{"id":64998,"date":"2023-10-04T11:48:30","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T10:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carmart.africa\/blog\/?p=64998"},"modified":"2023-10-04T11:48:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T10:48:30","slug":"does-car-ac-affect-cars-horsepower-what-you-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carlots.ng\/motoring\/does-car-ac-affect-cars-horsepower-what-you-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Car AC Affect Car\u2019s Horsepower?: What You Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When driving your car in hot weather, you probably don\u2019t overthink about anything other than a cooler cabin when you hit the \u201cAC\u201d button on your dashboard. After all, as long as cold air comes out of the vents, it doesn\u2019t matter what your car\u2019s air conditioning system is doing, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, turning on your car\u2019s AC can affect fuel economy<\/a> slightly. But it can also affect your car\u2019s horsepower output. But how much power does AC pull from the engine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Car AC System Pulls Power From the Engine <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your car\u2019s air conditioning system has multiple parts and is connected to the engine via a drive belt that runs the alternator and water pump. When the AC system<\/a> starts, you might notice that the engine RPM increases slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to experts<\/a>, the car does this to offset the power drawn by the AC system, so there\u2019s no doubt that the system robs your engine of horsepower when activated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amount of Horsepower a Car Loses When the AC is On<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The amount of power an engine loses can vary depending on what type of car you drive. Smaller engines might not lose as much power, while larger engines can lose more since the power loss is a percentage of the overall horsepower output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to testing done by a YouTuber, “Sikky,\u201d the average amount of power and torque lost to the drive wheels is around ten each across the board. The YouTuber strapped a Lexus IS-F to a Dynapack dynamometer, measuring horsepower at the car\u2019s hubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to his testing, the Lexus IS-F produced 363 hp with the AC on, which jumped up to 372 when the AC was turned off. And while that power loss could be relevant to that specific car \u2014 especially since it has a large V8 engine \u2013 we can assume that you\u2019ll find the same type of power loss on most cars you drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handling Car Power Loss Due to AC <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to ensure that you\u2019re maximizing your car\u2019s full power potential but still want the luxury of having AC, then you can use some of these simple practices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n