how to cool down a car without air conditioning

I thought this was common knowledge, but I guess it isn't, so I'm stepping up to the plate to tell you how it's done.

Like many other people, I drive a car with four doors and power windows. But even if you don't have power windows, this can still be done.

A bit of advice before giving these instructions. You should be spraying your window tracks with WD-40 Specialist Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant twice a year. NOT regular WD-40. NOT white lithium grease. The silicone lubricant specifically. Roll down the window, spray inside the window track on both sides, then roll up and down the window 10 times and you're done.

There is not a single car made that doesn't need its window tracks lubricated periodically. Over time, dirt gets in the tracks, that creates more friction, and the electric motor has to work harder to roll up/down the windows. Worst case scenario is you end up with a window that won't roll or a dead electric window motor. LUBRICATE THOSE TRACKS.

Moving on...

"Free A/C" is achieved with a four-door car by rolling down the driver's side window halfway and the passenger side rear window down 1/4 to 1/2 way. What this does is make a directed tunnel of air through the car while it's moving. Air comes in the driver's side window, over you, then out the passenger side rear window.

This can be combined with running the fans pointed at you. The air from there will go where the air tunnel goes (more or less) since the tunnel has higher velocity.

Why not roll the driver's side and rear passenger side window all the way down? That works, but makes the tunnel "dirty". The goal is to make a smooth stream of air. Also, having the windows rolled all the way down can create what's known as buffeting, as in loud air noises from the stream breaking up.

Does the passenger benefit from this stream of air? No. Just you for the most part. And screw the passenger, because it's your car anyway.

Does this negatively affect mileage range? Not all that much. Whether you're in a gas-powered car or EV, if the air stream is smooth and not buffeting all over the place, the knock against mileage range is negligible. Yes, there will be increased wind resistance. If you're watching your range, you'll have to do some math and compare driving with A/C vs. driving with a tunnel of air going through the car.

Does this work on two-door pickup trucks? Only the kind that have rear glass that opens, and only somewhat. You roll down the driver's window by 1/4 or 1/2, then take your best guess how much to open the rear glass. I would start with 1/2 and see if that works.

And now The Big Question: Does this really work?

Yes.

For a long time now, whenever summer comes I only turn on the A/C when I absolutely have to while driving. Even on the hottest summer days, as long as the car is moving, I've got the driver and rear passenger side windows rolled down a certain amount to get that air streaming through the car.

Yes, this does mean I turn the A/C on when I come to a stop at a traffic light since that's when the natural air stops. But when I start moving again, the A/C is turned off.

Otherwise, the only time the A/C comes on while driving is during oppressively hot days. And by that I mean days hot enough for local weather services to post warnings saying to stay out of the sun for extended periods.

Published 2024 Jul 5