Reduce Your Electrical Load, Save Gas

[dkjones96]

I also think the radio fuse on most cars is 7.5 amps. Wouldn't surprise me as most stock units provide only about 10w RMS to each of the 4 channels.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

spotaneagle,

I noticed that you have done some stuff to your car and you claim to get "dang good gas mileage" (changed slightly). you rag on white cars and well, I just happen to have a white car.

well, let's see. my A/C is still there though it doesn't work and I don't do all the EOCing that most on here do...oh and it's an automatic.

my mileage may look not so great on the surface but look at the percentage above EPA. I think mine is 43% and yours is 20% or so.

apples to apples comparisons are always best. my goal is 50% over EPA. I got that last summer and hope to achieve it again. just imagine if I had a car with an EPA over 30.

*edit*

here is someone who has almost the same car as you with the "dang good mileage"
http://www.gassavers.org/garage/view/188

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'm not saying that a black roof doesn't get hotter than a white one (when not moving), however, when you're driving down the road in winter, the air going over the roof will cool it far faster than the sun can warm it. Please explain it to me. I took 3 years of physics in college. I don't understand how the sun can effectively heat the roof, while there's a 55 MPH (or more) wind going over the roof at 30 degrees (or colder). Take your infared thermometer and measure the temp of your black roof immediately after coming off the highway. You will find its pretty close to the ambient air temperature.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Maybe this winter I'll do the project I planned for last winter where I'd setup a safe way to leave a space heater in the car with an extension cord that gets plugged in inside the house. I could plug it in a half hour before I leave and get into a warm car.

If you used a timer it'd be a lot more convenient. Since you have to plug it in each time when you get home it'd be hard to forget and have it run accidentally on the weekend.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by maximilian

If you used a timer it'd be a lot more convenient. Since you have to plug it in each time when you get home it'd be hard to forget and have it run accidentally on the weekend.

Good idea.

[spotaneagle]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I'm not saying that a black roof doesn't get hotter than a white one (when not moving), however, when you're driving down the road in winter, the air going over the roof will cool it far faster than the sun can warm it. Please explain it to me. I took 3 years of physics in college. I don't understand how the sun can effectively heat the roof, while there's a 55 MPH (or more) wind going over the roof at 30 degrees (or colder). Take your infared thermometer and measure the temp of your black roof immediately after coming off the highway. You will find its pretty close to the ambient air temperature.

you are right to an extent, but a darker car normally has a darker interior to match tan ext=tan int black/purple ext=black/dark gery interior

green ext= mid-dark blue int

lol

black hood in city driving= warmer under idle or slow conditions

plus consider too how hot the blower fan components get from being under the hood of a dark hot car all day, they are hotter too, blowing hot air at you thats hotter from the get go

[spotaneagle]

you can reduce that amount of global warming you help contribute to by parking a dark car under a tree in the summer, and also how hot the car gets owning a dark car teaches you all about this

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I don't agree with painting the roof black. The increased a/c load in the summer will more than eat up any savings from not running the heat in the winter. I doubt that you will regularly be able to run with no heat simply by painting the roof black anyway. If you want to run with no heat you're better off getting a warm coat, and keeping it in the car with some nice warm blankets for your passengers.

Not running the radio? The radio only draws at most 4 or 5 amps if you have your standard stock stereo. Its only a big draw if you have a high power stereo system. It doesn't look like much, but I have a 340 watt Alpine stereo in Rusty... Stereo is probably worth more than the truck by now.

If you want to save electrical load in your vehicle I recommend starting by converting your turn signals, dash lights, and marker lights to LED. The only bulbs that are not available as LED are the headlights themselves. Most everything else can be easily converted with drop-in LED replacements.

i did test and see what one of my aftermarket radios was (had to see if my computer power supply could handle it) radio no super bass was like 750mA with base like 850mA ish playing a CD 1.2 - 1.4A at a decent volume. it was i think a 40W X 4 channel headunit. stock radio has even less power(older ones, some factory new ones are quite decent) so prolly that or less depending on how new it is and what features.

my s-10 only has a 10A fuse for radio, dome lights (3 of em), glove box light, and 3 cigarette lighters. (lol found that one out as i was dumb and cut both pos and neg cig wires once at the same time)

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by spotaneagle

you can reduce that amount of global warming you help contribute to by parking a dark car under a tree in the summer, and also how hot the car gets owning a dark car teaches you all about this

thought mythbusters disproved this. they had 4 cars white black red and blue i think. all were about same interior temp

[imzjustplayin]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

thought mythbusters disproved this. they had 4 cars white black red and blue i think. all were about same interior temp

no way, that's bull****. I've seen first hand the effects of a white car vs. a black car and I know because we own a LOT of black cars and the one "white car" we have isn't even white, just the roof is white and that alone does wonders for the interior temps.