Have you ever wondered why there is a loss of power from the engine when you turn on the AC? I am sure you have noticed this but couldn’t be bothered to find out. Well, you won’t have to now!
You must be thinking that what on earth is he talking about and how does it really matter. Well, you do have a point and I feel that it is mind-numbingly boring to explain what happens in the given situation. But, I will give it a go to explain it to you lot in the easiest possible manner without being too nerdy about the mechanism involved.
Everyone knows that the heart of the AC is its compressor. Bigger the compressor, quicker is its cooling ability but it draws more power from the engine. How it draws more power from the engine is the reason why you feel a loss of power when you turn the AC on. The compressor’s belt is directly connected to the engine of the car and it is this belt that is the primary source of power to the refrigeration of the AC system. Whenever the compressor is turned on, depending on the settings you have chosen inside the cabin, you’re losing power from the engine because while the engine is running your car it is also providing the power to run the compressor at the same time. How much power you lose is depended upon how high you have set up the air-conditioning in the car and the difference in temperature inside the cabin & outside.
This phenomena is more evident in cars which are less powerful. By less powerful I mean cars which have a very low power to weight ratio. See, how simple it is to understand! Let’s comprehend it this way – when you turn on the air conditioning, you lose about 2-3 of the 5 horsepower available from the engine, which feels like you have picked up a fat hitchhiker to accompany 4 other people in the car. You will surely feel the difference in the power delivery.
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