Is the AC bad for the motor?

The real question I would be asking is: "If I ignore the fuel bonus and drive as fast as I can safely and legally, can I put in enough more miles to make more than if I drove slower to maintain X mpg?"

Every fuel milage bonus program I've ever looked at is retarded... Would always have to drive like 55 in order to get that golden MPG, just to get 2 to 5 cpm more... Or just drive 65 all the time and travel 10 more miles every hour. Lets use 40 cpm as a base and 5 cpm bonus for good mpg...

55 mph to get fuel bonus:

11 hours × 55 mph = 605 miles per day.

40 cpm + 5 cpm bonus = 45 cpm

45 cpm × 605 = $272.25 per day

Now 65 mph:

11 hours × 65 mph = 715 miles per day.

40 cpm × 715 = $286.00 per day


Can potentially make $13.75 more per day by keeping your foot in it. Then take into account that by the end of the month you will be able to travel an additional 1000 to 2000 miles more than if you drove slow to get a measly 5 cpm.

So you could make $13.75 more every day, PLUS you can travel 1000 to 2000 more miles a month ($400 to $800).

See what I mean? And the higher the base cpm is the greater the difference in the amount of money between the calculations is.


So how much are you worried about that mpg bonus now???

 

I prefer driving with my windows Down if not going highway speeds,A/C cranking arctic cold.

 

AC required?

 

I appreciate your response but my company's fuel bonus is only 7mpg. My X15 will get almost 9 crossing Arizona at 55000lbs at 70mph. When I make one run from east Texas or West Louisiana to Cali and back that's 3300-3700 miles and even at 80Klbs my truck gets 7.5mpg. I've never missed the fuel bonus on the round trip Cali runs.

So again, can anyone tell me how much my truck burns at idle?

 

A friend of mine had a 1988 GMC Vandura van.

He used the AC as an engine brake since they actually draw some power back then.

It actually works at slowing the van down.

 

You can figure ruffly a gallon per hour at a 6-700rpm idle but that will go up quite a bit if it regens while you’re parked.

 

I run a pneumatic tanker and and I don’t have an APU, so I have quite a bit of idle time for unloading and comfort.

I was surprised to find out (according to trucks computer readout) that I only use 4 to 5 gallons of fuel on a 10hr break. It doesn’t seem to change from heat to AC.

I have a 2020 VNL with a 12 liter Volvo engine. The 2017 Paccar I had before that would use 9 to 12 gallons on a 10hr break. Maybe the engines are getting better at using idle fuel. Just an observation I thought was interesting.

 

Thank you @Moose1958
I am now blind in one eye, and can’t hear out of the other.