When I have my ac on the shifts are less smooth than normal. Its just wierd ac on and off are like driving two different cars, is this normal.
Also a noob question Is ac better with recirculation on or off, my last car didnt have the option.

I wish I could describe it better, but thanks for helping.

 

i don't know why the shifts would feel different but since the ac runs off the engine, when its on it takes away from some of the power. probably what your feeling is the motor being sluggish because the ac is on.
as far as recirculation, it will either being in fresh air from outside or recirculate the air already in the car. its all up to you.

 

the extra drag on the motor slows the revs down quicker when the clutch is in. if you give a teensy bit more throttle as you let out the clutch you can smooth it out more. after another 20 years of driving stick it will become second nature.

 

mine does the same thing.... completely normal as stated in the reasoning above.

 

I really should have posted earlier that I have an auto, same reasoning though right.

 

u'll get colder air quicker if you use the recirculating mode. instead of getting the air from the outside and cooling that, the a/c will use the air that's already in the cabin and continue to make that already cooled air cooler which means colder air faster.

 

I try to drive without the ac running as much as possible because I dont like the way it changes my experience. Hell it feels like its hurting the engine sometimes...

 

what does it do to the auto? i dont notice any difference in the way it drives

 

I dont know maybe its just mine but there is a definite decrease in power which of course is normal but I too experience weird shifts from time to time with it on. Sometimes it wont shift at the right time and sometimes not at all, it'll stay in third. Thats when driving normally though. When Im pushing it it acts about the same with just less power.

 

Thats like mine. Also after going up a hill when it shifts out of OD It is not smooth at all.

 

What you feel when you turn on your a/c is what is called "parasitic loss." Crank pulleys, attached to the outside of the crankshaft, are the source of power for a car's accessories. The alternator, power steering, water pump, and air conditioner are all belt driven units, attached to the crank pulley, that use horsepower from an engine to provide their own services. When you turn on your a/c, this unit starts to take some of the horsepower produced by the engine to cool off the charge of air in your system and cool you down. The power being used to turn your a/c pulley can no longer be sent to the wheels and now your car runs a bit sluggish.

One thing you can do is not use your a/c anymore and sweat it out Some people even remove the a/c completely in a quest to reduce weight and go faster.

Another thing you can do is to pick up an underdrive crank pulley from NST, www.NonStopTuning.com Here is a link for you to do some more reading:

http://www.nonstoptuning.com/pageNormallyAspirated.htm

Have fun