AC is a real resource hog, huh?

[fitefanSHO]

I just had my AC system charged and it works great but I had gotten very used to driving without it, you know sun roof tilted, passenger side window down...music cranked....

Anyhow, I've really noticed how poorly the car runs when the AC is on. It feels noticeably slower and less responsive with almost like a mild "bucking" hesitation. I can only imagine how much more gas it's sucking up.

So basically, I prefer to sweat and go fast than have the AC on.

 

[93rev2sev]

You and I have the same problem. I figure mine is probably the oriface tube. When it's THAT hot, I don't mind it. But I'm not about to use the A/C when it's below 90, anyway.

 

[hawkeye18]

f'shizzle. My AC sucks at least 10-15 horses from the car, if not more. I only use it when it's above 95, or when my wife's in the car. And I hate doing that even more, cos AC + passenger = even freakin' slower! Thank god for the WOT cutout.

 

[Troywakeling]

When mine worked it did the same thing, car felt like a turd. It doesnt work anymore and I dont care, I have no plans to fix it and wish I could find an A/C delete bracket. I have it in my truck which is black on black and I never use it in that either. Of course when your pretty much in the arctic circle like I am you dont need it much anyhow, It really is only above 85 during july and august and that is not too common. Plus I dont have to sit in traffic congestion like you city slickers.:hdance:

 

[Kens1992mtxSHO]

Can't relate. Mine runs great with the AC on. Granted there is a little power loss but I can live with it to be comfortable.

Gas mileage doesn't suffer too much either. Just got 469 miles on my last tank with the AC on all the time. Filled up and still had almost 2 gallons left in the tank.

 

[AREA 91]

Can't relate. Mine runs great with the AC on. Granted there is a little power loss but I can live with it to be comfortable.

Gas mileage doesn't suffer too much either. Just got 469 miles on my last tank with the AC on all the time. Filled up and still had almost 2 gallons left in the tank.

Let's hear it for mantaining you're SHO!:woohoo:
16 year old car!

 

[NJSHO]

Can't relate. Mine runs great with the AC on. Granted there is a little power loss but I can live with it to be comfortable.

Gas mileage doesn't suffer too much either. Just got 469 miles on my last tank with the AC on all the time. Filled up and still had almost 2 gallons left in the tank.

469? holy crap what am I doing wrong? Were you on the highway the whole time? How big is your tank? Im lucky if I get over 300.

 

[Troywakeling]

469? holy crap what am I doing wrong? Were you on the highway the whole time? How big is your tank? Im lucky if I get over 300.

x2 I can only get maybe a little over 300 if im good to it and all highway. I didnt think atx vs mtx would be that big of difference.

 

[Lupo]

I only get about 320-340 max, if it's mostly highway.
Also, if your car is bucking, the AC clutch could be kicking on and off. I had that problem, and I simply topped off the AC charge, and now the AC clutch always stays on.

 

[Kens1992mtxSHO]

469? holy crap what am I doing wrong? Were you on the highway the whole time? How big is your tank? Im lucky if I get over 300.

It was mostly hwy driving. I did run through the rpm gauge a few times while merging though

My tank is 18.5 gallons. Like most SHO's

 

[hawkeye18]

I get ~400 miles a tank on the highway. ~420 if I run it 'til the fumes run out. I might get better nowadays, though - I've done a lot of maintenance since my last long highway stint.

 

[sho2see]

When mine worked it did the same thing, car felt like a turd. It doesnt work anymore and I dont care, I have no plans to fix it and wish I could find an A/C delete bracket. I have it in my truck which is black on black and I never use it in that either. Of course when your pretty much in the arctic circle like I am you dont need it much anyhow, It really is only above 85 during july and august and that is not too common. Plus I dont have to sit in traffic congestion like you city slickers.:hdance:

On my old 93 atx i had the ac deleted also but didnt have to put an ac delete bracket, I just dropped the whole ac unit with pulley and also another idler puller i beleive. Then i just had to measure the lenght around all the pulleys(with the 2 deleted) and go get a shorter belt.

 

[warmonger]

5whp max..this has been discussed for many many years,both on forums and in magazines. and at wot most modern a/c systems will shut off at wot,so your not losing anything.

 

[hawkeye18]

5whp on a properly functioning AC system. There's no telling how many blocked orifice tubes on SHOs there are out there.

 

[turbo79]

5whp on a properly functioning AC system. There's no telling how many blocked orifice tubes on SHOs there are out there.

Can I ask where this "orifice tube" is located? :sun:

 

[sdpatt]

In my 92-mile round trip commute each day, I get to check my mileage often (a refill every 4 working days). I see a 1.5-2.0 mpg decrease with the A/C on. There is also a 1.5-2.0 mpg decrease when using gasoline that contains 10% ethanol due to the lower energy content. Combining the two, I can measure as much as a 4 mpg drop from 26.0 to about 22.0 mpg.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Can I ask where this "orifice tube" is located? :sun:

It's integral to the liquid line running between the condenser and evaporator.

FWIW, I find that A/C compressor drag on the engine is more noticeable on MTX cars than ATX cars, even with a perfectly function system with all new components.

Also, proper idle learning with the A/C on can help reduce the perceived drag at idle when the compressor is running.

 

[itwonder]

5whp max..this has been discussed for many many years,both on forums and in magazines. and at wot most modern a/c systems will shut off at wot,so your not losing anything.

5 HP might be right, but that measurement does not characterize what's going on. The AC compressor requires a constant torque to turn it. From idle into the low RPM range, the AC requires a much greater percentage of the torque available from the engine than at higher RPM where the available torque is at or closer to peak. Thus, the AC has a significant impact on the feel of the engine when accelerating from a stop...or any time the engine does not have a surplus of torque available.

 

[SeanMc]

I just went 122 miles yesterday on 1/4 of a tank. Since my SHO was built when Ford was just basically throwing regular taurus crap on the SHO, I got the 16 gallon tank, regular taurus suspension, dinky rear swaybar, etc. I also had to replace my tank (holes), and it called for the 16 gallon one. So, with the A/C on max, but the fan set about 3/4 down, I averaged 30.5mpg yesterday all highway. This is a 3.3L high compression, stage 2 cammed ATX. I swear though, not sure how the mtx's are, but with mine on the highway, it seems to go into an econo mode. Since when getting back on the street and wanting to step on it, it takes a minute to "wake up".