Why your car feels SO hot in the summer.

You leave your car for only a few minutes, but when you get back in, the seats feel like they’re burning your legs and the steering wheel is untouchable.  How did your car get so hot so quickly?

Car interiors create a Greenhouse Effect.  The sun shining into the interior, through 360 degrees of glass, is quickly absorbed by your dash, seats and anything else in the car.  And the same glass that allowed the heat into the car, does not allow it back out of the car, creating a greenhouse like effect.

How much does the temperature rise? – as the chart below shows, the average rise in interior temperature of an enclosed vehicle is 43 degrees in just 60 minutes.  In fact, the increase in temperature happens FAST, with an average 34 degree increase in the first 30 minutes.

temp chart

Even on a mere 70 degree day, the temperature in a car can reach 115 degrees very quickly.  This is why you NEVER want to leave a child, pet or aerosol can in your passenger compartment for ANY length of time.

The biggest factor in how much heat your car will absorb are dark seats.  Whether the seats are leather or cloth doesn’t really make as much difference as the color of the seats.  A sunroof or moonroof will also increase the temp, as those are just additional windows to let heat in.

Opening your windows a crack on hot days, really doesn’t help much.  A cracked window decreases the interior temp by only a couple of degrees.  Parking in the shade and using a sunshield are much more effective ways to keep your car cool.  See our blog post here for other ways to cool your car down.

However, a properly charged A/C system is your best bet for cooling your car down quickly on a hot day.  One can of A/C Avalanche will quickly and easily recharge your car A/C system.  A/C Avalanche®, uses Smart Clip technology, so that you can quickly add just the right amount of refrigerant for optimal a/c cool.  Plus A/C Avalanche®, contains additives to seal the rubber leaks in your A/C so that you stay cool all summer!

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