(BPT) - Summer is peak travel season for most Americans. Those hoping to spend less on fuel and more on fun can find ways to stretch their travel budgets with better vehicle care and use.
One hotly (pun intended) debated topic during summer driving season is whether it is more fuel efficient to use the air conditioner (AC) or roll down the windows and catch the breeze to stay cool.
To settle the AC versus windows question, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee compared the performance of a Ford Explorer and a Toyota Corolla. It’s probably no surprise that fuel consumption was the lowest when AC was off and the windows were up. But that’s not a great option on a 95-degree day.
When driving at speeds slower than 75 mph, researchers found it was more efficient to roll down the windows. At speeds faster than 75 mph, it was more efficient to run the AC in the Corolla, but not the Explorer, likely because the larger cabin was harder to cool.
