AC refrigerant posted by Shiers69 on August 17, 2011 at 11:19 AM
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used as refrigerants vary. Depending on application a specific refrigerant will work best. I have yet to see a converted R12 (to 134a) that worked as well as with R12. This article you posted says that if the compressor is not changed cooling capacity will diminish in converted systems. I have heard that R134a is 10% less efficient than R12 but I don't quite understand that. I do recall the air in my 1986 mustang (an R12 system) was way better than any R134a equipped car I have had since. I feel disappointed in the air of my 1994 Z. With a cabin that small it should be cooler.
I think 134a gets hotter on compression and less cool on expansion. That is the nature of its inefficiency as compared to R12. If you recall, R12 cars cooled fine in traffic jams while R134a cars do not cool well unless moving. The heat of compression cannot be dissipated well enough by fans. The hotter the refrigerant is on expansion the less cooling it will provide.
