How come ?

Tori · 12-15-2016, 06:06 PM

How come our heaters work so well ? I'm solidly impressed with the heat in my '87 and i don't even think my passenger footwell blower works as well as the left. ( i know it doesn't sound the same)

Every other aircooled auto i know of, Beetle, Vanagon, Corvair, have from what i've heard, crap for heat.

What gives in ours?

DRACO A5OG · DRACO A5OG's Garage

Oversized heat exchangers???

LakeCleElum · 12-15-2016, 06:45 PM

Not so much for me......Temps in the teens this week.......I live 7 miles from town; never really feel the Love..........

ReconTrojan · 12-15-2016, 06:56 PM

Well the first two posts are from guys in California...the 3rd guy actually lives in a state that gets cold. Go figure.

Tori · 12-15-2016, 07:01 PM

I wondered about that too, but i have heat in about 2 minutes, so thought maybe it'd be enough in cooler temps too.

bigel · bigel's Garage

I live in a state that gets cold and I have to agree on the heat. She takes a moment to warm, but the heat will melt your face once she does...

theiceman · 12-16-2016, 10:32 AM

I live in a Country that gets cold ..... and I drive it in the cold .. I find the heat could melt your running shoes .. but having an SC with no footwell blowers I now know why they have them . The challenge is getting the heat through out the cabin without melting your feet.

Tori · 12-16-2016, 10:45 AM

so maybe that's the ticket.... it's all about the footwell blower

TibetanT · TibetanT's Garage

Tori:

I am no expert, but have driven all the "other" cars you mention (i.e.. VW, VW vans).

My observations of the Porsche 911 air-cooled are as follows:

1) Better and larger vents for the heat to pass to the front of the car, as well as heater control boxes near the heat exchangers.

2) Most VW cars use paper, some upgrades do include paper/aluminum hoses. But they do tend to rot over time making it impossible for hot air to travel correctly/properly within the hoses.

3) Most important, however, IMHO...the 911 engines run hotter than a VW, and I know my 911SC has a very good blower motor which pushes the heat better. Not to mention the heat exchangers on a 911, if they are in good shape, just work better.

Other more experienced "engineering types" on this forum could explain the heat displacement better than I have here.

Living in Eastern Washington the temps get very, very cold…but, I don't drive my P-cars at all during the Winter. I do miss the driving at this time of year.

Enjoy the heat.

McLovin · 12-16-2016, 11:10 AM

Big heat exchangers.

Big engine and exhaust. The 911 engine is much larger than a VW and puts out 2-4 times as much power. Heat is a byproduct of power, the more power you are producing, the more heat you are producing.

For the VW van, that heat has a long way to travel from the heat exchanger to the front of the bus, too.

Steam Driver · Steam Driver's Garage

I think the main reason a 911 supplies better cabin heat than a VW is that it produces more power and burns more fuel. That means more waste heat energy is available for cabin heat; pure and simple.

That said I disagree with throwing the Corvair in with the VW's as far as heating goes. Having had them "back in the day" (one normally aspirated, two with turbos) I can tell you there was no shortage of heating or defrosting in the Corvair. This was in Kansas City and central Kansas, where winters could be brutal. More so then than now.

The same could not be said of the contemporary, pre-911 Porsche's, which around town were essentially as bad as the VW's. Mine (356C) was pitiful around town, but it was a little better above 75mph. But not a lot.

My experience with the 914 (both -4 and -6) was OK too. Much better than a VW or 356.

Tippy · 12-16-2016, 11:20 AM

Your AFR's and timing effect EGT's, so there might be something to that thinking aloud.

McLovin · 12-16-2016, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steam Driver

My experience with the 914 (both -4 and -6) was OK too. Much better than a VW or 356.

My 914s would get really hot too.

I think that's because with the midengine location, the heat exchangers and exhaust are much longer than rear engined VWs. At least twice as long.

jlex · jlex's Garage

I've owned a 1970 VW Beetle for several years now. My daughter drove it year round in NW Pennsylvania for 6 years while in school & the heat was great. Problem with most VW's is they're not maintained properly: rotted heat exchangers, bad hoses & no working thermostat to open the vanes on the fan shroud. If all the components are there, the VW bug's heat is great. Problem is the VW owner & those tinkering with them would rip out a lot of the hardware under the mistaken belief they would "run cooler".