I have a Protige 5 and am going to buy a new car soon, presumably the RX-8

However, I've heard this and that about the A/C or heat or what not

The thing is, I live smack in Las Vegas, and heat is a major problem only under the sun.

Why did I throw in the Protige 5 in this conversation?

Well, after I leave it in the sun, it gets hot inside, just like every other car.
Then I drive around with the A/C on at 3 or 4 for a few minutes and everything is fine again.
Besides, I almost always leave the A/C on at 1 or 2 anyways, except at night when my windows and moon roof are down

So my question is:

How much different is the A/C in the 8 and 5 compared to each other?

If I use the A/C all the time anyway, I don't really have to worry about anything in the 8.. do I?

I read somewhere here that even with the A/C on, the rx-8 gets hot after driving for an hour, but i'm not sure.

I commute to Laughlin, AZ (one and half hour south) almost every week, and sometimes back to Los Angeles every month (4 hours drive).

If the A/C is a real problem in the Rx-8, esp for someone in hot 100 degree Las Vegas and 109 degree Laughlin, AZ, then I cannot possibly get the car.

What do you all think?

 

Until now, I kept that AC off to get better (more accurate) mpg readings.

Then I learnt here that the AC will be running with the AC light off if you put the fan to max level.

I found that in hot weather as yesterday the fan doesn't do anything. I drove 50 miles from work at 6pm and the car displayed a temperature of 88F . Soon it was 95F, in spite of my fan running. Warmer inside the car than outside. I was too cheap to have the window or sunroof open on the freeway, but I found that that's more efficient than the fan.

Next tank I'll start using the AC.

I'm once in a while in Vegas have been to Laughlin too. For your summer climate, I recommend any color but not black.

 

I live in vegas also and my AC seems to work great, sometimes later in the day i have to turn it down to 1 cause it does get so cold. AC has been working fine but i also noticed that just the fan running doesn't do **** better to have windows rolled down or AC on.

But i don't know how it compares to the MP5 cause i've never driven one.

 

I have the Protege5(red one) also and I am buying an RX 8 due in 4th week of October. When I test drove it the AC seemed fine....but it was not very warm out. I hear the rotary gets hot and heats up the inside a bit......in a warm climate I am not sure how it would be. I won't mind since its cool or cold here the majority of the year.(Chicago, IL) Hopefully someone in your area can give you better advice. The car is so awesome there must be a way to improve the AC somehow??? 2002 P5 for sale $12,500

 

I also own a protege5 and am planning on making an 8 my next new car. I wonder how many others are making this exact transition. Anyhow when I test drove an 8 the AC seemed quite fine. And they don't call this place Hotlanta for nothing.

 

I don't have a protege and haven't ever driven one but I do have a Silver 8. Of course, San Diego is a pretty near perfect climate most of the time but I have found two things with this car that are different from any other I've owned with regard to the a/c and the heat in the cabin.

1. If you leave the car closed up at night when you get out, the windows will fog with even slight humidity while you're away. It's garage kept so usually I don't run into this but when your out at night you'll notice it I'm sure.

2. It's just hot as hell if you're driving around town without the a/c on even mild San Diego days. On the freeway no problem but city driving is a sweaty affair. I haven't tinted my windows yet but I'm hoping it will aid in the cold air retention. I also have to keep the recirc on if I want it to get really cold. The fresh air vent doesn't keep it cool enough. I think it's partly because they didn't perforate the seats and the engine just makes so much heat right next to your legs so you just sweat your butt off. I usually turn the a/c on 1 and crack the sunroof to pull the airflow past me when I'm moving. Opening the back windows works too but I'm forgetful and would surely leave them open when I get out.

One cool feature of this car is that the sunroof shade is vented in the front so when you close it with the roof open you still can get airflow, which is good if you like to keep the windows from fogging at night and still want a little more security from would be vandals. I've seen people throw lit cigarettes in open sunroofs. Jerks abound.

 

HOt hot?

We in FL have very HUMID heat - hard for AC's to deal with. Before I tinted the windows there was a noticeable heatup during idles in traffic. The tinting made a big difference. The AC works fine. Recently someone on here posted that they could not get regular vented air to come out. I played with it and learned this:

IN the mode setting arrow down - it is like the heater setting whre the AC runs. Cool ari comes out and the AC is running.

IN the forward vent setting vented air comes out.

IN the arrow down and forward setting vented air comes out.

IN the defrost setting the AC runs.

These are all whether the AC button is pressed (green light on) or not.

So, the AC button is primarily for front vent air control and front/down air control. On other settings the AC runs anyway. This is all irregardless of what speed the fan is on.

 

i think an rx8 is a seriously bad idea if you plan on commuting with it, your going to be BROKE paying for gasoline
i think you'd be better off geting a mazda6 or if you like hatches, the mazda3
i believe the ac for the rx8 is the same as the mazda6; since its their current flag car im sure the ac is great

 

The temperature displayed in the car is ambient temperature... that is, it's the temperate outside the car.

 

Entertainment costs money. If you want an inexpensive way to get around, you would already have chosen something else. While it is true that it gets slightly worse gas milage than my last car (BMW 540i), it is also very fun to drive. It is lighter and more nimble, with less torque.

The question is whether the value of the handling and style works for you. It is not a civic, and I don't want a civic.

I commute in mine, and am still solvent.

 

@jdaled:

thanks for the explaination.. didn't know what ambient meant - English is not my first language.

My shirt was wet though; don't think it was much cooler inside than outside.