1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
 | [Main C900 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: The Ultimate Winter Car- recommendations? Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 1 Dec 2004 09:30:56
In Reply to: The Ultimate Winter Car- recommendations?, Saana88   [Profile/Gallery]
, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 07:19:33
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
|
I've found many 'winter' wiper blades to be shorter. Don't like that much.
Warmer thermostat - unnecessary. Why would you want the engine to run hotter than normal? The thermostat sets the approximate upper range of engine temp. Yes, you would get more heat in the cabin, but at the risk of overheating the engine. I've found the Saab to provide plenty of heat on even the coldest days (or nights).
Washer heater. Keeping the fluid warm does little good. The problem is the nozzles freezing up. The hose is in the engine compartment, which is pretty warm. Most washer fluid contains alcohol, and when the sprayer pushes out a fine spray, you get cooling as the alcohol evaporates. So unless the nozzle is warm, there is no advantage to heating the fluid. And unless you're going to live with a continuous dribble of fluid out the washers to keep them warm, hot fluid is no good if it's got an ice block at the end. I don't know if anybody sells a heated nozzle. I know that's how cars nowdays handle it - heated nozzles, not fluid.
Spark plug - again, you're confusing the engine temp with the outside temp. The heat range of a spark plug has to do with the temperature in the combustion chamber. You go to a cooler plug to cool down the combustion temp; a hotter plug to increase the combustion temp. If the engine is being run under very hot conditions and high boost, you may run a cooler plug to keep detonation down. If the car is being driven very lightly, you may go to a hotter plug to resist fouling. But in cold weather, the thermostat is going to keep the engine block at the 'normal' operating temp, and the outside air will have minimal effect on combustion temp. OK, cold air will drop the intake air charge temp, so the combustion chamber will be colder. IF you started seeing plug fouling, you could go to a hotter heat range plug, not a colder one. But ONLY if you started seeing fouling problems. I wouldn't go out and do it.
Block heater - the idea is to keep the oil in something that resembles a liquid state, so when you start the car, it's pushing oil and not goo.
I can see it if you're regularly getting temperatures below -10 at night, which isn't out of the question (I went to school in Rochester). However, instead of a block heater, I would use synthetic oil. Synthetic has much better controlled viscosity characteristics at very cold temps. And it lubricates much better, and it's a lube issue, after all.
After some quick research, I see block heaters run around 400 watts. At 10 cents a KWh (probably more than that, but it makes the math easy), that is 4 cents an hour to run, or about 40 cents a day if you let it run for 10 hours overnight. $12 a month, or about $60 bucks a season (winter runs about 5 months up there ,right?) OK, probably only need the heater for a couple of months - $24. Put it on a timer, and kick it on 2 hours before you get up - now it's $5 in electricity for the season. $10 if you pay $0.20 a KWh. That doesn't sound too bad.
I'd still run synthetic, ESPECIALLY in the gearbox. Shifts in very cold temps with synthetic are much nicer.
Of course, you need the rest of the important stuff - seat heater working, and an extensive emergency kit. But that's true even if it's toasty outside.
posted by 192.249....
, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 07:19:33, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 20:08:23, Thu, 2 Dec 2004 17:59:46, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 09:30:56 <-- Viewing This Message
, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 07:57:51
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
