Is this normal AC behavior?

[coolprius]

It's starting to warm up and my ac needs to run on fan speed 8+ to feel comfortable.
Live in socal, been about 80 degrees out.
I have one of those roof shades and ceramic tint all around including the windshield.

I did a search and the comments here seem to be mixed so I can't tell if this is normal behavior

 

[Waltjo]

2023 MY with heat pump. It works well, the fan runs at fairly low speeds and the car is comfortable. Our temperatures range from 80F to 95F. The only issue is that the heat pump takes a couple of minutes to generate the cool air after startup, but if I remember to start the climate control a few minutes before I will be in the car the slow start is not important. We keep the inside temp on 68F most of the time.

 

[jcanoe]

Have you changed the two cabin air filters since purchasing your Model Y? These filters should be changed at least every 2 years. (I just changed the cabin air filters in my Model Y after two years. The old filters looked clean but I noticed increased air flow from my Model Y HVAC vents after changing the cabin air filters. (My theory (unproven) is that the Tesla Model HVAC system can detect a drop in airflow due to a blocked cabin air filter. After changing the filters it takes some time for the HVAC system to recalibrate the fan speed for the improved airflow.)

Park in the shade whenever possible. (Ceramic tint and sunshade only delay the rise in cabin temperature above 120F while parked in the sun (unless you set Cabin Overheat protection with AC to be On.)

Precondition the Tesla Model Y for 4 or 5 minutes before driving, preferably while plugged in.

Set the HVAC to Auto and your preferred cabin temperature (69F to 72F for my Model Y in warm weather.)

Set the Fan Speed to Medium or High. (In the HVAC Auto setting the HVAC Fan Speed setting (Low/Med/High) functions as a speed limiter not a fixed speed. Fixed fan blower speeds from 1 to 10 only apply when the Climate Control is set to Manual.

Turn on Recirculate Cabin Air so that the AC does not have to work as hard. The Tesla Voice commands are "Recirculate" and "Fresh Air".

 

[jcanoe]

Also, your AC coil (the coil located at the front of the Tesla vehicle, behind the front grille, could be clogged with debris. A dirty or clogged AC coil could account for the reduced cooling performance.

 

[Benito1283]

Fan speed 8 seems normal to initially cool down a hot cabin, but excessive to maintain temp. I would suggest using Auto because it will figure out where to blow the air, whether to recirculate or use fresh air, and what the best optimal fan speed is.

 

[stopcrazypp]

It's starting to warm up and my ac needs to run on fan speed 8+ to feel comfortable.
Live in socal, been about 80 degrees out.
I have one of those roof shades and ceramic tint all around including the windshield.

I did a search and the comments here seem to be mixed so I can't tell if this is normal behavior

I'm guessing you aren't using Auto mode so it isn't recirculating? Try throwing it in auto and it should require much less fan speed since the car knows when to recirculate for maximum efficiency.

 

[coolprius]

Model Y? These filters should be changed at least every 2 years. (I just changed the cabin air filters in my Model Y after two years. The old filters looked clean

Have you changed the two cabin air filters since purchasing your Model Y? These filters should be changed at least every 2 years. (I just changed the cabin air filters in my Model Y after two years. The old filters looked clean but I noticed increased air flow from my Model Y HVAC vents after changing the cabin air filters. (My theory (unproven) is that the Tesla Model HVAC system can detect a drop in airflow due to a blocked cabin air filter. After changing the filters it takes some time for the HVAC system to recalibrate the fan speed for the improved airflow.)

Park in the shade whenever possible. (Ceramic tint and sunshade only delay the rise in cabin temperature above 120F while parked in the sun (unless you set Cabin Overheat protection with AC to be On.)

Precondition the Tesla Model Y for 4 or 5 minutes before driving, preferably while plugged in.

Set the HVAC to Auto and your preferred cabin temperature (69F to 72F for my Model Y in warm weather.)

Set the Fan Speed to Medium or High. (In the HVAC Auto setting the HVAC Fan Speed setting (Low/Med/High) functions as a speed limiter not a fixed speed. Fixed fan blower speeds from 1 to 10 only apply when the Climate Control is set to Manual.

Turn on Recirculate Cabin Air so that the AC does not have to work as hard. The Tesla Voice commands are "Recirculate" and "Fresh Air".

yeah i changed it when it was 2 years old.
like you mentioned, the radiator is probably full of leaves and other crap.
i saw a video of someone getting under the frunk and to access the radiator and spray it down so i'll probably give that a try.

 

[Resist]

You'd think Tesla would have made the front grill air intake radiator easier to get at, so it can be cleaned periodically. An access panel under the frunk would have been perfect.

 

[gsmith123]

In my 2019 Model 3 (so pre-heat pump HVAC) it typically wouldn't require fan speed 8 in 80 degree. Once it hits 95-100 though then yes I'll keep the fan up there.

So not totally unreasonable but a bit high.

 

[Wally26]

Update seems to be working fairly well, although I can't figure why the AC was blowing on my bare feet at one point. I've never had a car do that on AUTO AC. It only seemed to do it for the first few minutes, still, annoying..and chilly. Not sure if this was a result of the new update. Fan seems to run a little high, but is probably just the nature of the system. Be nice to have a AUTO fan speed adjustment, but it would probably mess with efficiency.

 

[jcanoe]

yeah i changed it when it was 2 years old.
like you mentioned, the radiator is probably full of leaves and other crap.
i saw a video of someone getting under the frunk and to access the radiator and spray it down so i'll probably give that a try.

There is a radiator and radiator fan. Tesla coolant runs through the radiator. The front AC coil is separate from the radiator. The AC compressor line runs through this AC coil.

 

[Sweed269]

The latest update changed the AC behavior. Mine wasn't working like it normally does. It used to instantly get to temperature and keep it there. Yesterday, I had to lower the temp and crank the fan.

 

[Benito1283]

The latest update changed the AC behavior. Mine wasn't working like it normally does. It used to instantly get to temperature and keep it there. Yesterday, I had to lower the temp and crank the fan.

Same. I think when they said the update “cools the cabin down quicker” they actually meant slower. Seems like all the Auto fan speeds are reduced quite a bit. Don’t like it. Although it does seem to maintain the set temp fine once it’s there.

 

[MY-Y]

My AC (2020) was too cold when set to 69 in 94 degree sunshine today. It can easily make me very cold without blasting the fan. The trick is to just leave it on "auto."

 

[DrDiesel1]

I run mine in Auto mode, with the recirculation door shut and temp set on 68°F
We have had a few days of 101°F to 105°F here. I drive to Needles CA. two days a week
for Lotto tickets. It was 112° to 117°F in Needles CA.
Never had to change my settings at all. I have it set to vents only.

This AC system works better than any other car I've owned.

 

[Wattsisname]

My AC (2020) was too cold when set to 69 in 94 degree sunshine today. It can easily make me very cold without blasting the fan. The trick is to just leave it on "auto."

 

[EY2K]

I've noticed on my 23 MYP it takes a minute for the fans to ramp up in 'auto'. Like putting around in the parking lot, and its not blowing much. The moment I get on road and reach speeds >35mph it seems to ramp up to the speed it needs to be at. Not sure if this was due to some logic change with the latest software updates. I don't think it used to be that way.

 

[Sweed269]

I run mine in Auto mode, with the recirculation door shut and temp set on 68°F
We have had a few days of 101°F to 105°F here. I drive to Needles CA. two days a week
for Lotto tickets. It was 112° to 117°F in Needles CA.
Never had to change my settings at all. I have it set to vents only.

This AC system works better than any other car I've owned.

I have always run in auto and it has been flawless, but after the last update it stopped working right. I did a reset and will check if it comes back to its old self.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I have always run in auto and it has been flawless, but after the last update it stopped working right. I did a reset and will check if it comes back to its old self.

Which update version is it? It's not particularly telling just to say "last update," because Tesla does not roll out updates to everyone at the same time.

 

[Sweed269]

v12.3.6
2024.14.9