partition behind the seats?

[ikhoudvanu199]

anyone every see those glass partitions convertibles have behind the seats to stop the turbulence? yes, im sure you have. well, that got me thinking. what if we put something similar to that behind the seats in our insights. no, not for turbulence if we have the top down , but to keep the passenger compartment separate from the trunk area. why? to make the area to be heat/cooled by the climate control smaller. if the climate control has a smaller space to heat/cool, then it means in the winter, getting the cabin up to temp quicker, and more of a chance for auto stop when in econ mode. In the summer, less area to cool means less use of the a/c. I've always thought it silly to heat/cool that entire area of cargo space since no one is sitting there. The IMA has its own venting system that, I believe, runs under and through the floor in the back, so this shouldn't effect IMA cooling. It could be made out of Plexiglas to resist breaking and be easy to handle. Anyone ever try this or think about it?

[Roger Crier]

That all sounds like it makes perfect sense to me, as long as you don't block the airflow to the electrics......If you use Polycarbonate sheet (Lexan) rather than the cheaper acrylic stuff (Perspex), you will be able to cut it with a hand held jig saw without the risk of it cracking, so you can then use a thinner lighter sheet. You will also have made the car safer from loose objects flying around from the loadspace if you have a mishap.

I bet the moment you fit the thing you will need to get some 8ft plumbing pipe or timber, (so give it a small flap in between the seats!) .......plus it will be another thing to clean

You left off the sound deadening effect you might get if you seal off the load space

Once you have cut the sheet to shape, be aware that a realy good way to clean up the edges (once you have given them a quick sanding or filing to your template line) is to "scrape" them with a sharp craft knife! This very quickly gives a finish akin to 1,000 grit, and should you wish you can take it from there with any good acrylic polish to give a perfectly polished edge as long as you didn't let the knife "chatter"

Rog

[boogetyboogety]

You know, a few years back I thought of the same thing, but I didn't have a clue as to whether the cooling of the electrics needed air flow from the cabin in order to stay within Honda parameters. What I envisioned was a piece of transparent material, just like Roger Crier suggested, but to accommodate air flow somewhat, with a 1" or so gap all the way around the divider edges and the greenhouse. It would have been mounted with a couple of footed metal flanges on the bottom near the corners, that would straddle the little raised edge all along the front of the "trunk" for stability, and a metal bar on each of the upper edges that would somehow (I never got as far as engineering the thing) offer quick release for removal in case of large objects (like the aforementioned pipe or timber), cleaning, or to return to stock. And then I consumed a couple of Stellas and forgot all about it...

I think somebody ought to roll with this! I may even give it a shot one of these days, when I have some extra free time (improbable) or I'm out of Stella (horrors!).

[james]

I think a better way (or perhaps a complementary one) to reduce heating/cooling demands would be to add some insulation, especially to door and roof areas. Remember that you've got just a thin layer of aluminum between cabin and outside, and aluminum is not generally noted for its high R-value Some styrofoam insulation would weigh next to nothing...

[ibjeff]

We have really cool ones available for our Chevrolet SSR. Just take a look at what these guys did.....I have one that has the leds that make it look like red neon around it. I bet your ideas could be a + in our Insights and you could make them cool looking like these http://www.windsuppressr.com/

[gpsman1]

A couple of questions:

Is the heating/cooling demand that great to begin with?

When you are bringing in outside air, where does the air exhaust back out?
( It goes out by the tailgate in my Ford Escape )
When trying to defog windows, you need a place to exhaust the damp air.

I've not yet driven in summer, but I use the heat very little ( if at all ) in 20-30 degree weather.
A small jacket is comfortable, and my body heat and warm breath warms the cabin in just a few minutes.
( Solar heat comes in too of course if it's daytime.)
Does anyone think this will save more than 0.1 MPG?
Isn't the added weight going to cost you 0.1 MPG ( or more ) with such a small engine?

[b1shmu63]

There are 2 exhaust vents in the rear of the Insight under the level of the back deck. The air for the IMA system is drawn through a grill covered duct behind the passenger seat, so putting in a window won't impede airflow through the IMA and might help in fact. A lot of heat is lost or gained through the rear hatch window, so this should help fuel efficiency on ballance and possibly quieten the ride. If you do it professionally it sounds like a worthwhile mod.