zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Help Keep Wildfire Smoke Out Your Car With This Button
Help Keep Wildfire Smoke Out Your Car With This Button-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:55

A photo of a city filled with wildfire smoke.

There are a lot of dangers out there when you hit the road in the year of our lord, 2023. You , smashed by , or get stuck on a . Right now, in America, a big risk many drivers face is poor air quality as . As it turns out, your car is equipped with a little button that can help with that.

The button is the air recirculation control, which is fitted to almost every car on the road today. It looks like a little drawing of a car with a twisted arrow inside and it prevents from drawing in air from the outside. Instead, the temperature controls keep recirculating the air that’s already inside the cabin to keep you cool, calm, and, hopefully, comfortable.

Usually, this helps stop things like pollen or unfortunate smells from entering your cabin from the outside world. But now, with , it’s got one more use that might not have occurred to you.

A photo of the climate controls on a car dashboard.

As that the button can also help keep your car cooler in summer heat, and save on fuel, too. According to the site:

This can also help boost your air conditioning, which can make the cabin of your car cooler, quicker. For those living within the heat dome — currently impacting Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, the Mississippi Valley, and portions of Florida — this may be especially beneficial.

[...]

As [Tabitha Ruhl, manager of Joplin Transmission and Auto Center] explained, when your car has to pull in and cool (usually hot) air from the outside, your vehicle has to work harder, which can mean using more gas. But if you recirculate the already chilled air in your car’s cabin, your vehicle should be more fuel efficient.

Because the air recirculation button goes hand-in-hand with a vehicle’s air conditioning system, you’ll likely want to use it when it’s the temperature outside is greater than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

That’s timely info with into the summer, and wildfire season only just beginning in many parts of North America. Stay safe out there.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Jul 6, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Jul 6, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Jul 6, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Jul 6, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Jul 6, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Jul 6, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved