Here’s How Quickly a Car Heats up in Hot Weather When Standing in the Sun
During hot weather, the interior of our car can be heated even up to 60°C (140 F) . How to cool down the interior of the car so that it does not feel like sitting in the oven? There is one simple trick that will allow you to cool your car quickly and effectively.
2:00 AM EDT, June 28, 2024
How to cool down the interior of a car - the most effective method
Both paramedics and car experts agree that the most effective method is to open the window on the driver's side and then fan the open door on the passenger side. In addition, opening the trunk will further accelerate the cooling of the car. This will most effectively push the heated air out of the car's interior and replace it with that from the outside.
Be careful with a hot steering wheel!
When you have to leave your car in the sun, turn the steering wheel 180 degrees. This will ensure that the sun's rays will heat its lower part the most, which you are less likely to touch while driving.
With this simple trick, you will no longer need to wear oven mitts while driving.
A hidden feature of car keys for hot days
Take a close look at your car keys. If you have the option to remotely lock and unlock the central locking system, that's a good sign. It is likely that the car manufacturer has also hidden the function of opening and closing the windows - remotely. This option often works when you press the button to open the car twice or more. All you need to do is open all the windows in the car a moment before your planned trip. This can be done from an office or apartment window, or while walking up to the car.
It's so hot...
Are you curious how quickly a car heats up? If you put it in the sun at an air temperature of 35°C (95 F), it will heat up to 47°C (117 F) in just an hour. At that, the steering wheel alone can then reach 53°C (127 F), and the dashboard as high as 69°C (156 F).
In the shade
If, on the other hand, you leave the car in the shade, then, with the aforementioned 35°C (95 F) outside, the interior will heat up "only" to 38°C (100 F) after an hour. On the other hand, the dashboard itself will reach 48°C (119 F), and the steering wheel "only" 42°C (108 F).
Air conditioning in the car - the 5-minute rule
Paramedics also pay attention to this principle. When setting off, handle the air conditioning carefully. After turning it on, leave the windows open for a few minutes. All this is to ensure that your body does not get a shock from too rapid a change in temperature. In addition, heated air will escape faster from the inside through the open windows.
For several years, experts have been unsuccessfully trying to popularize one rule among motorists. It is capable of significantly extending the life of our air conditioning. It is about the so-called '5-minute rule'; it says that air conditioning should be turned on only 5 minutes after driving off and turned off 5 minutes before the end of trip. This makes it work more efficiently and significantly reduces the chance that fungi, which are harmful to our health (and the air conditioner itself), as well as mold, will be deposited inside.