Simple Question : Climate Control

[bbulkow]

I have what seems like a simple question - after two years of ownership.

Why does climate control bias so hard to outside air?

My other (ICE) cars don't.
When the temp outside is 30 degrees lower than setpoint - outside air
When the humidity outside is so high the air needs drying - outside air
When the inside is nice and toasty warm and outside is nippy - outside air

If I set to recirc, after about 15 minutes it changes to - outside air
I can tell because my legs start getting cold when they were perfectly happy before.

I'm starting to believe this is why my long-term average %range spent on climate control is about 15%.

Just.... why?

Sponsored

 

[RickMachE]

More than a few posts on this. It does this to reduce humidity in the vehicle.

To try and keep it on recirculation, take it off Auto, and turn on Recirc. It will still do it eventually though.

 

[Vgkfan]

I noticed anytime I change the temp, fan speed anything, it seems to open the vents again.

 

[bbulkow]

More than a few posts on this. It does this to reduce humidity in the vehicle.

To try and keep it on recirculation, take it off Auto, and turn on Recirc. It will still do it eventually though.

"Eventually" appears to be five minutes. Every five minutes it goes back to outside air. Auto doesn't seem to make a difference. Driving an hour? You're bringing up climate 12 times to turn it off again.

"Humidity"? Yeah, i know those threads, but when it is more humid out than in, it simply can't be about "optimal humidity"?

I think it's simply broken. Having a manual setting that flips back to something i don't want every five minutes?

Has anyone else ever heard of a car doing this? My ice Honda defaults to recirc, but when you change it it stays, like every other car i have ever had.

How could that possibly be the intended behavior?

 

[MachhE-CT]

Personally I hate recirculation mode in any vehicle. I like fresh air. Living in the Northeast US Recirc in the winter can lead to fogged windows. Most of the time I am driving less than 50 miles per day so I operate my Climate control for my comfort. On a road trip this winter when it was 5 degrees. F I did temper the temp setting to give me some more range, but it was still on fresh air,

 

[gutowscr]

My 2021 F150 does the same thing. After 5-10 minutes of recirculate it switches back to outside air. My neighbors 2024 F350 works the same way.

 

[MacherAWD]

Personally I hate recirculation mode in any vehicle. I like fresh air. Living in the Northeast US Recirc in the winter can lead to fogged windows. Most of the time I am driving less than 50 miles per day so I operate my Climate control for my comfort. On a road trip this winter when it was 5 degrees. F I did temper the temp setting to give me some more range, but it was still on fresh air,

Northeast also, in 3 years I have almost never made an adjustment. Auto 1, 67 degrees all winter, auto 1, 72 degrees the rest of the year. Works great and doesn't hit efficiency too hard

 

[bbulkow]

Personally I hate recirculation mode in any vehicle. I like fresh air. Living in theon Northeast US Recirc in the winter can lead to fogged windows. Most of the time I am driving less than 50 miles per day so I operate my Climate control for my comfort. On a road trip this winter when it was 5 degrees. F I did temper the temp setting to give me some more range, but it was still on fresh air,

There are times when i greatly prefer the fresh air too!

But a setting that just changes back every five minutes?

Can we agree that's wrong?

Because sometimes, when it's cold outside and i want the range and don't want to freeze, recirc is right? Shouldn't it be my (our) choice?

 

[eponey]

My assumption is for it to vent out CO2. (or anything else building up in the cabin)

I personally find the fresh air intake inadequate with a car full of people at times.

 

[RickMachE]

There are times when i greatly prefer the fresh air too!

But a setting that just changes back every five minutes?

Can we agree that's wrong?

Because sometimes, when it's cold outside and i want the range and don't want to freeze, recirc is right? Shouldn't it be my (our) choice?

We agreed this was an issue going back to 2022... It is a Ford thing, not a Mach-E thing.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/search/3576495/?page=5&q=recirculate&o=date

 

[bbulkow]

We agreed this was an issue going back to 2022... It is a Ford thing, not a Mach-E thing.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/search/3576495/?page=5&q=recirculate&o=date

And that makes it ok?

With an ICE, able to heat air with all that waste heat, i could imagine it. Although my Honda (2017 crv) defaults to recirc and feels great.

The difference in range is something like 30 to 40 miles. And with few people, feels better. It feels stuffy with 3 or 4.

35 extra miles of range with better comfort.

I actually now have the solution.

Set to recirc.
Set some vents (eg floor and mid)
RECIRC STAYS

What if most of the complaints about cold weather range are really about climate?

 

[RickMachE]

And that makes it ok?

With an ICE, able to heat air with all that waste heat, i could imagine it. Although my Honda (2017 crv) defaults to recirc and feels great.

The difference in range is something like 30 to 40 miles. And with few people, feels better. It feels stuffy with 3 or 4.

35 extra miles of range with better comfort.


I actually now have the solution.

Set to recirc.
Set some vents (eg floor and mid)
RECIRC STAYS

What if most of the complaints about cold weather range are really about climate?

Yeah, I gave the solution above.

OK? No, but discussed for years and it isn't going to change as all Fords do this, and have forever.

You think recirc off causes lower range?

 

[bbulkow]

Yeah, I gave the solution above.

OK? No, but discussed for years and it isn't going to change as all Fords do this, and have forever.

You think recirc off causes lower range?

Ok, so i missed the trick about adding vents. If you don't have vents selected, it goes back in 5 minutes. Got it.

Yeah, i believe outside air, when humid and or cold, requires heating and or ac, and that takes much more power, compared to keeping heat in the vehicle.

I am not so interested in driving in an unheated car. Call it my thin california blood.

Unlike in an ice where heat is free (ac obvs is not). That's why i do consider this an issue with discussing here (or bev problem, although i guess it effects plug in hybrids badly). Having this unchangeable behavior in the (rare) cases where i care about range is a problem.

That shows up in trips, when outside air is say 55 degrees, as 13 to 14 percent power spend, which reduces to about 3 percent, i think. I am eyeballing it, and every trip is different, because outside temp and humidity is different.

I am also going by my long term climate number in trips which is over the last few thousand miles. The number has been around 14 percent as long as i have had the car.

Previously when i cared about range i would turn down the heat and suffer. Now i can turn on recirc, pick two vents, and be comfortable.

I wonder about people driving in 0 degree weather. Won't they be spending a lot of power warming that outside air flow? Or suffering?

We might disagree on how much power, but clearly power is going to be spent.

How much do you think it is? Or how should i measure it, if not the trips app?

 

[brob]

And that makes it ok?

With an ICE, able to heat air with all that waste heat, i could imagine it. Although my Honda (2017 crv) defaults to recirc and feels great.

The difference in range is something like 30 to 40 miles. And with few people, feels better. It feels stuffy with 3 or 4.

35 extra miles of range with better comfort.

I actually now have the solution.

Set to recirc.
Set some vents (eg floor and mid)
RECIRC STAYS

What if most of the complaints about cold weather range are really about climate?

help us out here. When you say “set some vents”, which ones? How many have to be set? Are you setting them by changing the vent setting to what?
I ran into this today. Had an ICE truck belching smoke ahead of me so I turned on recirc, and then it turned off a few minutes later.

 

[bbulkow]

help us out here. When you say “set some vents”, which ones? How many have to be set? Are you setting them by changing the vent setting to what?
I ran into this today. Had an ICE truck belching smoke ahead of me so I turned on recirc, and then it turned off a few minutes later.

Yeah.

In the climate screen where the recirc button is, you can touch on the left side for floor, main vents, and or defrost. When each of those are active, that vent is blue on the left side

My test shows that if you have any of those, or all of those, recirc *wont* auto disable.

Obvious, huh?

Now that i have my work around, i will try driving this way as default for a few months and see if my energy and comfort is better.

Last night i got in the car late and there was some condensation when i started, but "max" blew it away in 10 seconds. I am certain i was warmer on the way home. Ac did pop on for a minute, mid drive, i expect the car really thought it was too moist? It might have been right, too, i was feeling it a little.

Shows that there is still automatic algos working.

The car has a mind of it's own when it comes to climate, and "auto" vs "manual" is not clear. It aint the "auto" setting, that appears to be fan only. I am coming to the conclusion there are basically 3 or 4 indepent systems (fan, vent, heat, ac?) which will engage at different times, and if you are trying to stay comfortable and save range you should understand it all

Sponsored