GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Sorry folks, did not find a place to post on the AC system.If you put the AC into cycle mode which is it recycles the air in the cabin. Does it reduce stress on the engine & give you better MPG then it would if you had to constantly cool air?

All the Recirculation button does is close off the outside air intakes and recircs the cabin air. Does not change any way the A/C compressor operates or other parts of the A/C. Helps sometimes when you are following a smelly truck or driving through dusty areas etc., but does nothing else other then close off the outside air intake damper(s).

In fact, if you have the AC on and you turn on the recirculation, the manual refers to that as "Max AC" mode (I'm guessing because it is cooling down pre-cooled air, but it might be because it actually turns things "up"? I am not sure)

You're right, Michelle - Max A/C is "max" because it is cooling already-cooled air, instead of hot air from outside. So the air cools down faster. The compressor doesn't work any different (although on some vehicles, the fan turns faster on Max A/C, but not on my Vibe).Geoff

Airmack: I can't say I've done a scientific look at the numbers regarding MPGs, but I can say that after 26,000 miles on my '09 Corolla Vibe, I am now getting 30mpgs in/around town, even with the AC on, and I got 38 mpg on a recent 5 hour highway trip with the ac blasting in the near meltdown temperatures of the Delta Quadrant. Obviously something has kicked in with the car, because my mileage wasn't that good before with the a/c on. I think my car is finally feeling its oats.

Quote, originally posted by Caretaker »Airmack: I can't say I've done a scientific look at the numbers regarding MPGs, but I can say that after 26,000 miles on my '09 Corolla Vibe, I am now getting 30mpgs in/around town, even with the AC on, and I got 38 mpg on a recent 5 hour highway trip with the ac blasting in the near meltdown temperatures of the Delta Quadrant. Obviously something has kicked in with the car, because my mileage wasn't that good before with the a/c on. I think my car is finally feeling its oats.man, i hope the same happens with mine, although i pretty much get the window sticker mpg on my '10 carolla vibe (driven kindly.) i'm just over the 9,000 mile mark, so i imagine i am still within the normal break in period, but it sure would be great to get some of the amazing mpg's that some folks around here report...

...at 19K miles, my 2009 Vibe base (1.8L auto) typically gets about 39 mpg without A/C on the highway @ 65 mph, but drops down to 35 mpg when the A/C is on...about 10-11% loss.

I have a AWD Vibe so my MPG kinda sucks to start with.

My Vibe's mpg are in the lower to mid 30's all the time. There are NOT any traffic jams around here, though.