wgregt

Wouldn't the system have more wear on it when trying to constantly cool the air coming in from outside with recirc off? Seems to me you are getting a steady influx of warm air from outside the cabin, and it never gets to your desired temp b/c basically it has to cool the entire world (or at least the part in oyour path constantly moving into the cabin.

I don't think I've even owed a car in my decades of driving where I turned the AC on, and left the recirc off.

In my mind recirc closes the air in the cabin, then "treats" it...either cools it or heats it, etc.

salimshah

You are correct that if warm air influx is chocked, the closed air gets cooler at a faster rate.
Caveats are:
Even in recirc fresh air is still introduced at a reduced rate.
The cooling is strong enough to compensate for the hot air outside that is being pulled in.

Engineers have determined the amount of fresh air that needs to be pulled in for health of occupants. Trust me those Lexus guys have done a fine job [my middle east example stated before].

Many years ago, I would lower the windows to air out the hot air in the parked car in Sun.

Salim