Floridians and black cars-Page 2: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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March 16, 2011 8:33 p.m. ShadowSix New Reader

I don't think the OP was trying to generalize that every black car is hotter than every light colored car, just trying to point out that it's not logical to choose the black version when other colors are available in such a warm area. Your black car may be pretty cool in the summer, but science dictates that it absorbs heat more than it would in white.

I live in Ohio and my black car is pleasantly warmer than my light blue car for much of the winter. This sadly ends once they are both covered in snow.
March 16, 2011 8:47 p.m. shadetree30 Reader

Here's a parallel question: Why do there seem to be so many black E30s? At least in the project car price range. And the E34 Touring I'm stalking for a project car is black, too.

I did not intend to cause co-literal damage.
March 16, 2011 8:50 p.m. shadetree30 Reader

ShadowSix wrote:

I don't think the OP was trying to generalize that every black car is hotter than every light colored car, just trying to point out that it's not logical to choose the black version when other colors are available in such a warm area. Your black car may be pretty cool in the summer, but science dictates that it absorbs heat more than it would in white.

First proven by Benjamin Franklin, BTW. With a black E30.
March 17, 2011 4:57 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

ReverendDexter wrote:

integraguy wrote:

again, a literal oven.

Unless you literally cooked something in that car, you can't say this.

Heck, I'll step in and defend his use, since we used to quite literally bake things on the back deck of my fathers 67 Mustang. Baby blue with blue interior. In the Massachusetts summer sun.

Baking shrinky-dinks was what we kids used to do the most. Dad thought it was all funny and overblown until he melted down a set of some sort of expensive sunglasses.

Black may well absorb more solar energy than white, that much is true. To declare it would make the interior hotter, that is false. Insulation, conductivity, etc all come into play, and often negate a heat rise inside.

A good example of this, the use of black shade cloth over green houses, to keep them cooler.
March 17, 2011 7:24 a.m. Jay SuperDork

I would guess that the GLASS in a car absorbs more heat (& re-transmits more of it into the interior) than the metal body. Probably something like 70/30 if you could even make that distinction.
March 17, 2011 12:08 p.m. rogerbvonceg Reader

ReverendDexter wrote:

integraguy wrote:

again, a literal oven.

Unless you literally cooked something in that car, you can't say this.

You cannot use literally as a generic intensifier. It's the ONE word in the English language that has to be protected.

Mangle the rest of it as much as you like, but leave "literally" alone.

Yeah, like, literally.
March 17, 2011 12:37 p.m. Appleseed SuperDork

I've been branded by those chrome metal buckles GM used in everything. Oww.
March 17, 2011 8:13 p.m. Tom Suddard SonDork

I dd a black E30, and it isn't so bad. Sunshade and the most tint you can legally have (which is a E36 M3load in Florida) help a lot.