OPEN-AIR CLIMATE CONTROL
Porsche engineers have developed a clever system to ensure effective onboard temperature regulation for its new open-topped 911s
One of the benefits in switching from air to water-cooling on the 911 was a quick advance in onboard temperature regulation. No longer having to rely on heat exchangers to warm the cabin, the 911’s temperature regulation system became more powerful and effective, though it’s still to this day managed by interior temperature sensors, a very basic example of which debuted way back on the 911SC (you’ll find it between both sun visors).
In a Coupe (or, indeed, a Targa or Cabriolet with the roof up) the interior temperature sensor remains what Porsche describes as the “central control variable”, today’s advanced systems ensuring effective temperature regulation inside the vehicle. However in an outside environment, there are many new factors which come into play.
Porsche has thus developed its climate control system for open-topped 992s so that, as the car’s roof is stowed, its interior temperature sensor is suppressed. This is replaced by a complex system which Porsche says processes circa 350 signals in half-second intervals, in co-ordination with 20 external and 20 internal interfaces (including the car’s soft-top, doors and seats). This is paired with data from sensors monitoring engine speed, vehicle speed, as well as outside and outlet temperatures, which is fed back to a control unit that calculates optimum air temperature, volume, and distribution throughout the exposed interior. Constantly monitored, Porsche says the system responds accordingly to minimal changes in both temperatures and speeds, “reacting to practically every cloud in the sky.”
It means you should technically be able to drive your 992 Cabriolet in comfort with the roof stowed all year round (providing it’s not raining!), instead of freezing in winter and sweltering in summer. This intelligent yet hugely beneficial climate control system adds another layer of everyday practicality to the open-topped 911 range, allowing you as the driver to remain fully concentrated on the task at hand, and that’s driving.