windows down is better for fuel economy than windows up with AC on. Just ask the Mythbusters.
> 
> http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/ac-vs-open-windows/


I like Myth busters and all, but they are special effects guys, not actual scientists.

See the following:

https://blog.gasbuddy.com/posts/The-end-all-verdict-to-A-C-vs-windows-down/1715-457041-563.aspx


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## Uber Driver 007 (Jun 17, 2014)

noe said:


> Some snobby rich chick gets in my car. After a minute driving, which I had my window open, and it was 65 outside. Great day. Beautiful. She snobbily says. Turn the AC on. So I opened up all the windows. She gave me a 3! LMAO! FTW!


The pot calling the kettle black.


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## Teksaz (Mar 16, 2015)

It was a gorgeous morning out at about 7:30. Had the windows up and the sunroof open. Gotta ping, picked up pax. A fairly attractive 30 something. We start our journey and to the freeway we go. Going about 70mph, not even thinking about the sunroof being open, I look in the rear view mirror and I see something like this...









Oops. I said oh shit, I'm so sorry and she said oh don't worry about. I'm sure she wanted my nuts on a stick. lol


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## rjenkins (Nov 30, 2014)

On sunny days, cars get hot inside even when it's in the 60's, particularly when sitting still.

I use the heck out of my a/c, for everyone's comfort, including my own. Cuts humidity, too, which I cannot stand.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

The effect on MPG is not a good measure of the cost of running air conditioning. MPG measures the efficiency at which a car turns one gallon of gas into miles travelled, not the efficiency of cooling a car.

Consider a car stopped in traffic without the ac on. While stopped it gets 0 mpg. With the ac on, the same car also gets 0 mpg while stationary. Using mpg here is poor, because it shows no difference when clearly there is a difference in cost.

Also, as someone alluded to above, a big and heavy gas guzzler may only see a small drop in mpg with ac on. Which is mathematically equivalent to saying that the gas guzzler uses a small percentage more gas per mile with ac on. But if that vehicle is burning through large amounts of gas per mile to inefficiently propel itself along the highway, then a small percentage increase on top of this could still mean a lot of extra gas used. Gas used to propel the car and gas used to cool it; they can't both be meaningfully measured with the same calculation.

So the reason it's hard to see the effect of ac is because the wrong measure is being used. Instead, we should be looking at ac use in terms of gallons of gas used per hour to power the ac. Whether sitting still in traffic, driving through town or out in the highway, cost per hour of using ac should be about the same for a given vehicle, and knowing this cost would be a lot more useful in the decision whether to turn it on or not.


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## TimFromMA (Mar 4, 2015)

That's what the Mythbusters did. They took 2 of the same make, model and year car, filled them both with the same amount of fuel, drove them both under the same conditions except 1 had the windows down with AC off and the other had windows up and the AC on. The windows open car went further.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

TimFromMA said:


> That's what the Mythbusters did. They took 2 of the same make, model and year car, filled them both with the same amount of fuel, drove them both under the same conditions except 1 had the windows down with AC off and the other had windows up and the AC on. The windows open car went further.


Did they then repeat the experiment, with the windows-open car of the first experiment running ac in the second, and vice versa? This would be needed to eliminate any efficiency differences between the cars. Maybe one car needed a tune up and the other didn't etc.


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## TimFromMA (Mar 4, 2015)

I don't think so. I think the cars were brand new or close to it.


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## DrJeecheroo (Feb 12, 2015)

Teksaz said:


> It was a gorgeous morning out at about 7:30. Had the windows up and the sunroof open. Gotta ping, picked up pax. A fairly attractive 30 something. We start our journey and to the freeway we go. Going about 70mph, not even thinking about the sunroof being open, I look in the rear view mirror and I see something like this...
> View attachment 8127
> 
> 
> Oops. I said oh shit, I'm so sorry and she said oh don't worry about. I'm sure she wanted my nuts on a stick. lol


She must have stuck her head out the window.


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## LoneXer (May 30, 2015)

Wow


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

IndyDriver said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but its not a hard rule that AC is always better. It depends on the speed as well, right?


It's a professionalism thing.
Regardless of science, humidity, etc...
If I need to make a phone call or have a big meeting/event that I am going to, I shouldn't have to ask you to roll up the windows. If they want it down...they'll put it down.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

TimFromMA said:


> Yup. Windows down is better for fuel economy than windows up with AC on. Just ask the Mythbusters.
> 
> http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/ac-vs-open-windows/





IndyDriver said:


> I like Myth busters and all, but they are special effects guys, not actual scientists.
> 
> See the following:
> 
> https://blog.gasbuddy.com/posts/The-end-all-verdict-to-A-C-vs-windows-down/1715-457041-563.aspx


proof that you can always find something that validates your argument.
I've already made up my mind...don't confuse me with facts.


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