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Hi All:

___I was at the Ford Transit Connect Media Preview all-day but saw some other interesting things.

___The wife took her mom to Dialysis this morning and took my Accord’s keys with her so I had to take my son to work in his Corolla and use it to drive into Chicago...

___On the way there, it was offering a high of 56.7 w/ the A/C running before the last 28-miles of stop and crawl beginning on the Eden’s about Half Day to the Kennedy Junction to Ogden to the Loft on Lake on the near west side. 48.7 to the valet’s. I left with 2:15 before the presentations began and made it with 5-minutes to spare with the ***** traffic :mad:

___The cool thing however was when I pulled into my sons work to pick him up at 04:45. There was a lonely HCH-II with its windows cracked (on both sides) in the 95 degree temps. Talk about getting it right!

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/HCH-II_in_95_degree_temps_with_Windows_cracked.jpg

___Good Luck

___Wayne

That's how I park my Insight -- with mylar sunshades behind the windscreen. I've got some for the cargo hold as well reflect the direct radiation above the hybrid battery.

I've heard however that cracked windows say "please take me" to car thieves, so I don't think I'd ever do that in a big city or anywhere else with a high potential for a few shady people.

It's an '09 at that. My concerns are always:

theft
uninvited guests (don't like bugs, small mammals, or birds popping out unexpectedly)
the weather here in the southeast, it can always rain unexpectedly at the drop of a hat.
laziness I won't have the car past the warranty and if the manufacturers poor design damages the pack, they'll buy me a replacement


I do sometimes park with the windows cracked (when I can quicly get to the car in case of a weather change, or other issue) it is usually a selfish reason, i don't like getting in a hot car.

On any hot day, windows in either position, I baby the car for a while to get some thermal management systems cranked up, I know I like it, why wouldn't all those electronic systems.



I'm not being critical or contridictive, its late and someone mentioned theft/vandals, which were just one of my concerns

Hi All:

___If thieves are that active in a work parking lot, I think the vehicle is the last thing one would or should worry about ;)

___In the case of this HCH-II, I can bet the interior is no more than 110 degrees F vs. 160 + if it were buttoned up tight in the 95 degree ambient temps.

___This individual got it right.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Right, but when I'm at work I can't do anything about the flash storms that roll through the SE, (It was much worse in FL with the Prius, but I was able to get to the car all but one time, I no longer have the luxury of being able to handle that type of situation while on the clock)

And I'm scared out of my mind (keepin' it rated G) when I'm driving and an unannounced critter or person pops up when I'm underway.

Hi All:

___I was at the Ford Transit Connect Media Preview all-day but saw some other interesting things.

___The wife took her mom to Dialysis this morning and took my Accord’s keys with her so I had to take my son to work in his Corolla and use it to drive into Chicago...

___On the way there, it was offering a high of 56.7 w/ the A/C running before the last 28-miles of stop and crawl beginning on the Eden’s about Half Day to the Kennedy Junction to Ogden to the Loft on Lake on the near west side. 48.7 to the valet’s. I left with 2:15 before the presentations began and made it with 5-minutes to spare with the ***** traffic :mad:

___The cool thing however was when I pulled into my sons work to pick him up at 04:45. There was a lonely HCH-II with its windows cracked (on both sides) in the 95 degree temps. Talk about getting it right!

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/HCH-II_in_95_degree_temps_with_Windows_cracked.jpg

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I do this every day with my windows but I also crack open my Sun roof I" in my heat if I see no rain. My windshield has the top legal amount of screening as well as the side fronts that come unprotected. I also have the Walmart shades that block the Sun from the remainder of the windshield.

I find the sun block film is better than open widows to get cool so I open the other side for cooler air while driving. I'm in some hot weather now but me and my Ford hybrid will make it!

GaryG

My "minimal life-support" fan controller (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/nest/) can mitigate that a
little with the windows all the way up, but it's not solar powered..
.
_H*

Even better would be to park in the shade, at least with a Prius. During record-setting heat two summers ago, I had a couple of episodes (http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/36061-spontaneously-aborted-s4-glides-26-mph.html?nojs=1#usercptools) of battery temperatures exceeding 104F and the car refusing to glide. After that I started parking in any available shady spot on the hottest days, regardless of how far I had to walk.

I also added WeatherTech window deflectors on the fronts a few months ago. The main purpose was to protect from rain -- to allow some window ventilation while driving and to guard against a sudden unexpected summer shower while parked. Serendipitously, because of the deflectors' shading, windows cracked only an inch or so aren't nearly as obvious to would-be thieves.

I usually always have the windows cracked on the rear passenger and driver's doors. I also have one of those foil covered sunshades in the front. With the anti-theft system, the only thing that I'm ever concerned with would be the pop-up showers.

Buy a light colored car. I park in the shade when available, even choose routes that have shade on the road.

Temps here will be in the 90s this week. Sometimes we get 100 plus days, with the humudity at saturation levels.

regards
gary

I will readily admit that leaving the windows cracked open a bit is perhaps the better way to ensure the vehicle remains cooler. Simple and effective. It sure beats waiting a coupe of minutes with the doors open before driving the car. ;)


However, I do not do it for several reasons:

If it rains then the beading water will find an easy path into the car. This is a no-no for me. To avoid this, a window deflector setup would be absolute best solution. Unfortunately, I am not yet too keen on the resulting looks and aerodynamics... so I've avoided those.
I replace my cabin air filters every year in part because we want to leave the dust and pollen outside the passenger cabin as much as possible. Leaving the windows open even if just a bit would cause dust to form on the inside sooner or later. I absolutely do not like dirty interiors. Sorry. Some people are just weird and I am right there on that nit-picky group.
Security is still a concern but not as big as in other cars. You cannot easily hook the "absent" unlock stalk with a stick should the windows be left open with a 1" crack. ;)
There may additional ways (compromises actually) that can still help a bit and I am definitely working on those. Large shades and ensuring that the heat is released from the car prior to driving off is one of these long time measures I prefer. The other, is this silly solar cabin cooler (a-la-2010-Prius) which so far appears to be promising. Pics will come soon.
Cheers;

MSantos

By the way, 1" is totally unnecessary for an opening. I only use about 1/4" on mine. It is less obvious, harder to exploit, and just as effective.

I always leave my windows cracked as well, but only on the east side of the vehicle to prevent the rain entry.

I have always wanted one of those solar powered window fans. Has anyone tried them? Are they effective?

- Rob

Hi Rob;

Several years ago I did try those. They were a bit of a hassle to install since you had to open then close the window with that thing on. Then they were not that effective since if it worked at all (needs full-on sun), the amount of airflow was poor. Just my experience anyway. :(

I always leave my windows cracked as well, but only on the east side of the vehicle to prevent the rain entry.

I don't have a hybrid, but regarding this...

The winds here are way too unpredictable. If/when rain comes you never know which way it's going to fall.

I The other, is this silly solar cabin cooler (a-la-2010-Prius) which so far appears to be promising. Pics will come soon.
Cheers;

MSantos

I'm patiently waiting for your final solution :) as I'll be doing this mod myself in the near future.

I don't have a hybrid :( (yet- waiting on one to come out with a MT) but I've been parking in the shade - or at least where the car will be in the shade for several hours prior to leaving work. This makes a huge diff for me- so much that I often don't have to use the AC even when it's near 90 degrees. If you knew me, you'd know what a statement that is because I can bust a sweat in 50 degree weather if I just think about physical activity.

Make sure your vent is on fresh air so you get some thermosiphon effect.

regards
gary

We always leave windows cracked in the summer about 1/4". Next mod for the HCHII will be the Mugen aero visors. Then maybe the solar powered fan. But we will not sacrifice the tint for the solar power. So that mod is still up in the air.