Occam

I saw this thread a bit back, but living in Montereey it doesn't get warm enough to really test it. This weekend I've had a chance to really test the ability of the A/C to keep up.

I drove from Monterey to Las Vegas yesterday. With black leather seats (Clazzios), keeping cool was an item of special concern for me. No worries: it stayed comfortable, even a bit chilly until the temperature hit 100+, with the AC on vent (recirc off) and the fan set to 2. By the time we rolled into Vegas (115° F) it needed the full force of the fan and the recirculate setting for max cooling, but it did very well.

If I put my hand on the vinyl, it was hot, but I couldn't feel anything radiating down. It was a bit warmer towards the top if the passenger compartment, but aiming one of the center vents upward kept the air circulating. The fact that the A/C is almost General Motors frigid is a real plus to me!

Living in Monterey has left me more or less unresistant to the heat... I couldn't be more pleased with the car's ability to keep me cool. Modern automotive glass filtered almost all UV rays and 98% of Infrared rays. There is some heat that radiates down, but it doesn't seem any worse really than the heat radiating from the side windows.

I wouldn't think that the sunroof glass would be dangerous to tent - the rear glass is fairly horizontal, and can be tinted without cracking or exploding.

I'm surprised that LA would cause you any problems, unless you are referring to Louisiana!

JPfeffer

Occam, one possible variable that would make your experience different is that your car was probably fairly cool to begin with, and had time to fully cool off before being exposed to the full 100+ degree heat. It was cool to begin with rather than heat soaked like the OPs after sitting in the sun for hours. That could have given you different results.

Has anyone tested the insulation of the AC yet? Any tests showing temp. differences or anything before and after? I thought condensation on the lines and compressor was normal. Does insulation on these actually help a noticeable amount?

I've read a few small notes on various threads about tinting the roof glass. Is this a good idea or no? Some have said the glass will explode, others say it's a great idea. If the glass does explode, will Toyota blame the tiny and not warranty it? Does anyone have solid answers on tinting the roof?

Occam

True... That said, It hasn't been bad driving around here today though, and it has been parked in the sun all day. I pop up the glass briefly to vent the heat, them close it back once the cool air starts flowing.

It puts me more at ease about the cross continent road trip I'm making from Cali to Florida in a few weeks.

dm1336

Now a flip side to this question... Would there be a lot of heat loss during the winter time with all the heat going through the vinyl and the glass?

Can anyone remember how bad it was with their tC during cold temps? (less than 40's)