I know it’s a meme, but I’m going to rant for a bit.
The MT version of the air conditioner is the two knobs, one for temp and the other for fan speed. The AT is the temp setting where you pick a temp and the air blows until it’s that temperature.
And the MT is far superior in every way. Most car trips, you’re not in your car long enough to stabilize the temp, and if you’re like me, you never bother with anything between max cool and max heat anyway.
Preach. I much prefer it heating and cooling faster than it throttling itself because you don’t have it set high or low enough.
I actually like the quieter settings better most of the time. Just a low breeze, so I might be the target audience for automatic.
It doesn’t heat or cool faster, this is simply the interface we’re talking about. They both do heating and cooling at the exact same speed and power, and they both stop heating and cooling the instant the ambient temperature reaches whatever temp you set the controls to. The only difference is one is controlled by a dial and the other uses buttons.
Automotive A/Cs with an automatic temperature control instead of the knobs actually will cool faster with it set to the minimum temperature. All you’re doing when you increase the temperature is adding heat to the cold air, therefore it takes longer to cool the interior down compared to setting it to Lo.
“Max cool / max heat only” is for troglodytes. While I agree that the auto-settings are ~useless, the One True Method is to keep the fan speed on low to maintain airflow and adjust the temp for comfort.
Why use the air at all if you don’t want it warmer or cooler? And if you want it warmer or cooler, why not use the max setting until it reaches the desired temperature? You’re using the same amount of energy, it just takes longer and you’re uncomfortable longer.
Because moving air keeps the cabin from getting stuffy. I’ll crank it to the extremes to get the bulk of the temperature change done, but then dial it in to a comfortable neutral temperature once that’s accomplished.
Current ATs shift way better than most people would manually. Setting your AC to 75 doesnt mean the air coming out of the vent is 75°. People on here complaining about AT and aircons while apparently never having used them.
Big “Meh” on that statement. I drive a manual, and for a vacation, drove an Toyota Camry automatic. It had like 10 gears, and would take a while to search for the gear you wanted, and by the time it found it, it would need to be in a different powerband, so it would immediately pop out, search again…Rinse and repeat. On the flip side, my partner has a Honda with a CVT, and it is a much better automatic in my opinion. Easy power transition, no jerks, always at the right ratio, it really is fantastic. You might get a little hesitation if you absolutely slam the accelerator to the floor, but it is otherwise fairly responsive.
if you’re like me, you never bother with anything between max cool and max heat anyway.
I am very much not like you. I want the air to be a comfortable temp so if I can’t roll the windows down because of rain or crazy weather I set it to the temp I want and let the fan circulate the air.
So what’s your ideal temp? Is it the same if you’ve been to the gym while your car bakes in the parking lot on a summer day? How about when it’s been snowing all night and your windows are completely fogged and your gloves are wet from clearing off the snow?
You’re saying in those situations, you don’t just set the temp as low or as high as it can go and have it run full blast? How frequently do you need air conditioning while it’s raining, but not to clear fog from the windshield?
Sure, I suppose if you’re in the car long enough, you might want to turn the temp to a moderate level, and turn down the fan speed, but those are things you can do without taking your eyes off the road. God forbid your “auto” aircon is controlled via a touchscreen.
If the car is hot, the automatic aircon will operate at maximum cool until the temperature is brought down to the set point. Likewise when the car is colder than you want
Of course you move the set point up or down a bit between summer and winter, and depending on how you feel at the time
Max cool gets too cold if you’re aircon is working properly
Full blast is reserved for when first getting in when it is crazy hot or cold, but once it gets to a reasonable temp (or starts at one) then just somewhere in the middle based on whether the sun is on my side or it is humid or something.
Right now I have the temp setting and it is somewhere between 68 and 75 depending on whether it feels hot or cold and I just change it a degree or two until it feels right. Ideal temp just means I feel comfortable, and what I am wearing and the temp I came from changes that. Have little paddle flippers to adjust so easy as a finger flick to adjust and having physical controls for the a/c was a requirement when I bought my car.
Sorry, that’s not what I meant. It was a metaphor. Manual AC is better than Auto AC.
The transmission doesn’t control the air conditioner
My 98 automatic truck has 3 knobs. Fan speed, temperature, and source (head, feet, both, etc.).
Sorry, no, I meant that as an analogy. The image OP posted referred to a hand fan as the “manual” version of air conditioning, but I disagree.
I see that.
I’m still curious about why you don’t think that the “automatic” is good, though.
In my MT AC I can pick max cold, max hot, or somewhere in the middle by mixing cold and hot.
The AT AC can do max cold, max hot, and then gives you numbers for the middle.
If I want my MT AC truck to be middle temperature, I have to crank the heat until it gets hot and then manually turn down the temperature until I’m comfortable at half.
If I got into an AT AC truck then I could just set the temperature to half and it will automatically crank the heat until it gets hot and then automatically turn down the temperature until I’m comfortable at half.
Other than AT AC having more stuff to break and higher cost of repair. AT AC gives you the same temperature experience without you having to turn the knob multiple times. It automatically does it for you.
If you’re not in the car long enough to stabilize the temperature, then you’re close enough to bike.
You try riding a bike in a foot of snow for 15 miles to the grocery when it’s -10F outside, then carry a week’s groceries for your family in your backpack. I’ll wait.
Depending on the kids ages, they also can ride, or ride in a trailer. The dog can ride in a basket or trailer depending on size
Go for a Dutch style cargo bike and the kids and dog can ride up front in the tub
Surely the real reason is the terrible bike infrastructure where you live
That’s very sad, and you have my sympathies. I wish that more places were designed so that kids could have a “free-range childhood.” The benefits to their physical, mental, and emotional development are significant, versus having to be carted around everywhere. Not to mention the burden on parents of being forced to be chauffeurs.
