Placebo Effect | Warmer weather = better overall experience

[CatScan]

I find that the drunker I get the better it feels. Three miles of autocross to the mailbox on private property. I don't even notice the damage I'm doing to the car.

[Nevermore]

I agree with the OP. I've seen the "colder air=denser=more power" comments before, but it just never feels like it. I drive my car plenty far enough when it's cold for it to be fully warmed up and it just never feels like it's happy about it. And it's not tire confidence either, wet or dry roads in either condition don't affect it. All I know is when it's warm outside, the car just feels so much better.

[sdemo]

cold.. weather? you mean when it's like 75 and you have to wear jeans?

[CatScan]

Do we really not know that colder air means more air? That once your car is warm, ambient temp means (mostly) squat to something like the transmission or engine?

[humfrz]

DANG! ...........

Did some of you folks sleep through chemistry and physics classes ......

I did too ....... but, I scraped this off the interweb:

Given constant pressure, the temperature of the air is inversely proportional to the number of air molecules. So colder air means more molecules, and more air molecules means more energy released in each combustion cycle. A drop from 30 C to 0 C is roughly a 10% drop measured in Kelvin, which suggests 10% more energy for each combustion cycle --> 10% more horsepower!

The general rule of thumb is that for every 10º of temperature drop, the density (and oxygen content) increases 1 percent. It's actually more like 1.8 percent.

To state it in another form:

(if you have any questions on this equation, contact @Ultramaroon or @Tcoat ).......


humfrz

[BRZnut]

I also agree with the OP. I have noticed from day one that when we drive down to Myrtle Beach from NJ, the car just feels better driving in the warmer climate. It is very subjective but the BRZ just feels happier. The smoother roads down south may be part of it too!

[JD001]

Originally Posted by Nevermore

I agree with the OP. I've seen the "colder air=denser=more power" comments before, but it just never feels like it. I drive my car plenty far enough when it's cold for it to be fully warmed up and it just never feels like it's happy about it. And it's not tire confidence either, wet or dry roads in either condition don't affect it. All I know is when it's warm outside, the car just feels so much better.

I had a car that ran triple Weber carburettors, open side draughts and it ran sweeter when the outside air temperatures were nice and low.

[billwot]

Originally Posted by CatScan

Do we really not know that colder air means more air? That once your car is warm, ambient temp means (mostly) squat to something like the transmission or engine?

Yes, we really do know that. In fact, physicists like Boyles and Charles have known that for several hundred years. Density (mass) is directly proportional to pressure, and inversely proportional to temperature.

It's why dyno test have temperature/pressure (altitude) correction factors.

Air density is affected by the temperature, pressure and humidity of the air. On a hot day, or at high altitude, or on a moist day the air is less dense which means that there is less oxygen available for combustion which, in turn, means that there is also less engine horsepower and torque."

https://wahiduddin.net/calc/calc_cf.htm

"A decrease in Temperature will cause an increase in Air Density."

http://flatironsrally.typepad.com/fa...is-a-dyno.html

Here's a couple of or technical explanations:

"temperature and density are inversely related"
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~dib2/c.../pressure.html

"The volume of a fixed mass of dry gas increases or decreases by 1⁄273 times the volume at 0 °C for every 1 °C rise or fall in temperature. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles's_law

[Norville Rogers]

Originally Posted by CatScan

I find that the drunker I get the better it feels. Three miles of autocross to the mailbox on private property. I don't even notice the damage I'm doing to the car.

It's awful when you are too drunk to walk isn't it....

[FX86]

i always felt that when it's warm outside the car handles a lot better and i can push it more through the turns