Black interior - too hot for Texas summers?

I'm trying to decide if a black full leather interior will be a problem during the hot summers here in Texas... For those of you who have black interiors in hot climates, is black a big problem for you? Would you buy another car with a black interior? I'm sure that Graphite Gray is a cooler interior than black, but by how much? Is it significant, or does black just take a few minutes longer to cool down once the AC is running? Finally, how good is the AC system in a MY02/03 996? Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated. Thanks, longhorn911

Black interiors can be TOO hot even in Seattle. On the issue of A/C, unless Porsche has corrected the serious flaw in the 996 A/C design it needs manual control over-ride to be really efficient even on a moderate temperature but bright and sunny day. For some strange reason once the interior temperature approaches or reaches the setpoint (72F??) the system will begin to route a lot of airflow, A WHOLE lot of airflow, to the windshield defrost outlets. Chilling the windshield in this manner does nothing but waste cooling efficiency and can become very hazardous in certain climatic conditions. On the drive from POE to Seattle our car's windshield suddenly fogged over on the outside in the early evening (July, hot AND humid) as we approached Birmingham AL. You can prevent this by over-riding the system, selecting dash outlets only or dash and footwell when not in recirculate mode. In more extreme cases the A/C efficiency can be increased dramatically by placing the system setpoint at "max cool" and recirculate, and then using the blower speed to control cabin temperature/comfort levels.

I had a 1991 Black/Black/Black Cabriolet in Houston....I could only drive that car after it sat overnite in the Garage at home...if I parked it outside for over an hour, FORGET IT! I'd highly recommend you getting some sheepskins or covers for the SUMMER months, which to me started in april and ends in october. If youve got seat heaters, then use them WITHOUT the sheepskins in the fall/spring since there isnt technically a winter I dont have any problems with hot black leather seats here in san francisco anymore.......

I live in Austin and bought a black/black 2000 996C2 in August. You might think it would be torture, but I'm very pleased with how well the A/C works in this car. It flat out rocks. Freeze your fingers off cold. Never takes more than 15 seconds to start blowing COLD air and cools the ambient temp in the car in a minute or two. I had to choose between a black/black and lapis/grey car. Both were practically identical in price/features/condition except for color combo. I chose the one with black interior because I think it looks much more like a sports car interior, IMO. I think I made the right decision. Just get the windows tinted and a sunshade and it won't matter what interior color you get. -Dave '00 996c2 '97 M3 '00 A4 1.8TQ '89 M3

I have triple black cab in CA and it does get very hot in the summer right when you get in the car. But usually cool down fairly quick. Peter

I have a slate grey '03 coupe with full black leather interior. Here in Los Angeles, I find it ridiculously hot inside when the car's been sitting for more than a few minutes in the full sun. This summer, I found it seriously unpleasant - I would have to wait to get into the car to go to a lunch meeting, arrive sweaty, cool down during lunch, and repeat the process back to my office. Now that it's cooling down a bit here, it's fine again. I think the main problem is not that the car is so hot when you first get in - since I think the '03 a/c is terrific (really terrific) and the car is so small that it cools down very fast - the problem is that the black seats retain their heat despite the interior air temp being low. It's like the seat warmers are on (which I don;t have, so they're not!). I think the only color that woudl offer any real relief would be tan or light grey - the darker greys, blues, etc. would still retain too much heat and the surrounding dark surfaces would also heat up quick. I am in the process of getting a windshield sunshade and I may get tint - I hear these two additions make an enormous difference. Would I do it again? I think so only because the black just looks so darn good, but if I don't find that the windshield shade and tint help, then I might not since it's truly a royal PITA.

Totally agree with Dave. The A/C in my car ROCKS and to be perfectly honest, a light colored interior would be almost as hot in any hot climate. I have the navy blue in mine and it is no problem now that I have the windows tinted.

Nick - I'm hoping the tint helps mine stay cooler. Did you really notice a difference? What brand and % of tint did you use and did it come out clean and "stock" looking (ie, not pimped out)? (no disrespect to pimps, of course)

I tested the darker leather and Graphite Grey here in Miami in the summer. Big difference. The grey is cooler. The A/C works great and fast.

I live in Scottsdale. 'Nuff said. I went with Graphite Grey, Speed Yellow ext. Looks great, particularly because, unlike the Boxster, almost all interior components are color-matched to the leather. And much, much cooler. My '03 996's A/C is marginal on 115deg days. Of course, your choice should depend on the exterior color you choose...what color are you considering? And get deviating carpet, as the Graphite Grey carpet is too light, shows dirt too easily. Being the deviant that I am, I went with Natural Grey carpet, which is dark grey, w/ matching floormats. Looks fantastic w/ GG. IMO, you shouldn't order black carpet/mats, as the contrast is too strong w/ GG, due again to the majority of other interior tidbits being color-matched. Finally, if you go with a light interior, I'd recommend the leather-wrapped steering column, as this gets rid of the big chunk'o'black plastic betwixt the light dash and the light steering wheel, is one of the most reasonably-priced leather options, and is very nicely stitched/executed in interior leather color. -DT

You could always get a remote start installed so you're car is already cooled down by the time you get to it........

I highly recommend getting Llumar. Mine is 38% and is plenty dark enough for me. And yes, it really made a difference. I typically get in my car, start it, roll the windows down, hit the Auto button on the A/C and by the time I am out of the parking lot of work and heading down the street, it's cool enough to roll the windows up. Hell, the damn aluminum bit on the shifter stays hot even after the interior has cooled down!

Hey at least Porsche gives you a choice. (If you are willing to pay the $$$). I have a Porsche now because BMWNA wants to control options coming to the US. I couldn't even get what is a "standard" option in Europe and other places. We are talking sun visors, etc. I would have loved a Grey interior with the Sterling Grey exterior, but BMW wouldn't let me get it on the M5. (Hint Racing colors of Germany) Solution: Go to Porsche. They'll give you almost anything you want. And Yes.... I lived in Texas and Florida. Black would never, ever be considered due to the heat.

Sheesh. I live in Atlanta and have a triple black car. Suck it up. Black interior isn't that much hotter. I use a windshield shade and it makes the WORLD of difference in the summertime. And all black looks cool. -Paul

When I sold cars, we did a test to show people that the color of the interior didn't play as big of a role in interior temperature as people thought. We took 4 cars - 2 white and 2 black. One white had black interior and one tan interior, the same for the black cars. The difference in temperature was 3 degrees between the white cars and 4 degrees between the black cars. It's not like there is a 10-15 degree temperature difference. So I agree with ettsn...SUCK IT UP!

No matter how good the A/C is it can NEVER cool that black (dark) seat surface that's the "interface" between your body seat surfaces. Last time I was in Phoenix I met a guy with a black LS with an ivory interior and he said that even so had to tint the windows (they were quite dark) to be comfortable in the car. Black exterior likely didn't help either. The A/C in an LS can freeze your tail off quickly. And by the way it does seem to help immensely if you can leave the sunroof tilted up slightly when the car is left setting in the hot sun.

If you like black interiors go for it. My previous 2 cars had black leather and I was looking for a triple black cab 993 but the perfect one I found had Classic Gray leather. I'm now happy with my choice because I like the contrast of the gray with the black dash pieces, and also because it was new for me. It does seem a little "less hot", but not enough to be a deciding factor. I mean hey - I live in AZ and hot is hot. I would use cotton seat covers in the summer and it was no problem. I've done it for more than one car so if you like the look, buy what you're looking for.