[Jack Olsen]

Ambient temperature was 85 degrees. The sun was out. After sitting in the parking lot of the Lowes Warehouse, the interior of the (black on black) car got up to 106 degrees. I picked up a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer (with a probe on a wire), and proceeded to drive about 50 miles of mixed highway (stop and go) and surface street driving.

My AC was recently re-done by TRE Automotive in Burbank, and includes new barrier hoses, a Nippondenso compressor, the Performance Aire passive under-belly condenser, the stock front condenser with fan, a reasonably clean accumulator, and a new dryer/receiver. It's a R134a system.

Griffiths AC, in their "Mr. Ice Project," were able to get 33-degree output temps from a R134a system, also in 85-degree ambient temps. But using position three (high) of their system's fan, the best temperature they got was actually 39 degrees.

Now, my system could probably be fine tuned quite a bit, and my testing methods are probably less rigorous than Griffith's -- but I've got to say that TRE Automotive (and specifically Tyson Schmidt) has done a pretty good job. My best output temp from the vent was 38 degrees, in the third (highest) fan position. The output temp would fluctuate slightly, probably depending on ambient temp changes and revs the compressor was operating at, but the range was 38-42 degrees. Cabin temperatures started very high, and finally dropped to 76 degrees.

Not bad for an early 911 with R134a. I think it's a pretty good indicator that increasing condenser capacity on these cars is a worthwhile thing to do.