[indy_11]

I never really liked using the a/c. and when i do it's usually when its extremely hawt. Ford recommends using max a/c, supposedly it's more fuel efficient (from what i read in the manual). However, when it goes on. the engine feels like it wants to kill itself. and shifting is a pain the butt. can't even release the clutch without that feeling of popping in to the gear. whats worse is the ac doesnt get farther than 4 inches out of the vent. this can't be a problem i know. the car is brand new, but does anyone elses car act stupid when the a/c is on?

 

[benkap]

The A/C kills a little four popper, it is nothing like that big 5.0 you're used to.

The only real way around it is a pulley under drive kit, and then it means your A/C won't blow cold at idle.

 

[save_HUTCH]

Yea, the AC is a BIG draw on these cars. I remedied that by doing a couple of performance mods to my 08. But as for the AC not going far, thats weird because my 08 gets so cold I have to turn it down or off sometimes.

 

[2011 SE]

Mine does the same (2011). When the A/C is on, I pretty much HAVE to keep the RPMs at 2k while shifting or more or else it lurches. Kind of annoying, but now that I know that around 2k is the magic number, it's easier to deal with.

 

[john m.]

I have had 0 problems with my AC in my 08. The AC system is a little weak but I solved that problem by installing ceramic window tint 20% rear and 35% front. Now the car stays much cooler even when its over 100 outside. I have noticed no performance problems with the car with the AC engaged.

 

[JCH841]

I haven't noticed much difference other than a loss of about 2 mpg and my air is cold enough so that after a while I have to cut it back too. And my other ride is an F-150 with a 4.6 and 3.55 rear gears. AC or not, I about bark the tires the first time I pull off a light with the F-150 after driving the Focus all week. The Focus is pretty quick, the F-150 is real quick until the wind drag takes over. And MAX AC is more efficient, it recircs the already cool air, the other settings draw in outside air and cool it (less). The fastest way to cold is to start with the other AC, in my truck through the dash with just the rear sliding window open, in my Focus on the floor with the windows just cracked. Drive like that for 3-5 minutes until most of the real hot air is expelled (note my F-150 is dark red and the Focus is black), then switch to MAX and close all the windows.

 

[ChrissyL]

In my ’09, I hear the A/C a little bit at idle and not at all when the revs come up. I can just feel it cycling as I drive; no big slow-down as with A/C in my Escort wagon. 1-2 mpg hit with extended A/C use. Temp-wise, it cools the interior just fine without overdoing it.

All things considered, it does what I want with minimal downside.

 

[misfire]

i noticed my A/C felt funny with the air filter box resonator delete mod. when it put the resonator back on, it was fine again

 

[don627]

My A/C makes my car go really sloooooooooow! Especially starting out on a hill. My Zetec is crazy slow with A/C on the Duratec not as bad but, still bad enough. Just one of the pitfalls of driving a 2.0 litre car.

 

[GO.army.1969]

Dont have any problems with my AC on very little power loss. Mybe its all the mods and it gets real cold have to turn it down or off.

 

[don627]

Mine gets very cold, it's just in stock form the compressor kind of takes a little spring out of my little cars' step.

 

[SlateTheGreat]

My a/c makes me car sound near death. I have an 08 auto. Last summer it would make it rev itself between 500-1500 like I had MASSIVE cams but with none of the power. And then it would drop to idle while i was at speed and the gas pedal wouldn't work. Ended up getting the intake and throttle body replaced. Nowadays I can definitely feel a ~100rpm or so swing with the a/c sometimes

 

[GO.army.1969]

My a/c makes me car sound near death. I have an 08 auto. Last summer it would make it rev itself between 500-1500 like I had MASSIVE cams but with none of the power. And then it would drop to idle while i was at speed and the gas pedal wouldn't work. Ended up getting the intake and throttle body replaced. Nowadays I can definitely feel a ~100rpm or so swing with the a/c sometimes

Is the TB a stock one or aftermarket performance one

 

[Ehbnerohraa]

My spi does fine when the ac one but my sister's 98 corolla acts like its about to pass out when the ac is on, and the ac has to be off when going up a steep hill hahaha my focus wins !

 

[indy_11]

I have had 0 problems with my AC in my 08. The AC system is a little weak but I solved that problem by installing ceramic window tint 20% rear and 35% front. Now the car stays much cooler even when its over 100 outside. I have noticed no performance problems with the car with the AC engaged.

im gonna try this

i noticed my A/C felt funny with the air filter box resonator delete mod. when it put the resonator back on, it was fine again

yea i might just do that. its been acting funny lately. maybe because the air coming in is leaving through the whole too? who knows. ill just save up for a cai lol

 

[misfire]

yea i might just do that. its been acting funny lately. maybe because the air coming in is leaving through the whole too? who knows. ill just save up for a cai lol

yeah, mine was stumbling on accelleration. i was gonna reflash the pcm and see if that helped, but i didnt want to fool around for a cheap mod

 

[SlateTheGreat]

Is the TB a stock one or aftermarket performance one

To my knowledge you can't have anything but the stock TB in this generation. So it was stock yes, covered under warranty too. Voortek's died within like a week of mine as well.

 

[joshg678]

The A/C Does take alot out on this car.

The MAX AC option does two things. It makes the Compressor run longer cycle times (stays on longer) and also makes the Cooling fan on the car run in High Speed Vs Low speed.
Now once you car cools down enough and you can turn off MAX, keeping it on Recirculate will keep things cooler and can give better MPG as the coil inside the car dosn't heat up as quickly allowing the Compressor to stay off longer.

Best bet it to run MAX on fan speed 4 until it starts to get too cool.

 

[JustHereFTM]

yes, i hate using the A/C in this car. i dont care if its 100 degrees outside ill just burn the hell up it makes the car that unbearable to drive. if im starting off on a hill i have to turn it off or let the clutch out at 4,000RPM or else itll bog really really badly. shifting, because it draws so heavily on the engine, the revs fall really fast in between gears so when you engage the next gear it jerks violently. i shift at 4,500RPM in the first 3 or 4 gears to get to a 45mph cruising speed at a DECENT pace. its a POS but only when the A/C is on. otherwise its a fun car.

 

[Miller88]

do they change the elecronic throttle with the A/C on? I don't notice a major decrease in power, but I can't time the throttle on shift for @$#@. There's like a 3 second delay from when I give it gas after a shift to when it actually does something.

Like most Fords, I'm assuming the FoFo kicks the A/C off when the foot is on the floor.