<VV> Drive a Corvair in 15f weather

[mark at noakes.com]

The Corvair air heater doesn't work so well in -20F ambient when running 
65mph on the interstate...doing my usual trip driving late at night. 
With the heater running full blast, it got cold enough in the car that 
the aftermarket radio LCD display quit working. Everything was routed to 
the defroster to keep the window clear of ice. We had to stop for the 
night. My wife is pretty tolerant but has never let me forget that one. 
This was in the mid 1980s when the 61 Lakewood was our primary 
driver--all heater components stock, in place as they ought to be, and 
up to spec. A gas heater would have been nice for that trip.

Fast forwarding 15 years and doing the exact same thing in her hardtop 
Jeep Wrangler...except even colder and a lot more snow...no problem with 
staying warm.

Though I've driven Corvairs for nearly 40 years and like them a lot, 
I've never been a fan of the heaters, especially when functional heaters 
are diametrically opposed to performance mods on the exhaust side of the 
equation.

Mark N

On 2/12/12 8:55 PM, Matt Nall wrote:
>
>
> Hopefully Ralph.. you do realize Vair heaters work great in cold weather...  then add the optional [EM]  gasoline heaters and you drive with the windows down!
> I've driven 150 miles in 25 F  with just the air heater and wore a Tee shirt...
>
>