Car color and Heat

[smokingun]

Don't know if this has been answered, but are the darker colored 4Runners noticeably hotter in the sun, or do they take longer to air condition? Does the paint fade more quickly? I could'nt stand to leave my hand on the hood of a dark blue T4R the other day, while the white was only toasty warm.

Just wondering if anyone considered a different color due to interior temp. I live in MD.

 

[GYoter]

As with any car, the darker it is the hotter it will be. I thought about getting the white or silver, partially because of the heat, it is regularly over 100 here. But i liked the look of the darker colors more. My galactic gray is hot when i get in but the AC cools it off surprisingly fast. I have been quite inpressed with how well the AC works.

 

[sharp4runr]

Same here. The A/C in the 4Runner kewls it down pretty quickly. Also, I have the habit of dropping down the rear window while I'm walking towards the truck. I get in and the a/c starts blasting as soon as I turn on the car. All I have to remember is to bring the rear window back up, but I usually don't forget that...

 

[beeper]

I have a galactica grey 05 and bought that color because it looks good IMHO. I have the stone interior and its really not bad at all (cloth). I installed window vents and crack all the windows in summer and it helps. Also lower rear window to get heat out on start up....air works real good.

 

[Mark86]

A dark color is always going to be hotter than a light color on any car. If you really want a dark colored car but are concerned with heat, get a light interior. If you are getting an SR5 or Limited, there is really no dark interior you can choose. There is either a tan or light grey to choose from. The Sport's have the darkest interiors, but they are cloth which does not heat up as much as leather. I really don't think you have to worry about this becasue these trucks have very good AC units. When it is very hot out, I always tilt the sunroof to keep the car a little cooler and to make sure no windows blow out from the heat. This will definitely make the car heat up less. If you want to go to the extreme, get a remote starter put in. You will never go into a hot vehicle again!

 

[biglatka]

Don't know if this has been answered, but are the darker colored 4Runners noticeably hotter in the sun, or do they take longer to air condition? Does the paint fade more quickly? I could'nt stand to leave my hand on the hood of a dark blue T4R the other day, while the white was only toasty warm.

Just wondering if anyone considered a different color due to interior temp. I live in MD.

If it's any consolation to you, the dark colored car will cool down faster at night. Not only is the dark color (black) the perfect absorber but it also the perfect radiator (emitter).

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Re: Re: Car color and Heat

If it's any consolation to you, the dark colored car will cool down faster at night. Not only is the dark color (black) the perfect absorber but it also the perfect radiator (emitter).

Is this type of "black body" different than the blackbody radiator that behaves according to Planck's laws? I've never really had a good understanding why black things radiate heat better...

 

[biglatka]

Re: Re: Re: Car color and Heat

Is this type of "black body" different than the blackbody radiator that behaves according to Planck's laws? I've never really had a good understanding why black things radiate heat better...

You're on to it, it's the same (PLANCK ENERGY DISTRIBUTION FORMULA). Here is an except from the link below:

"A black body is a theoretical object that absorbs 100% of the radiation that hits it. Therefore it reflects no radiation and appears perfectly black.

In practice no material has been found to absorb all incoming radiation, but carbon in its graphite form absorbs all but about 3%. It is also a perfect emitter of radiation. At a particular temperature the black body would emit the maximum amount of energy possible for that temperature. This value is known as the black body radiation. It would emit at every wavelength of light as it must be able to absorb every wavelength to be sure of absorbing all incoming radiation. The maximum wavelength emitted by a black body radiator is infinite. It also emits a definite amount of energy at each wavelength for a particular temperature, so standard black body radiation curves can be drawn for each temperature, showing the energy radiated at each wavelength. All objects emit radiation above absolute zero. "

The entire link is: http://www.egglescliffe.org.uk/physics/astronomy/blackbody/bbody.html

I hoped that helped, enjoy!

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Thanks...

 

[UoD]

Also, I have the habit of dropping down the rear window while I'm walking towards the truck.

Wow --- I feel like an idiot for never having thought of that. I live in Tallahassee, FL --- where the sun will definitely bake your skin in less than a minute. Thats a good idea to help reduce that blast of hot air that hits you when you first open the door.

 

[AlexJet]

My previous truck was silver with black interior. Now I'm having a black with stone interior. Actually I didn

 

[Offroader]

Just laminate your windows, including the windshield, with V-Kool. V-Kool.com

It's considered by Popular Science Magazine as "One of the Top 100 inventions of the Millennium", and it was developed originally for spaceships.

The advantage is that it blocks heat (infrared), and not only glare and UV.

I live in a tropical country, and my black T4R never gets past warm when I park it everyday under direct sunlight.

I used a windshield sunshade in my previous car, and the dashboard used to get terribly hot anyway. With the transparent windshield applied V-Kool, it just gets warm and I don't have to spend time putting a sunshade everytime I get out of the car, and taking it off everytime I enter the car. :bash:

It's simply amazing!!!

 

[smokingun]

Thanks! Fuel prices are getting high enough now, that I do have to at least think about car color. I like the dark blue best and now am not too concerned about going that route.

Thanks also for the V-Cool suggestion. I'll definitely look into that!

 

[biglatka]

Thanks! Fuel prices are getting high enough now, that I do have to at least think about car color. I like the dark blue best and now am not too concerned about going that route.

Thanks also for the V-Cool suggestion. I'll definitely look into that!

Just a word to the wise, I've read their advertisement about the amount of light they claim is reflected (particularly infrared) and light transmitted in the visible part of the spectrum. My concern is with your nighttime driving and visibility in low light situations. I have no experience with their products, but I post this just as a precaution and something I would be concerned about.

 

[Offroader]

My concern is with your nighttime driving and visibility in low light situations. [/B]

It's actually very similar to OEM tinting. A friend of mine has 3M laminate, and mine has better visibility at night. From the inside there is almost no difference between side windows and windshield at night. I don't know how they do it.

 

[boston_kevin]

I have a Galactic Grey, and yes it does get warm to the touch, but drop the back window and fire up the AC, and I'm cool again in a couple of minutes. If I don't have rear passengers, I also shut off the backseat vent on the console tio maximize air flow up front.

My experience with light colors is that they oxidize more quickly than darker colors, especially if they are not waxed often and regularly.

A side benefit of darker colors in the winter is that it will melt the snow and ice faster than a lighter color car... Means less snow to broom off in the winter!

 

[smokingun]

You just made my decsion for me! Great Point!