Keep cool and carry on in the heat
In-car temperatures can be extreme in summer. Here’s how to keep chilled, writes Richard Bosselman.
On summer days the interior of your car can heat up to dangerous temperatures, even if it’s been parked in the sun for just a short time.
The cabin temperature might rise 10-20 degrees above the outside air temp. It is widely known that it is highly dangerous to leave children or animals in hot cars. So never do this.
Drivers need to understand there’s a potential danger to them as well. VW’s Spanish brand, Seat, obviously knows about hot spots, and recently conducted research into that very question.
One sobering finding: temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius inside your car can impair your driving ability to the same extent as drinking enough to achieve a 0.05 per cent blood alcohol reading. That’s equal to the legal limit. The study further showed that in such conditions, drivers’ reaction times might be expected to slow by 20 per cent.
That suggests keeping cool in your car during hot weather isn’t just about comfort. There’s a real safety issue as well. Here’s how to beat the heat.
Drive a light-coloured car
You think everyone in the Middle East drives white cars because those countries are wholly run by Government departments or drivers there cannot commit to any racier hue?
Typically, the darker the exterior colour, the more heat and energy it absorbs from the sunlight, which increases the temperature inside the cabin.
The metallic content of the paint can also contribute.
Studies have shown the difference in temperature between a white car and a black car left in the sun can be six degrees after just one hour.
This means your vehicle’s air conditioning has to work harder to cool down the interior, which increases fuel consumption and emissions.
Interior colour can also affect. Dark coloured dashboards and trims absorb more heat and take longer to cool down. Leather takes longer to dissipate heat than fabric. Air con is not a special occasion treat or dark arts. It’s here to help. Let it.
Summer mornings might start cool, but using air con even then is a good idea; gradually cooling the car before the outside heat really hits is better than waiting until the car is an oven.
Obviously that’s only effective if you’re driving around all day. What about when you want to cool the car down when it’s been parked in baking conditions?
Some makers now provide opportunity for remote start. Firing up your car before you enter allows the air con to start prepping for a more comfortable experience. In theory.
There is some debate about actual efficiencies. Air con works best when the engine is under load – when you’re driving. Operability at idle might require more time than you want to give it to achieve a cool zone.
Either way, when you first get into your car, put the air con into recirculation mode. This makes it easier to cool quickly, as it only has to work on the air inside the car. Once you’re chilled, switch back to fresh air, else the cabin will ultimately fog up.
If you have rear-seat passengers, however, recirculation can also be a bad idea. Many systems pull air from the front of the car and continue to cool it, whereas the air in the back can quickly warm up and go stale. The ‘‘auto’’ mode, which most cars now have, is an answer to this as it’s self-regulating.
More air con tips: if your vehicle has stop-start, deactivate it. Although this feature can be great for saving fuel, on a really hot day it can reduce air con effectiveness. Same also goes for eco driving modes. As well as adjusting automatic gearshift patterns and throttle response, these systems reduce air con effectiveness to save fuel.
Park in the shade
Yes, OK, it’s stating the obvious, but if possible park your car so that it will be in the shade or in a covered park, especially for the warmest part of the day.
Move your car throughout the day
If you have the opportunity, move your car during the day to ensure it is always in the shade.
And if you can’t and there’s no shade . . .?
You can always position your car so that most of the sunlight will go into the back of your car. This won’t avoid it becoming an oven, but at least might keep you from touching a hot steering wheel or seat when you get in.
And if that doesn’t play out...
You can invest in some shade covers for your car’s windows or even make your own out of old cardboard boxes. Any way to block out the sun is sure to keep your car’s interior cooler.
An easy way to keep your seats a little bit cooler is to use a blanket, or whatever you can find, to cover them. If you can’t cover them, wiping leather seats, steering wheels and alloy gear knobs with a damp cloth is a good way of quickly cooling them.
Create some air ventilation
This can be achieved by leaving at least two windows open a crack. If your car has a sun roof you can also tilt this. Just be sure that you don’t leave anything open wide enough to allow any rain to get in or to create a security risk.
Invest in . . .
Gadgets. Gel cooling seat covers, battery and solar-powered fans are in vogue.
Are they breakthrough devices? If you can buy this stuff in one of the sales then why not? Either that or buy a convertible.