Air conditioning and panorama roof!

[feye]

I really don't like the touch screen vs a physical dial knob, which I can use much faster, much more precise and without even looking at it. But there are other shortcomings:

When you park the car with panorama roof in the sun in my climate, it is so insane hot, that the AC can't really cope for the first few minutes. My previous A7 had a distinct more powerful AC compressor. Both cars have 4 zone climate.

Here are the readings I got, after the car was parked outside for 4 hours until noon:

Driver seat

Panorama glass temperature

Driver seat head rest - top

Driver seat head rest - front

I also recently noticed: After switching on the AC, if the AC display on the back seats has a settings dialog on, zero air comes out at the back. What is that? Steps to fix:

1. Stop the car
2. Get into the back seat
3. Get rid of the dialog, air blows instantly
4. Get back into the front seat
5. Drive the car

Syncing the AC settings did not help to get rid of the dialog and make the AC work at the back seats.

To help the AC and to solve my problem with the panorama roof, I put a black completely light blocking foil on the outside of the glass roof.

Visually there is no difference on the outside, but on the inside I have now an interesting mirror effect which makes the cabin feel even bigger. Even though the glass still gets very hot on the touch it does now blocks all sunlight heating the top of my head. This is so much more pleasant particularly now, when the sun is 90° in the sky.

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[jimithing]

Interesting. My kids love it but as a guy who used to always keep the sunshade open whenever they aren't in the car, I hate it. Half the time I have to wear a hat because the sun comes in over my sunglasses. This is a smart idea.

 

[B61]

@feye : an old trick, how to help AC: open all windows for a minute or two (that’’s why i’m going to miss window on the roof) and hot air will be pushed out of the cabin.

 

[feye]

@feye : an old trick, how to help AC: open all windows for a minute or two (that’’s why i’m going to miss window on the roof) and hot air will be pushed out of the cabin.

I always do this, but outside temps are not much better with 34°C and 95% humidity.

Got the Porsche app working, now I just switch on the AC before I go to the car. That's really neat.

 

[ciaranob]

I really don't like the touch screen vs a physical dial knob, which I can use much faster, much more precise and without even looking at it. But there are other shortcomings:

When you park the car with panorama roof in the sun in my climate, it is so insane hot, that the AC can't really cope for the first few minutes. My previous A7 had a distinct more powerful AC compressor. Both cars have 4 zone climate.

.............

Visually there is no difference on the outside, but on the inside I have now an interesting mirror effect which makes the cabin feel even bigger. Even though the glass still gets very hot on the touch it does now blocks all sunlight heating the top of my head. This is so much more pleasant particularly now, when the sun is 90° in the sky.

Have you considered getting nano-ceramic film for the roof glass? This film, although very expensive, effectively blocks 90+% of IR heat into the car - really amazing stuff and comes in various shades, even clear. This is what I plan to do once the car arrives if heat is an issue for me (which seems lie in Jul-Aug in Houston!). Curious if you have the thermal/noise insulated glass option (or does the Pano roof come with that as std.)?

 

[JimBob]

Pano roof as it comes reflects IR. You might want your film on the windows.

 

[ciaranob]

Pano roof as it comes reflects IR. You might want your film on the windows.

But I guess the question is how much as a % - I have not actually determined this myself as yet - suspect nowhere near the effectiveness of a nano-ceramic film and believe me the heat in Houston and possibly where the OP is located is extreme to say the least and persists for a few months minimum of each year

PS: And to be clear, I have the thermal/noise insulated glass option and not sure if that differs to base roof glass - also this option states glass has UV protection not IR heat specific but possibly semantics.

 

[JimBob]

Perhaps some of those in the really hot and humid climates can opine from their experience.

 

[B61]

Few members from (Southern) California already confirmed that they are having no problems with panoramic roofs. If I recall correctly, it was in the thread of “group drive”, few weeks ago.

 

[ciaranob]

Few members from (Southern) California already confirmed that they are having no problems with panoramic roofs. If I recall correctly, it was in the thread of “group drive”, few weeks ago.

With all respect to S. Cal where my sister lives, you might as well be on Mars w.r.t. comparing to Houston and points west to Florida - very different climate

I did chat with a Taycan owner here in Houston a couple of days ago who had ceramic tint on his roof and have to say it was impressive how cool his interior was - pushed me towards considering the same.

 

[B61]

I’ve never been in Houston, but I’ve been in SF, drove down via Monterey to LA, SD, LV in late May/early June….and it was hot,very hot, especially on Hoover dam….
I’ve been also on Florida (Orlando, tallahassee, Miami, Jacksonville) and Atlanta, GA…but that’s different, humidity).

of course, it was not my intention to teach you about weather in the States…just wanted to point out on a thread where soon roofs have been discoused…

 

[ciaranob]

I’ve never been in Houston, but I’ve been in SF, drove down via Monterey to LA, SD, LV in late May/early June….and it was hot,very hot, especially on Hoover dam….
I’ve been also on Florida (Orlando, tallahassee, Miami, Jacksonville) and Atlanta, GA…but that’s different, humidity).

of course, it was not my intention to teach you about weather in the States…just wanted to point out on a thread where soon roofs have been discoused…

Have actually lived in CA, NV, UT and FL at various points so I can speak with experience on those locations and believe me the heat-humidity combo in Houston is pretty special

I think a technical review of the IR/UV capability of the std glass would be interesting. There is a vid on the forum comparing IR transmissibility of std film to ceramic film to nano film and the results with the nano are impressive to say the least.

Long and short of it is you can hardly do harm (other than spend money ) applying this if your goal is to essentially block any possibility of added heat through the roof glass.

EDIT -

 

[chrisk]

I live in Northern California. If the car stays under the afternoon summer sun for more than an hour (exterior temperature below 90 F) the roof gets hot. From the inside it is too hot to touch. The roof cloth liner around the glass is warm but not hot.
The A/C keeps the cabin cool without problem but there is noticeable heat near my head and the sunlight on my head is annoying. I have added sunshades that help a little.
This is my first and last car with a pano roof. Unfortunately it was a forced option on 2020s. I am glad it is now optional and other EVs like e-tron and Mach-e Gt do not force you to have a panoroof like Tesla.

 

[ciaranob]

I live in Northern California. If the car stays under the afternoon summer sun for more than an hour (exterior temperature below 90 F) the roof gets hot. From the inside it is too hot to touch. The roof cloth liner around the glass is warm but not hot.
The A/C keeps the cabin cool without problem but there is noticeable heat near my head and the sunlight on my head is annoying. I have added sunshades that help a little.
This is my first and last car with a pano roof. Unfortunately it was a forced option on 2020s. I am glad it is now optional and other EVs like e-tron and Mach-e Gt do not force you to have a panoroof like Tesla.

Yeah have to agree that it is a bit lame we do not get the choice of a hard top vs Pano roof here in the US (at least for the CT). I like the concept and implementation of the pano but everyday use in places like Houston etc seems a stretch re comfort.

That said, after feeling the cabin heat of the sedan I visited a couple of days ago here in Houston late morning (so already stinking hot) who had a ceramic IR reducing film on his roof, I def feel better about the prospect of living with it - of course means yet more expense esp if I go nano over std ceramic.

 

[faroutinNM]

Here in the high desert, as the temps climb above 100F, the humidity drops from the teens into single digits. The solar radiation levels here are well above those in Houston or FL even when it's sunny there, and here we have 340 sunny days per year. And I don't have a problem my pano roof.

After the Taycan is parked for an hour or more out under a clear summer midday sun (with my Porsche front windshield sunscreen in place, as always) what I find is: the pano roof is hot to the touch, the air immediately below it (like within an inch) is heated, but the car interior has no hot spots where the sun was shining down on the seats or dash, and the air around my seated body is noticeably warmer than when it's parked in a large area of shade on the same day, but not uncomfortable for the time it takes to start up the AC (about the time that I fasten my seatbelt and remove the front window sunscreen). If I had it sitting in the sun for a few minutes without the front window sunscreen, and it's a 100+F day, then I just hit the MAX AC when I first climb in, and let it run for a minute while I'm starting out, and then switch it off, without breaking a sweat.

For the less fortunate people (i.e., most of us), who are neither in the high desert nor the higher reaches of the Rocky Mountains in summertime, I can easily understand the discomfort level of climbing into the car out in the full sun. I've been there (in other cars, though, and this is true even without a sunroof): my shirt is soaked, my brow is dripping like a leaky faucet and my chest has a river running down the middle). Then it's time to seriously rehydrate. So I guess my point is, when it's hot and humid, just entering an enclosed space after being out in the sun is going to be uncomfortable, unless you have taken advantage of Taycan's climate settings and remote control and have precooled the cabin a little while before climbing in.

It's because, science: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10803548.2019.1699728

Also, from a Porsche Christophorus magazine:

THERMAL GLASS ROOF
The Taycan is optionally offered with a panorama glass roof whose roughly square-meter surface provides maximum headroom and a pleasantly spacious feel. There’s no sunblind, as the thermal properties of the glass (IR protection and low-emissivity coating) protect occupants against bright light and fatigue from heat buildup. The thermal glass does it all: it completely blocks UV radiation, significantly reduces infrared radiation, and boasts excellent noise-insulating properties. What’s new is the multilayered insulation and coating extending into the passenger compartment. These ensure that, on hot days and cold, and even in close proximity to the glass, the temperature feels like it does in the rest of the interior.

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