Heating In Winter

[icon_st]

It takes almost 5-6 minutes for the hot air to start blowing when I turn my car ON in the morning. Is there any way to expedite this ?

[wwest]

It takes almost 5-6 minutes for the hot air to start blowing when I turn my car ON in the morning. Is there any way to expedite this ?

Yes, actually there is....

So as to not discomfort you with a RUSH of still cold airflow most systems will not activate the blower motor until the coolant temperature rises to ~130F....

UNLESS you use the defrost/defog/demist mode.

But at the same time most systems will allow you to over-ride the "delay" but turning the blower speed up manually....

Additionally many systems will activate immediately if you set the temperatrue to MAXIMUM. But then this latter procedure will REALLY be discomforting as you will get the HIGHEST blower speed and COLD airflow ASAP.

One does wonder why, along with the adoption of the electric compressor, another $10 wasn't spent to put in a refrigerant flow reversing valve and have a HEAT PUMP.

[katzjamr]

i turn on my heated seats for immediate warmth, i can often use them on cool mornings instead of any other cabin heat and save 2 to 3 mpg in the process.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

i turn on my heated seats for immediate warmth, i can often use them on cool mornings instead of any other cabin heat and save 2 to 3 mpg in the process.

In addition, if you have access to 110v extention cord near your parking, get a block heater. BOOM. Heat, right now. We keep ours on a timer so it only turns on a few hours before we're up-an-attum. It (along with blocking the grill) keeps our winter mpg up higher too.

[Jim Nazium]

I believe my M5 has an electric element... no matter how cold it is, the system will start to blow (though sofly at first) heat into the passenger cabin.

I always wondered why other luxury carmakers never followed suit with whatever device BMW use...

Cheers,

MadloR

[wwest]

I believe my M5 has an electric element... no matter how cold it is, the system will start to blow (though sofly at first) heat into the passenger cabin.

I always wondered why other luxury carmakers never followed suit with whatever device BMW use...

Cheers,

MadloR

If you remember correctly the early Prius' shipped into canada had a low wattage electric heater in the flow path to the windshield.

[JimsGX]

Has anyone attempted to put a remote starter in a 400h?

Jim

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

:P

Has anyone attempted to put a remote starter in a 400h?

Jim

I read a thread on priuschat.com where it has been done on the Toyota hybrid HSD, but at a HUGE cost (hundreds & hundreds of dollars). So perhaps it would be less costly, since LEXUS DOESN'T SEE FIT TO BLESS THE 400h's WITH A STINKING SKS IGNITION ! ! !

Not that I'm bitter about the RIDICULOUS 75 year old mechanicle key type ignition technology on a luxury Lexus SUV :P

[wwest]

It takes almost 5-6 minutes for the hot air to start blowing when I turn my car ON in the morning. Is there any way to expedite this ?

If this were of concern to me I would install a (commonplace) water jacket electric heater with an inline timer so it starts heating the coolant about an hour before...

And/or direct wire a 12 volt battery charger (on the same timer??) into the seat heating circuit.

[RX400h]

:P

Has anyone attempted to put a remote starter in a 400h?

Jim

I read a thread on priuschat.com where it has been done on the Toyota hybrid HSD, but at a HUGE cost (hundreds & hundreds of dollars). So perhaps it would be less costly, since LEXUS DOESN'T SEE FIT TO BLESS THE 400h's WITH A STINKING SKS IGNITION ! ! !

Not that I'm bitter about the RIDICULOUS 75 year old mechanicle key type ignition technology on a luxury Lexus SUV :P

Hey, how come very few other high-end vehicles have HUD (Heads Up Display)? Corvettes have had this feature since 1998. Certainly, we can make a list of have-nots, but better-yet, let's be thankful for what we HAVE!

[IS400]

It takes almost 5-6 minutes for the hot air to start blowing when I turn my car ON in the morning. Is there any way to expedite this ?

Yes, actually there is....

So as to not discomfort you with a RUSH of still cold airflow most systems will not activate the blower motor until the coolant temperature rises to ~130F....

UNLESS you use the defrost/defog/demist mode.

But at the same time most systems will allow you to over-ride the "delay" but turning the blower speed up manually....

Additionally many systems will activate immediately if you set the temperatrue to MAXIMUM. But then this latter procedure will REALLY be discomforting as you will get the HIGHEST blower speed and COLD airflow ASAP.

One does wonder why, along with the adoption of the electric compressor, another $10 wasn't spent to put in a refrigerant flow reversing valve and have a HEAT PUMP.

I know I am just a girl, but the extra ten buck would not change the laws of physics would it? The ac draws heat from the cabin and vents it outside via the expansion of a liquid into a gas (refrigerant). So you are saying that if we reverse it and pull heat out of the ambient air and put it into the cabin we would get warmer? Aren't they both the same temperature when you start you car in the morning? Tell me how this would work. I'm interested.

BTW my 99 corvette 'vert has a HUD and it is great for keeping an eye on your speed while being followed by cops. I can't imagine why they follow me. LOL! My lex is to keep the miles down on the 'vette. They get pretty worthless when the reach 50,000 miles. Trying to keep her mint!

[RX400h]

Worthless at 50,000 miles? Who told you that? You may be thinking about the old, old Corvettes, but the C5's hydro-formed frame pretty much guarantees that the car will remain relatively rattle-free for a long, long time. My 01 has about 32,000 miles on it and it rides as good or better than when it was brand new. I don't want to stray too far off topic, but since you are a C5 owner, here's some enhancement tips I compiled over the years:

http://www.conceptualpolymer.com/corvette_c5_corner.htm

Okay, back to the topic: Perhaps WWest can provide further explanation......

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Hey, how come very few other high-end vehicles have HUD (Heads Up Display)? Corvettes have had this feature since 1998. Certainly, we can make a list of have-nots, but better-yet, let's be thankful for what we HAVE!

Oh yes ... I know, I know ... always keep a greatfull spirit:

I love my slow heating luxury car (prior to installing a block heater),

I love my non sks luxury car,

etc.

Even so ... you know how the ol' saying goes:

If you don't ask (not too whinie though), you don't get. :P

[mburnickas]

i turn on my heated seats for immediate warmth, i can often use them on cool mornings instead of any other cabin heat and save 2 to 3 mpg in the process.

In addition, if you have access to 110v extention cord near your parking, get a block heater. BOOM. Heat, right now. We keep ours on a timer so it only turns on a few hours before we're up-an-attum. It (along with blocking the grill) keeps our winter mpg up higher too.

Bingo! Use a timer since a block heate WILL add up in $$$. The other issue is remember to unplug then drive.

You can also buy a heater that is tied in the fuel supply and turns on/off when certain temps are met.

[IS400]

Worthless at 50,000 miles? Who told you that? You may be thinking about the old, old Corvettes, but the C5's hydro-formed frame pretty much guarantees that the car will remain relatively rattle-free for a long, long time. My 01 has about 32,000 miles on it and it rides as good or better than when it was brand new. I don't want to stray too far off topic, but since you are a C5 owner, here's some enhancement tips I compiled over the years:

http://www.conceptualpolymer.com/corvette_c5_corner.htm

Okay, back to the topic: Perhaps WWest can provide further explanation......

What buyers are willing to pay for a corvette, no matter the year, with miles over 50,000 goes way down. There are plenty of C5's 'verts in the Detroit Metro area going for under 30 grand. They are all high mileage cars.

Considering how much we spent out the door and in financing, that is a pretty heavy hit.

One of my friends has an XLR and he cannot get anyone to give him more than 40 K for it. 75,000 miles.

[wwest]

It takes almost 5-6 minutes for the hot air to start blowing when I turn my car ON in the morning. Is there any way to expedite this ?

Yes, actually there is....

So as to not discomfort you with a RUSH of still cold airflow most systems will not activate the blower motor until the coolant temperature rises to ~130F....

UNLESS you use the defrost/defog/demist mode.

But at the same time most systems will allow you to over-ride the "delay" but turning the blower speed up manually....

Additionally many systems will activate immediately if you set the temperatrue to MAXIMUM. But then this latter procedure will REALLY be discomforting as you will get the HIGHEST blower speed and COLD airflow ASAP.

One does wonder why, along with the adoption of the electric compressor, another $10 wasn't spent to put in a refrigerant flow reversing valve and have a HEAT PUMP.

I know I am just a girl, but the extra ten buck would not change the laws of physics would it? The ac draws heat from the cabin and vents it outside via the expansion of a liquid into a gas (refrigerant). So you are saying that if we reverse it and pull heat out of the ambient air and put it into the cabin we would get warmer? Aren't they both the same temperature when you start you car in the morning? Tell me how this would work. I'm interested.

On a HOT summer day the inside of your car might be as HOT, or even HOTTER, than the 98F outside atmosphere. DO you then hesitate, question, whether or not the A/C will provide COOL airflow..??

NOT...!!!

While the efficiency would not be all that great, even with the outside air as low as ~22F the A/C can function to remove heat from the outside atmosphere and HEAT your car's interior. The warmer the outside temperature is the more efficiency the system will have, until at about 40F it becomes 3:1, 1000 watts into the A/C system gives you 3000 watts of HEAT. Even better would be to start using the HEAT of the engine coolant for the A/C "source" as soon as it rises above OAT.

BTW my 99 corvette 'vert has a HUD and it is great for keeping an eye on your speed while being followed by cops. I can't imagine why they follow me. LOL! My lex is to keep the miles down on the 'vette. They get pretty worthless when the reach 50,000 miles. Trying to keep her mint!

[RX400h]

What buyers are willing to pay for a corvette, no matter the year, with miles over 50,000 goes way down. There are plenty of C5's 'verts in the Detroit Metro area going for under 30 grand. They are all high mileage cars.

Considering how much we spent out the door and in financing, that is a pretty heavy hit.

One of my friends has an XLR and he cannot get anyone to give him more than 40 K for it. 75,000 miles.

You might look at used-car values of 7-series BMWs. They tank far faster than do the C5's values. Remember one thing, when you buy a new car, it is NEVER an investment. The largest value drops happen to vehicles that start out high to begin with. Even LS400s that cost over $50K when new are selling for half that after 10 years.

But let's look at a 97 Honda Civic. Out the door, you could've bought one for $9000 or so. Today, one in good shape will fetch $4500, a 50% drop. This is why so many people buy ONLY used vehicles. I was one of them until I bought the Corvette in 01. It was my first new car (after 27 years of driving). Today, it looks and smells like a brand new car (thanks to Zaino leather conditioner)and I will never regret buying it, despite its current "value" to anyone else.

[NeoN]

i turn on my heated seats for immediate warmth, i can often use them on cool mornings instead of any other cabin heat and save 2 to 3 mpg in the process.

you lose 2-3 mpg using the heat??

[wwest]

i turn on my heated seats for immediate warmth, i can often use them on cool mornings instead of any other cabin heat and save 2 to 3 mpg in the process.

you lose 2-3 mpg using the heat??

Since the A/C compressor operates, in a HIGHLY inefficient manner, all year around, heating, cooling, defrost, defog, etc, if the climate control is enabled in automatic mode, then yes, that can cost you 2-3 MPG.

STUPID machines..Programmers....!

[katzjamr]

its the combination of the ice (internal combustion engine) running longer and more frequently to produce heat, and the drain on the battery required to run the fans that hurts the mpg, also the battery is less efficient in winter.

[IS400]

its the combination of the ice (internal combustion engine) running longer and more frequently to produce heat, and the drain on the battery required to run the fans that hurts the mpg, also the battery is less efficient in winter.

The amp draw of the heated seats is MUCH more inefficient than the low amp draw of the heating fan, even on high. Unless you are using the ac to reduce humidity in the cabin during winter (defogging), I'd wager dollars to donuts that it is less than a mile per gallon loss to run cabin heat in the winter.

You are only raising the ambient temp by 30-40 degrees most of the time. The heat needed is already available in the cooling system and transferring it to the cabin does not reduce engine efficiency by any statistical significance because it is not capable of cooling the engine below its optimum temp. Unless you try to get the cabin to 150+ degrees.

I do agree that running the ac in the summer is terrible for gas mileage. The calculations, as other engineers or physics students will tell you, are staggering in their results. You might as well run with a stuck parking brake as to turn on the ac to cool off a blistering hot car, in regards to gas mileage.

My 7,000 pound boat gets 1 nautical mile per gallon at best, so don't feel too bad about your cars though guys!

I know the hat looks goofy, but I buy anything pink I see.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[katzjamr]

in a hybrid car demanding heat in cold weather often will cause the ice to fire up for that purpose alone rather than allowing it to cruise on the battery, in addition it runs longer at startup to warm the cabin. if you combine this with the increased electrical load depleting the battery again needing more frequent engine charging, there is a noticable difference in mpg. On the freeway yes the penality for heat is much less than driving at city speeds. i totally agree with your summer ac comments. the origional post asked if heating cold be speeded up in winter and other than electric socks, heated seats was the only thing that popped into my mind...

[flybones]

There was a brief mention of grill block early in this thread. We have used this successfully in our Prius, but only the through-bumper openings look like they can be easily (and attractively) blocked with folded pipe insulation, as we did for the Prius. Is there anyone with experience in this area to report?

[Better Luck]

My question is this regarding the climate system. I find that I have to constantly fiddle with the temp. control to get the cabin at the right temp. Never had this on any other car with automatic climate control. I usually set it at 70-71 and forget it. The RX seems to not hold a good cabin temp. What am I doing wrong. Some days, (cold weather) I have to kick it up to 75 just to be comfortable. Any observations or similar experiences out there?

[RXREY]

Do what I do.....

Live in California! It's January 2009 and it has been 80 degrees...it's been fun reading this topic, thanks...I'm off to kiss the ground now. Your Lexus buddy, Rey in sunny L.A.