Are you referring to a specific car?. Most of the cars I've driven have an AC button, a Recirc button, a fan speed control and a temperature control. You can set the fan speed to max, the temperature to the coldest setting, and have the AC on cooling outside air. When you press recirc, it starts drawing air from inside the cabin.

The only cars I've driven that may have used the system you describe are fords and some chevys. I know that fords have an "ac" and a "max ac" setting on the knob, and the difference may well have been recirculation. It's been a while since I've driven one.

 

Also, I avoid using the recirculation button unless the AC isn't capable of blowing cold enough without it or if I'm stuck behind a smelly truck, in an industrial area, etc. Supposedly, recirculating the same air can allow carbon monoxide to build up in the cabin causing headaches and sleepiness. I think you have to have an exhaust leak or a path for exhaust to rise up into the car for it to happen, but I always experienced headaches and sleepiness on long drives with recirc ac in my old Accord, and after I stopped using the recirc those problems went away.

 

Funny thing is, I drive a Buick and was speaking to a person that drives a chevy and a person that drives a ford

If a car does not have a recirculate button, max A/C pulls air from inside the car (recirculates), and regular A/C or the "norm" setting pulls outside air.

 

recic all the way.....i love turboed w/ a/c

 

and P/S

 

and ABS........p/w...p/l....sunroof...

 

your what??? oh the word i was looking for was..... SLOW lol

 

I love ac and couldnt go without it. Toyota's have the best ac that shit freezes my face.

 

my car's a sauna with its black vinyl convertible top. but after two minutes of a/c on recirculate, i can hang slabs of beef in the back seat.