Civic AC weak?

Upstate NY...hot and humid. My 2005 Civic EX's AC is worthless without
recirc on...is this normal?

 

On many cars, that's the case. Hondas have a history of being VERY weak
on AC....that is, until the 98 Accord. At that point, they got it
right. On the Odyssey, you can hang meat. It's that cold.

But the Civic, I'm sure, is still the cost-cutting king. I'm sure they
didn't--maybe couldn't--put a killer AC system in. So yes, use recirc.
In fact, that's what it's there for. Why try to dehumidify the outside
air, which is a big chore on those days, when you could simply
dehumidify the inside air--which is much easier to do on an ongoing
basis?

 

We just spent a week in FL. My wife's 2003 EX A/C did great without
recirc. My '98 is a little weak, but only under the worst conditions
(95f+ and silly humidity) do I need to hit recirc.

 

You likely have a very valid concern. Here are a few thoughts to consider
and a little background.
What are the length of your trips and are you driving city or highway?
What is the color of your car? If your driving in city traffic and have a
dark colored car you better keep it in recirculate until it cools down. I
would obtain a small AC thermometer and put it in the center duct. My
forest green 95 Civic EX is at 120 degrees when I enter the vehicle but it
will cool down to about 40 degrees out of the center duct in recir mode and
to about 48 degrees in normal (note: that's the temp of the air coming out
the vents, not the temp of the interior).....It's always possible your
Freon is low but unlikely. It's easy to overcharge these R-134A systems
because they have no sight glass. Good luck.

 

You can buy a simple pressure gauge at Wallyworld for about $10. It will
tell you if the system is low or high.

 

Makes sense.
A bit different from my CR-V where I can make it cold to the point I'm
shivering when it's 100+ outside.

 

A big part of "cooling" is reducing the humidity - letting outside air
in defeats this.

 

I've always owned Hondas and AC has always been an issue. The AC in my Civic
is useless in hot, humid weather without the recirc. In really hot, humid
weather, I have to have it on full blast for awhile before the car gets to
the temperature I like.