Joe , the power to weight ratio was the point I was trying to make . If you want a car with nostalgic appeal , ponderously heavy with a big V-8 at 3900 pounds the new Camaro with an old tech pushrod V-8 may be for you . Ditto the new Challenger at 4100 pounds . If I were looking for a sporty car at that pricepoint , I would seriously consider the new Nissan 370Z with 320 horsepower and handling at 3300 pounds that would leave the new Camaro in the dust on the twisty roads . Looks(tanklike visablity in the Camaro, sparse headroom for anyone over 6') or real world performance is what it comes down to . Myself, I like the pocket rockets , I'll probably get a VW GTI for my next car . Spacious cabin , 200 horsepower that can be chipped to 250 - all with 30 mpg avg , not too hard to live with as an everyday driver .

Apparently, the mineral oil used with R12 doesn't mix with R134a and additionally provides a sealing effect on non-barrier type hoses so that the R134a doesn't leak through them. On some cars the clutch cycling pressure switch may need to be adjusted for R134a. I had my 1988 Ford Mustang 5.0 converted to R134a. Besides changing the fittings and installing a Smart VOV (which was my idea, my mechanic had never used them before), everything else is all original. The Smart VOV is a replacement orifice tube that self-adjusts for operating pressures and provides performance similar to a TXV system. It's supposed to provide colder air at idle with and reduce the load on the compressor. It was $20 at NAPA so it wasn't a big expense. I have no idea how much it helped compared to a standard orifice, but my mechanic was impressed. Anyway, all of that was about 4 years ago and the AC still works fine.

Sandy, that is amazing. I figured you were looking at the average use per day, but knew you'd figure it out for us. I think Txgal can at least be confident that she didn't make a mistake with her insulation choice, but might look at some usage habits. Even in a month when neither AC nor Heat would be run much for us, we still tripled Sandy's daily average. Like you, txgal, I've also been disappointed in electric usage, but am sure there's habits that my whole family have formed in our new found spacious living that's resulted in high bills, like having 7 100 watt flood lights on the porch each night. Every time someone enters the kitchen, too, 7 100 watt flood lights get turned on. add in a bunch of incandescent bulbs throughout, and there's one glaring change we can make. I'm going shopping for new bulbs tomorrow. We had our home energy star rated last year. We have a HERS score of 89.8 with the Efficient Home Comparison rated at 49% Better. One of the contributing factors of the high score is the fact that the home is well insulated and sealed. Icynene contributed greatly to that. According to the report, the single largest contributor to our cooling season load is "internal gains". Keeping the home 72 degrees when it's 97 out is one thing, doing it when there's a million incandescent bulbs and flood lights on, along with 4 grown people showering and cooking is another thing altogether. It seems there's almost always laundry going. I'd like to have a meter on that room all by itself. This has been a good thread. Thanks.

A 2TWR3042 heat pump combined with a 2TEE3F40 air handler is indeed an XR13 rated at 40,500 btu-hour, 14 SEER, 12 EER, 8.2 HSPF. A little low on HSPF but you are in Florida so no big deal. Otherwise, these are good numbers especially the 12 EER. I think that it is smart to replace the 2 refrigerant lines. You won't have to worry about any junk from the old lines getting into the new system. As far as the v-s blower, it is an ECM motor, extremeley quiet, and adjusts it's speed based on constant CFM output. These are the latest and greatest motors. The pros love them because they can adjust their speed based on ductwork conditions and provide a fixed CFM. They are also very expensive to replace. Some poor girl many months ago paid $1000, part-only, for an OEM Bryant ECM motor. My entire Goodman air handler was only $700. There are dip switches in the air handler that have to be set by the installer for the v-s motor to run properly. The v-s blowers are touted to people who like to run the fan all of the time to help circulate air in the home. In this mode, the v-s motor drops to about 30%, and you can't hear it if you are standing next to the air handler. There is a setting called "Comfort R", offerred by Trane, that slows the air handler down to provide better humidity control when the a/c is running. I am not sure if this is a function of the air handler or t-stat so you should ask Mr Trane. For pricing comparison, an April 30th quote for a 3-ton XR13 in Baltimore was $4600, different heat pump and air handler. Your performance numbers are much better than what I was quoted. Your pricing looks good. I wouldn't let the R22 be a major factor in your decision. I just installed a new 3-ton, 14 SEER, 12 EER, Goodman heat pump in June. I chose good old R22 and a fixed speed fan in the air handler. These were my personal choices after many days of research. I too am I mech engineer employed in the steel industry. This HVAC stuff is side interest to keep my brain cells communicating.