The author either 1. does not drive much to begin with 2. lives in the north where heat is not much of a factor anyway 3. does not have children sitting in the back seat whining "It's hot!!!"

Besides, you could keep the A/C off all summer and never notice the increase in savings. The reward - arriving in sweaty clothes, messed up hair, etc only to answer questions like "Is your A/C broke?" No, but I saved 11 cents driving over here with my windows down!

Instead of listening to all of the crap out today about how to squeeze a few more miles out of a tank of gas, we should be pressing the government to do something about the high cost of fuel, and to press for alternative fuels, etc.

We are being screwed to death by the oil producing nations and big oil, and we, as a nation, do nothing about it.

Oh, yeah.

Keeping your windows down and A/C off during city driving makes so much sense. Like when you're stopped at a traffic light, and no air is blowing in. Just hot, noxious exhaust gas from the cars around you, wafting into your car's interior, as sweat soaks through your shirt and drips into your eyes.

That is so worth saving an extra twenty-five cents.

As I pointed out in my post, you cannot get adequate venilation in most cars these days even with the windows down. You cannot open vents in the floors anymore or direct air in with glass panes.

Hence the article is correct; opening your windows even at highway speeds probably won't lose you much gas mileage. However you won't cool off your car, either.

I'm not sure you understand the concept of this column. It's about personal decisionmaking. Heaven forbid we change our own behavior. Always somebody else's fault. It's my god-given right to do whatever I want and someone else's responsibility to make that as easy as possible for me instead of taking advantage of my weakness. The only reason nations and big oil can screw us to death is because we let them.

We've made national and personal decisions for a long time based on the idea that cheap oil was infinite. Time for us to rethink those decisions, large and small. The column's purpose is not to change the world, it's to inform you on the impact of your decisions. If you choose to consume more resources/pay more to make yourself more comfortable, that's up to you.

Exactly. The column isn't telling you to turn your A/C off. It's explaining what the consequences of two courses of action are and allowing you to decide which sits best with your life and your conscience. In this case, as a person concerned with the environment AND with my and my child's well-being in 95+ degrees, I would certainly keep my A/C on. But thanks to the column I understand more about the issue now. It's just weird to read this as someone forcing behavior down your throat.

I make the decision to run my A/C when it is hot because I want to arrive at my destination cool and dry, not hot, sweaty and flustered.

Spackle, perhaps you did not understand the intent of my post, so I will spell it out in language that maybe you can understand.

WHAT A STUPID IDEA!

I send this reply to each article I read regarding Americans and their automobiles. I'm very tall, long-legged and I do not fit in Japanese or Korean cars. Please do not mention German or Swedish cars, the maintenance costs are too high! I am not a strict "hypermiler" but I do keep my car in good operating order and brake and accelerate smoothly. The price of gas would go down if everyone did the same, but in this "me" society that's not going to happen. I will continue to use my air conditioner and drive to conserve fuel.

I did understand the intent of your post. You seem to think that every column should be about huge initiatives to make big change. There's a place for that sort of stuff. This column is about individuals being more educated about the impact of their decisions. Some people would rather not think about that sort of thing. This column is not for them.

Spackle, I think you missed the point entirely, and your sanctimonious tone is exactly the kind of hypocrisy the original poster called out. His first point is that rolling the windows down and running the A/C aren't really equivalent ways to cool the car. One might compare the fuel efficiency of running, or not running, the A/C but leaving the windows up in either case, and there would be a clear winner from the environmental standpoint, but obviously the driver without A/C would be miserably hot.

His second point, which is absolutely correct, is that instead of futzing around trying to decide exactly when the windows should go up and the A/C should go on, which isn't going to make much of a difference in fuel economy anyway, we need to be thinking about long-term options to solve this problem. While I think pressing for lower gasoline prices would do nothing but prolong a switch to alternative fuels, the poster's sentiment is correct.

The column itself really isn't very educational, although you seem to think it is. The conclusion is essentially that rolling down the windows is better up until somewhere around highway speed, although the exact speed and the amount of fuel savings differ from vehicle to vehicle, and the overall fuel savings aren't very significant. So what exact conclusions are we to draw from the article? Seems to me I can save more gasoline by cutting the number of trips I make in half than by showing up in court with sweat stains coming through my suit. You seem intent on demonizing anyone who would use their A/C, while slapping yourself on the back for making "small changes" that don't mean diddley in the long run.

Thank you Naptowner for putting Spackle in his place. I, too, am sickened but the tree hugger, sandle wearing (do you think anyone really wants to see your feet while dining?), "eco-friendly" people that think they are saving the world one burlap tote-bag at a time. Hey, if that is the lifestyle they chose to lead, more power to them. But don't give me that condesending look at the traffic light when I pull up beside your Prius in my SUV. I really don't care that your vehicle is more green. If you believe that what you are doing is really making a difference, two thumbs up, but don't expect me to pat you on the back.