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inside temp difference between silver T@Bs and white T@Bs

MartineMartine Member Posts: 6
in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
I was at a local T@B dealership today looking at used 320 S models. One was silver with black trim, and the other was white with black trim.

The salesman told me that, on a 72 degree day when not running the AC, the interior of the white one will be 72 deg, and the interior of the silver one will be 100 deg. I can imagine there might be a small difference, but that seemed like a huge jump!

The conversation came about because I told him I'd be traveling with my 3 dogs, and he suggested I'd have to run the AC more if we had the silver one, so that I could to keep them safe when they were inside.

I would appreciate any thoughts/ideas. Thanks!
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Comments

  • Sean_DebSean_Deb Member Posts: 9
    Let me guess, the white one was decked out and more expensive.
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,981
    We have a silver TaB.  The roof insulation is the same in all the 320s and I know owners with white TaBs who remain concerned about their pets left in the TaB in the heat.  I am not convinced there is any difference.  Curious if the white one was higher priced ;). They all heat up if left out in the sun without ventilation or AC.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • VernaVerna Member Posts: 6,878
    edited May 2020
    I think the white is the more popular color and I sure can’t see that a little bit darker color of silver would actually increase the temperature inside that much more than white. 

    Unfortunately, some salesmen tend to look at their bottom line very closely and that may have influenced his comment to you. 
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,253
    If this had even the slightest chance to be true....everything outside in the sun would be white, not just campers.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • mjpalmermjpalmer Member Posts: 20
    I think there is a difference with the temp inside due to the outside color.  We bought a t@b 400 last spring and we were looking at two side by side.  One was white and one was silver.  The silver t@b was quite a bit warmer inside than the white one.  We were shocked.  The silver one is not much darker but the temperature difference was quite dramatic.  We even talked about it on our drive home.  Good luck on your camper search :)
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  • TNOutbackTNOutback Member Posts: 633
    Lots of research on color pigments and visible and IR light absorption.  Lighter colors reflect more sunlight than darker colors.  White and silver are the “coolest”, along with yellow.  Silver absorbs more sunlight than white.  Conductivity of the heat to the interior also matters, but assuming the campers are constructed the same, the white’s interior would be a little cooler than the silver.  It would indeed be interesting to measure the interior temps of a silver and a white T@B side by side in the sun.  We wrestled a bit about it ourselves - before ordering a silver 400.  ;)
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  • webers3webers3 Member Posts: 421
    Sounds to me like he was trying to get rid of the white one
    2017 T@B 320S   2019 Jeep Cherokee - Southern Connecticut
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  • chrisinrochchrisinroch Member Posts: 5
    I’d imagine a graphics place could retrofit some vinyl to whatever color you’d want.
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  • VictoriaPVictoriaP Member Posts: 1,496
    chrisinroch said:
    I’d imagine a graphics place could retrofit some vinyl to whatever color you’d want.
    They absolutely can, but vinyl wrapping a Tab is surprisingly pricey. Any money saved by buying the silver unit would be eaten up with a wrap.
    2019 320s BD Lite, white with blue (“Haven”)
    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6r (unsafe 200lb tongue weight limit until 2020 models)
    2020 Subaru Outback XT
    Pacific NW
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  • dCliffhangerdCliffhanger Member Posts: 120
    My salesman pointed out this difference between white and silver. I know it sound counter-intuitive but it is true. I actually went between several white vs silver and white was consistently cooler. And, if you research it, you will find that pure white reflects a higher percent of the sun's rays than silver. Silver, if one thinks about it, has a component of black in it and absorbs more. White reflects all wavelengths equally.
    Ron\ 2020 T@B 320-S Boondock Edge; Roof Solar, Firefly Grp31 Carbon Foam Battery; TV: 2019 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 3.6l V6; Madison, Wi
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  • ChrisFixChrisFix Member Posts: 741
    While not based on any side by side comparisons, I specifically purchased my T@B 400 in white, as I wanted the best chance at the coolest (temp wise that is, not style!) rig I could get. And while having never owned a white car before, I bought my Ridgeline in white for the same reason. Living in the southeast, the 100+ degree days are just around the corner!
    2025 T@B 400 Boondock Black Canyon with 400Ah Battle Born and Victron Multiplus 3000
    2025 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition with Redarc Trailer Brake Controller
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  • gulfareagulfarea Member Posts: 524
    Boat seats that are black can burn skin in children if sat on in the sun. White seats are hot but not as bad.
    2019 TaB 320 S Boondock Edge
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