There has been a shift in the age-old debate over air-conditioning and gas mileage.

Once upon a time, drivers would roll down their windows on a hot day. They assumed that it would waste less gas than running the air conditioner. Then, one hot summer day, some “experts” told the public that driving with the windows up and the air-conditioning on would result in better gas mileage than rolling the windows down. Their argument: rolling down the windows created more drag, and that resistance used more gas than the AC.

However, it appears that this argument was based more on theory than fact (or possibly they were just sick of being hot). Years of testing by actual drivers, as well as studies done by Edmunds.com, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and Consumer Reports revealed that gas mileage is actually better with the windows down and the AC off. And so, the debate over AC and MPG wages on.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to suffer through the heat wave without any air-conditioning. It would definitely be less cost efficient to have a heat stroke and crash your car than to simply turn on the AC every once in a while. However, if you want to get the most out of your gas mileage then consider cruising with the windows down and dressing for the weather.

For more information on air-conditioning and gas mileage, see the full story below:

http://greenliving.about.com/od/travelinggreen/a/Air-Conditioning-MPG-Gas-Mileage.htm