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it's a daily driver, leave it in, repair if not functioning. sitting in traffic on a hot day is brutal without a/c.
not sure how hacked up the car is already, but the closer to stock, the better the resale in later years. look at the 70's rx's, stockies sell for three times as much as modified.
just switch it off when you are gonna hit the gas pedal.
love how contentious this issue is.
how many 'rip it out' comments above are from dudes where their nil-a/c car is the only car they have access to on a hot day?
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1991 - 1993: 1973 SII rx2 Sedan 13b extend port
1993 - 1994: 1971 SI rx2 Coupe 12a turbo
1994 - ????: 1974 SII rx3 Sedan 13b bridgeport
it's a daily driver, leave it in, repair if not functioning. sitting in traffic on a hot day is brutal without a/c.
not sure how hacked up the car is already, but the closer to stock, the better the resale in later years. look at the 70's rx's, stockies sell for three times as much as modified.
just switch it off when you are gonna hit the gas pedal.
love how contentious this issue is.
how many 'rip it out' comments above are from dudes where their nil-a/c car is the only car they have access to on a hot day?
I left it out of my car, and it's my daily driver and my only car. My family usually buys their new cars without A/C, although now that's basically impossible.
In oregon though, we only have a few days a year that it's triple digits, and not much more than a week of temperatures about 90.
A/C in a convertible just doesn't make sense here.
In oregon though, we only have a few days a year that it's triple digits, and not much more than a week of temperatures about 90.
oh man, sounds awesome.
in Sydney yesterday (Friday), it was 45 degrees celsius... that's 113 on the old scale. we often have extended periods in summer where it is over 90f.
having said that, my rx3 has no a/c, but my daily (corolla wagon) has some sweet a/c.
looks like if you're in a location with a temperate climate there is little value in a/c. makes sense. i'd be passed out in my car on the side of the road half way home from work if i didn't have it in my daily.
__________________
1991 - 1993: 1973 SII rx2 Sedan 13b extend port
1993 - 1994: 1971 SI rx2 Coupe 12a turbo
1994 - ????: 1974 SII rx3 Sedan 13b bridgeport
Wow I never thought about removing the A/C to save on weight/space, luckily in the uk the weather is never that hot that it would require a A/C. Definately a consideration.
When I had my vert I just took off the tensioner pulley and belt to free up the engine a bit. Didn't make a noticeable difference in power or fuel economy but it was nice knowing it didn't have that drag on it. In Iowa we usually get about 85-95 degrees in the summer, although we got over 100 last summer. With the vert, there was no point though to have it since I could drop the top at 6 in the morning lol.
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We have a lot in common. The same earth, the same air, the same sky. Maybe if we looked at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different...well, who knows?
-Meowth
My current and previous S3 is without A/C and I will be putting it back in.
1) NO MORE FOGGY WINDOWS!
2) Doesn't cause too much drag unless its broken
3) Fills out the engine bay
4) When a lady riding shotgun asks you to turn AC on and you say "Oh I don't have AC" but they point to the button - your car just looks broke. They could care less that the left side of your engine bay is cleaner - they need their AC!
__________________ Build thread:1984 5-letter / S5 "Selene" Wanted to buy:
• FB S3 seat rails with no play
• FC alumninum spare wheel 4x114.3
Interesting question. If you don't mind lugging around an extra 50 lbs. of dead weight by all means keep the A/C unit in the car. Unless you absolutely must have an A/C unit for your 'guest' my advice is get rid of it and enjoy the additional 2+ or so HP. I pulled my A/C unit many years ago and never bothered looking back.
In all fairness my 1988 RX-7 is a Series 4 convertible so there was little or no value keeping it in the car anyway.
Definitely consider if the car is ever going to be driven anywhere but a track first. The other thing that people forget to consider is resale value. You may never plan on selling your car but you never know. Is 10hp worth losing potential buyers when you need cash the most?
10hp? If the AC is off, it's hardly stealing any power... The only loss is the friction of the drive belt turning, which would be at an absolute most 1hp.
You can always put the AC back in the car if you decide to sell it to someone who wants it. Or just give them all the parts. And it wouldnt really decrease the value of the car, it would just decrease the number of people who are interested.
10hp? If the AC is off, it's hardly stealing any power... The only loss is the friction of the drive belt turning, which would be at an absolute most 1hp.
You can always put the AC back in the car if you decide to sell it to someone who wants it. Or just give them all the parts. And it wouldnt really decrease the value of the car, it would just decrease the number of people who are interested.
+1 on that - agreed
Like I mentioned - the only time you'll notice that big of a diff is if ur ***** busted. When AC is off, it's literally free spinning.
__________________ Build thread:1984 5-letter / S5 "Selene" Wanted to buy:
• FB S3 seat rails with no play
• FC alumninum spare wheel 4x114.3
Me and my dad pulled the A/C unit out of the former family vehicle - a 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon, because it didn't work - only the heat worked.
Was a very stupid move because we used it during the winter and we needed the heat, living up here in PA and all. I actually love the cold, but in a rolling toaster when it's below 0 degrees Celsius... it's not a pleasant experience.
Since I've been to Virginia in the summertime twice before, in the aforementioned VW and the current family car (2006 Chrysler T&C), I personally think it gets quite hot, but not as much as Texas did back when we lived there. I'd suggest leaving it in, for the reasons mentioned above by everyone else (resale value, #4 by ioTus, and etc.)
even if you got 50hp or it looked better..i would keep it just cause it original and if anything broke or is bad that you want to put it back in parts are hard to find...and if youdid find them..prob not n the best condition either.
I'd say leave it. It's a good option to have. I just got mines recharged too. Just a small luxury for a sports car. Plus it keeps the value in the car if you're selling it later. If it was a project and you had a second car, then maybe rip it out lol
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