Black vs White Camper Shell Temperature Differences

[judyjudy]

We have narrowed down our search for a TV for our 2016 Classic to F250's. We are now trying to decide black vs white. We really are leaning towards black, but are curious about how much hotter it will get in a black camper shell than a white. The camper shell will carry bikes, generators, etc. We are in the South. In the dog days of summer, both are going to be extremely hot. Do you think we should be concerned black vs white. Thanks for any input.

[mandolindave]

Might be hard to find though. White, bare metal and some colors were tested. White won

I made my decision on white, because they started painting school bus roofs white. They " claimed " a 12 degree difference. I dunno how well school buses are insulated, if at all. That being said, any vehicle is like a greenhouse. Go for tinted windows.

Also, I try not to travel in the hottest part of the day, for the transmissions sake.

[nsbcpa]

I used to have both a white(double) and black(single) motorcycle trailer. The white trailer was dramatically cooler when in the sun.

[Zybane]

3M Crystalline tint on the windows and white top. Definitely for the hot parts of the nation.

I painted the top of my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited white (it's factory black). Made a huge difference in temps.

[TinShack]

Black is sexy, but white won't burn your skin, and it's easier to keep clean.

[DuncanK1]

Black heats up quicker, but will also radiate heat out quicker once its out of the sun. White will definitely be cooler. However, I ordered silver for my truck for precisely this reason, and to match the AS!
You'll need your sunglasses on a sunny day!

For the same reason - don't paint your AS roof white.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

Might be hard to find though. White, bare metal and some colors were tested. White won

I made my decision on white, because they started painting school bus roofs white. They " claimed " a 12 degree difference. I dunno how well school buses are insulated, if at all. That being said, any vehicle is like a greenhouse. Go for tinted windows.

Also, I try not to travel in the hottest part of the day, for the transmissions sake.

Andy? Really? Benjamin Franklin did these tests in a snow bank 225 years ago.

[ALUMINUMINUM]

White v color v black

[perryg114]

Black is the worst color of any vehicle in the south. It will get much hotter than a white painted unit. The bar chart above shows this. White is my favorite color because it does not absorb as much heat. Anything in the interior will degrade from the extra heat.

Perry

[dznf0g]

I love the look.....of a clean black vehicle, but hot and keeping it clean.....sucks. I'll never own another one.

[perryg114]

Not necessarily so, it is possible for white paints to be good radiators as well. It really depends on the emissivity and the emissivity of white paints is just about as good as black paints and it does not absorb as much heat in the first place. Silver paint reflects light well but has bad emissivity so it heats up much faster and does not radiate well. This is why polished aluminum runs hotter than white. Aluminum has much lower emissivity than white paint. Silver is bad from a visibility standpoint on the road.

Perry

Originally Posted by DuncanK1

Black heats up quicker, but will also radiate heat out quicker once its out of the sun. White will definitely be cooler. However, I ordered silver for my truck for precisely this reason, and to match the AS!
You'll need your sunglasses on a sunny day!

For the same reason - don't paint your AS roof white.

[Nomad518]

You can easily test the difference yourself. On a hot sunny day, go outside for a while wearing a white t-shirt. Then, change into a black t-shirt. You'll feel the difference in the amount of heat transferred to your body by the black t-shirt immediately. You can do the same test with white and black hats, but then you'll be identified as either a "good guy" or a "bad guy."

[nrgtrakr]

The difference between our white car with the darkest legal window tint possible (barely gets hot even in Mexico) and our black pickup with black shell and no window tint on the cab door windows is so extreme we're thinking of painting the truck and shell at least white on top and tinting the windows.

[silverbp]

Originally Posted by DuncanK1

Black heats up quicker, but will also radiate heat out quicker once its out of the sun. White will definitely be cooler. However, I ordered silver for my truck for precisely this reason, and to match the AS!
You'll need your sunglasses on a sunny day!

For the same reason - don't paint your AS roof white.

Had a black 2013 F250 but it was so hot and hard to keep clean. Got a 2015 silver and love it. More power a lot cooler and never looks dirty.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums silver bp

[dannydimitt]

Black = hot
White = not as hot

[SouthForkAS]

just go with what they taught you in school
that's what kills me in LA where"cool" has nothing to do with temperature but how masochistic you are- triple black car resale is higher (go figger).
I love silver because yes, from a visibility stand point they are almost invisible and when it comes to not attracting the attention of bored cops that's a good thing.
I've had silver shells, I've had (and have now) white shells (never black) and white is cooler (anecdotal)
still, look for a shady spot.
and the 2% limo tint helps a lot!

[Boogieshoes]

Thanks all for the responses; I'm the DH of the OP. On my third straight black SUV; they do look sharp and they do get hot. The black over brown two tone King Ranch just looks so GOOD, hard to go white, but reason may win out here. Or, DW will decide on white and that will be that.😇😎😈
Boogieshoes

[Boogieshoes]

By the way, Silverbp, those are both fine looking trucks!

[jdalrymple]

I have had both.

I prefer the looks of a black automobile, so that is all I drive.

Temp on items inside the shell is not enough difference to matter.

My black truck has been to Burning Man (desert) twice.


Regards,


JD

[Zybane]

Originally Posted by DuncanK1

Black heats up quicker, but will also radiate heat out quicker once its out of the sun. White will definitely be cooler. However, I ordered silver for my truck for precisely this reason, and to match the AS!
You'll need your sunglasses on a sunny day!

For the same reason - don't paint your AS roof white.

The color of an object is largely irrelevant for "cooling down". The material composition is much more important.

One thing a lot of people forget is that there is a trade-off. Yes, white and bright colors will reflect more thermal energy. Good for warmer temps but bad for cooler. That same black car or trailer cap etc could be a boon in coolers temps.

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

I have had both.

I prefer the looks of a black automobile, so that is all I drive.

Temp on items inside the shell is not enough difference to matter.

My black truck has been to Burning Man (desert) twice.


Regards,


JD

Subjective thoughts on something that can be measured objectively really aren't relevant. Especially on huge deltas between black and white vehicle temperatures.