Reduce Your Electrical Load, Save Gas

[spotaneagle]

Try Solar Powered Radio, (no Antenna, Less Drag Too, they have emergency radios that also have lights in them that work well if placed on your front seat, since my car has no working antenna I need this for traffic, lmao) And Paint The Top Of Your Car Black(less heater fan usage, less heat loss from cooling system too), Also Painting Your Hood Black In The Winter, Will Keep Your Engine Warmer, And Then In Turn Will Run More Efficiently..... I do not recommend this in hot areas!! hahaha

also fix dents with bondo and caulk cracks on the outside of your car, on the front of your engine, to keep in the warmth and in a aerodynamic fashion to reduce drag

[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.

[dkjones96]

Not running the radio? But... I just bought a 1300w 5 channel amp

[Lug_Nut]

I have a system scanner (VCDS) that can show my VW's alternator output as a percent of its capacity. The rear defroster grid (and side mirrors) and cabin fan on 3 (of 4) bring that up to 50% of the 120 amp capacity.
60 amperes at 14 and change volts is 840 watts, that's more than 1 hp. With the inefficiencies of converting engine mechanical energy into electric power I suspect it takes at least 1 1/2 engine hp to make that 1 1/8 electric hp equivalent.
I can idle along at 30 mph in 5th. The required torque to maintain steady 30 mph at that 900 rpm idle speed to equal about 3 hp.

The rear defroster and cabin fan alone consume 50% as much power as driving at 30 mph requires,
or
driving with the defroster and fan on increases fuel consumption (at 30 mph) by 50%.

[spotaneagle]

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.

ok, you are wrong about painting your car black I have done digital surface tempurature scans for a year or two now and a white car in the sun is 20 degrees cooler than a black car(on the top of two different cars car) 20 degrees outside, probably 25 inside...... Go get a digital laser therm and check it for yourself...

i have no a/c by the way, I removed that and put on a shorter belt. During the summer i dress cool and drive with my cabin fan at 2nd speed (i get damn good mileage doing so)

my car is much warmer in the winter, if anyone has a black car you know what im talking about,

please does someone have a black car here that can verify this?

anyhowwwwwwww.... this is the basis for a heating system ive designed for my home. try i get my apartment to 75 degrees in the winter with the sun out and no heat on(when its 25 degrees outside)

thats all fact.. i have pictures

on a cold winter day its i get in my car in the morning when its in the sun, and its actually warm inside, i love it I also have a black interior,

whens the last time you've been on a roof?

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Originally Posted by spotaneagle

And Paint The Top Of Your Car Black(less heater fan usage

Originally Posted by spotaneagle

During the summer i dress cool and drive with my cabin fan at 2nd speed

So the idea is that using the fan less in winter more than makes up for the extra fan usage in summer? Don't see it, unless you live somewhere very cool.

[bowtieguy]

according to my scangauge, my stock radio is so insignificant in regard to fuel usage, it is practically immeasurable.

the rest, well...

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Lug_Nut

The rear defroster grid (and side mirrors) and cabin fan on 3 (of 4) bring that up to 50% of the 120 amp capacity.
60 amperes at 14 and change volts is 840 watts, that's more than 1 hp.

Care to measure stereo?

Defrost grid is probably the heaviest optional electric load, with fan coming in second. Everything else I can think of is minor.

The required torque to maintain steady 30 mph at that 900 rpm idle speed to equal about 3 hp.

Are you sure about that math?

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by spotaneagle

whens the last time you've been on a roof?

I can't speak for Jay, but I used to be in the roofing business. On a New England summer day it's possible to cook your lunch by placing it on the roof mid-morning. However, that's an asphalt shingle roof, which is very different from glossy-painted sheet metal that's got insulation under it.

Dark-colored cars get very hot to the touch but I think most of the interior heat comes from light shining through the glass onto the interior surfaces. I wouldn't change my car's exterior color for heat issues but I'd definitely consider having different color covers for seats and dash that I could switch out with the seasons. You know, I like that idea, and I may just do that.

If I had to choose warm or cool I'd definitely choose cool, I hate being hot all summer more than I hate being frozen all winter.

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.

[dkjones96]

Unless you've got one of these fancy new cars that use PWM for fan speed control it should probably be noted that the blower on low and the blower on high use about the same amount of power. The lower settings just burn off excess power through a resistor as heat.

And an alternator takes about 1 horsepower for every 25 amps produced after the regulator.