# Would you kick out the carpool driver who won't turn on the AC? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639 "2008-06-12T00:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/21 "2008-06-12T01:35:13Z")
Just how much gas is used by running the A/C, anyway? It seems absurd, when she’s driving _a truck_, to save gas this way. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/22 "2008-06-12T01:44:41Z")
The lady is riding free for 3 days out of 4. Her costs are down to 25% of her previous costs. Let her go back to 100% on her own. Getting to and from work all sweaty is crap. Dump her and look for another person. She may get the point if all three people tell her it’s air conditioning or they drop her. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/23 "2008-06-12T01:54:31Z")
[QUOTE=Martin Hyde] … there’s really nothing wrong from a social standpoint in just saying, “Hey, we all want AC. If you don’t that’s cool, but we aren’t going to ride with you so you’ll have to find another carpool, sorry.” [/QUOTE] Absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/24 "2008-06-12T01:55:44Z")
[QUOTE=The Unkempt One] One day we tested it before she got in the car and it worked well. [/QUOTE] LMAO! The next week, she everybody gets in the car and she says, “Well this last fill up I got 24.32 mpg and I always get 24.33 mpg…who’s been fiddling with the AC?!” 😃 I’d give her the option; if she persisted in no A/C, I’d boot her sweaty ass out or possibly allow her to give the other three her share in the form of cash. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/25 "2008-06-12T02:08:42Z")
No AC can be a serious health hazard in 100+ degree weather, too. It nearly killed my roommate before she was able to secure a car with working AC. No matter how high the price of gas gets, I will always be happy to reduce my MPG by the 1 to 2 miles it _might_ cost to have AC. And I don’t even carpool. There’s really no excuse for her behavior except pure miserliness (I want to say misery, because it’s so apt). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/26 "2008-06-12T02:15:17Z")
Do these women work in an office? I’d be pretty appalled if I got up and did my hair and makeup every morning only to look like a wind-blown sweaty mess by the time I got to work. Boot her! ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/27 "2008-06-12T02:26:32Z")
Is she the only person with a truck? that is, everyone else gets better mileage ? What about suggesting a 3-car, 4-person car pool. She could contributing by giving the driver $X in gas money each day. Or she could put money into a kitty every week, and the other three can divy itup. If the ride is 40-50 miles/day round trip, then that would be ~2 gallons in a 25mpg car, or ~$8 in gas every day. Meaning her daily share is $2. So round up to $3 for wear and tear on the car , that’s $15/week. So she gives each driver $5 every Monday. ETA: I’d try to explain that she’s not actually saving much gas first. but yeah, I think it’s fine to boot her, I’m just throwing this out there. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/28 "2008-06-12T02:27:09Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Do these women work in an office? I’d be pretty appalled if I got up and did my hair and makeup every morning only to look like a wind-blown sweaty mess by the time I got to work. Boot her! [/QUOTE] Yes, all of these women work in an office and have to meet with various clients throughout the day. Needless to say they shouldn’t be showing up for various work meetings all sweaty and hot ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/29 "2008-06-12T02:31:55Z")
[QUOTE=The Unkempt One] Yes, all of these women work in an office and have to meet with various clients throughout the day. Needless to say they shouldn’t be showing up for various work meetings all sweaty and hot [/QUOTE] This shouldn’t be an issue at all. The other riders need to tell her that her services are no longer required. Full stop. She can do whatever the hell she wants. No AC in 90 plus heat? Ridiculous! ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/30 "2008-06-12T02:33:57Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] No AC can be a serious health hazard in 100+ degree weather, too. It nearly killed my roommate before she was able to secure a car with working AC. [/QUOTE] ??? I lived in an area where the weather got as hot as 120, and the only mode of transportation was un-airconditioned vans packed to about twice their usual capacity (four people per row). It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t deadly. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/31 "2008-06-12T02:36:39Z")
> [@The Unkempt One](#): > > Today when all of the riders got into the truck, the thermometer in the car read 97 degrees. The driver looked around and said rather nonchalantly “No AC, sorry.” The appropriate response is, “No carpool, sorry.” And then boot her. But I’d be sorely tempted to bring bottles of brightly colored, sugary, cold drinks and let them spill all over her upholstery as they jostled about in her truck with the windows down. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/32 "2008-06-12T02:38:53Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] ??? I lived in an area where the weather got as hot as 120, and the only mode of transportation was un-airconditioned vans packed to about twice their usual capacity (four people per row). It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t deadly. [/QUOTE] Depends on how frail you are, I guess, but it’s still not something you want to willingly inflict on yourself or others. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/33 "2008-06-12T02:59:11Z")
[QUOTE=Doctor Who] This woman tried to cook your wife. [/QUOTE] Here I bit the lure, subsequently you necessitated I swallow it. You’re marked dude, you’re marked. Gas savings on AC omission are near negligible. Divide that by four, raise a stink and by anyone’s count you should be a goner which is, pretty much to every poster responding, a fair way to deal with what never should have been an issue. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/34 "2008-06-12T03:19:18Z")
Three passengers in an AC-less vehicle at 100 will raise a stink without having to say a word! ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/35 "2008-06-12T03:23:21Z")
Boot her. Point out that driving 100% of the time with no AC uses a lot more gas than 25% of the time with AC. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Priori\_Tea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@A\_Priori\_Tea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Priori_Tea)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/36 "2008-06-12T04:02:02Z")
Others have been brief. Allow me, in the spirit of diversity, to be loquacious. 😃 I drive a Honda Insight. By myself, with the driver’s window down (yes, even in the 100ish weather we’ve been having lately), I average between 55 and 60 MPG. With the window up and the A/C on, I average between 50 and 55 MPG in the same conditions. It’s actually a fairly serious loss of economy. If you add in a passenger, it drops to between 45 and 50 MPG. So, with a passenger and A/C, I’ve effectively lost 10 MPG right off the top. And even _I_ will turn on the damned A/C in this weather when I have a passenger! Jeez Louise, somebody tell that woman to buy a clue. Preferably, yell it out the window, while pulling away and leaving her standing on the curb, a blast of icy-cold air wafting behind you. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/37 "2008-06-12T04:21:03Z")
[http://mythbustersresults.com/episode22](http://mythbustersresults.com/episode22) Running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down. partly confirmed\* _Tests were performed under varying conditions (55 mph versus 45 mph). The 55 mph test used a computer to estimate fuel efficiency based on air intake, not actual fuel consumption, and showed A/C was more efficient. The 45 mph test consisted of running the tank until it was empty, and showed open windows were more efficient._ * * * [http://mythbustersresults.com/episode38](http://mythbustersresults.com/episode38) Then they retested… \*REVISITED: Running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down. (From episode 22) partly confirmed\* _The fundamental flaw in the MythBusters’ test was that the point where the drag becomes powerful enough to inhibit a car’s performance with windows down was inside their 45 - 55mph margin at 50mph. Going less than 50mph it is more efficient to leave your windows down, but going greater than 50mph it is more efficient to use your A/C._ I think if you really didn’t care about A/C and wanted to max your mileage, the best solution would be to buy a car that didn’t even have it. After all, if you have A/C, you have the additional weight whether you’re using it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/38 "2008-06-12T04:22:39Z")
I am always appalled by the behavior people on this board will tolerate from the people around them. I mean why would this be a question in some one’s life? ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/39 "2008-06-12T04:36:34Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] Holy crap, boot her and then sic a priest on her. She’s probably a hell-demon. I know of no living soul that would drive in 95+ heat without AC by _choice_. [/QUOTE] Hey, I take Baseline to the 60 to east Mesa every day without AC by choice! Oh, that’s right… motorcycles don’t have AC… ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639/40 "2008-06-12T05:45:13Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] ??? I lived in an area where the weather got as hot as 120, and the only mode of transportation was un-airconditioned vans packed to about twice their usual capacity (four people per row). It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t deadly. [/QUOTE] Before I could afford a new car a year and a half ago I had a very old car with no A/C. It would have cost more to fix the A/C than the car was worth and I would rather have saved that money to use as a down payment on a new car. I tried not to drive much in the heat of summer unless it was early or late in the day because once I had to drive downtown in midday, stop and start traffic and by the time I was done I was suffering from heat exhaustion. If I had been in that car any longer it would have been heat stroke. So it can _potentially_ be deadly. I agree with the consensus, give her the option of either using the A/C when it’s her turn to drive or driving herself 100% of the time and see how much gas she saves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kick-out-the-carpool-driver-who-wont-turn-on-the-ac/452639.md?page=3)