Here's an interesting one - can I change the heater temperature?

Hello fellow Coloradan. Today is a good day, shorts and a t-shirt with -2C on the thermometer.

I generally drive with the HVAC off, but with the correct flows it will still blow some air at speed. I set it to outside air, then put the temperature in the high 70's or sometimes even to maximum hot. Then just turn the HVAC off, not on AUTO, or any fan speed, but off.

Now as you drive, the wind will still force air through the cabin from the outside, and because you set the temp high, it is still keeping the setting to direct engine heat inside the cabin. At 40-50mph and up you can feel a little bit of heat coming out of the vents. In an ideal world, it would not happen, but I use this to my advantage.

Of course you can always just roll the window down a crack in the front and back and keep the heat on low.

As to spoofing the temperature, I am sure you could by bypassing the cabin temperature control and adding your own thermostat.

 

It should blow fairly hot at first no matter what the temp setting, but once the cabin temperature comes up the air coming out of the vents will cool off until it is basically at the temperature you set. In our Prius usually 72 is comfortable once the cabin has warmed up - definitely not too hot. If yours @ 66 is blowing hot all the time then something is wrong.

 

I believe he was saying that 66F is too warm. Not that it is blowing hot 80F air when set to 66F, but that if the cabin warmed up to 66F, it would be uncomfortably hot. I would die at 72F. My house is kept around 60F and during nights the bedroom goes to around freezing.

 

Have you tried auto mode and adjust to the desired temp. h​

 

Set the temp low and crack a window
Set the temp low and turn on the air conditioning.
I assume you're heating up so much on sunny cold days because the sun is such a factor, tint your windows?

 

I have the same problem in my 2007. I use the "auto" mode. But sometimes, like somebody else said, if its sunny out and I have the heat set on auto to 70 degrees, let say, Ill turn it down to 65 because 70 will feel like Im sitting inside a pretty rotisserie machine with 4 wheels and hybrid synergy drive. 65 degrees is still too hot. Put it on LO and it starts blowing cold air at full blast. NOT what I was looking for, lol.

 

Yeah I agree. Im sure its the design. I definitely notice it too. Its been 35 degrees out but sunny and Ive had to crack a window because the heat is down to 65 and its still too hot - definitely NOT blowing 65 degree air or attempting to make the cabin 65 either.

 

Not sure if it's the same on the Gen II, but there are dealer-adjustable temperature settings on the Gen III. See attached.

 

Hi Scott. What happens if you just set it to 65 and put the fan on it's lowest setting. Is it still too hot?
Also, if the weather is fine, what happens if you just turn the fan completely off once it's up to temperature. Does the cabin remain warm enough or do you need to keep cycling it?

 

If 65 is still too hot, take your jacket or coat off.

 

I do. Pretty soon Ill be driving naked. lol

 

Haha, you don't wear anything underneath your jacket or coat!!

 

Well you know, times are tough!

I was trying to say that I already take off my jacket because it gets too hot. If I keep taking off articles of clothing to appease my hot headed Prius climate control, then I will be naked

 

It appears you are really complaining the air coming out of the vent is too hot and not the temperature setting.
All newer cars have climate control and not air temperature control anymore.
Once you set the temperature, the control unit will try to heat up the cabin to the set temperature as quickly as possible, so sometime the air vent temperature may reach as high as 110 degrees once the engine is warmed up.
As suggest by other posts, turn the fan speed to lowest when air vent temperature gets too high for you or turn the air vent direction away from your body.