1-6x17" cardboard piece & +10 MPG! Yup no lie

[bobmutch]

@dykedelta

What was the temp when you tried a looped route with the rad block. I found at 7F there was little change but at 27F big change.

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far in the UK, at 18 degrees centigrade.

I decided it was time to remove the winter radiator block and noted that whilst driving at motorway speeds (using my Garmin EcoRoute HD device) that my coolant temperature hovered around 92 degrees rather than the usual 96 or 97 degrees, so perhaps I should have removed the rad block sooner?

[dykedelta]

I do not beleive aword about radiator block ,it cost me 7-8 mph .it interfers with aerodynamics .My milage down to 47-48 ,was`getting 50/s last summer .Tires inflated to max too, This lean burn peploe referr to ,how do yiou know when it appears ? This insifgr has been fair on milage but no way to get 60-70 mph .jd

[Bugone]

I've just installed my grill block in an attempt to minimise winter losses. I used carpet protector.



Measured with a little bit of help.

[Bugone]

Hmm, very interesting. On my commute today, I had to put my foot down a bit both ways.

It's been between 6 and 10 degree, and raining. I still averaged 72 mpg.

[head-met]

Has anyone ever considered, rather than adding a piece of cardboard, constructing a removable piece of aluminum to fill in the grill opening just below the hood. It could be painted to match, give the car, a sleeker, more modern look, and add to the aerodynamics as well. Maybe the advantage in mpg would be two fold. Look at the new cars with their fancy, operating grill shutters.

[Bugone]

Originally Posted by head-met

Has anyone ever considered, rather than adding a piece of cardboard, constructing a removable piece of aluminum to fill in the grill opening just below the hood. It could be painted to match, give the car, a sleeker, more modern look, and add to the aerodynamics as well. Maybe the advantage in mpg would be two fold. Look at the new cars with their fancy, operating grill shutters.

Why aluminium? The hood above and the bumper below are both plastic.

Some people have blocked off the top grill as well in extreme cold weather.I guess the lower grill is bigger, and blocking it doesn't make it difficult to open the bonnet.

[02insight]

the hood is aluminum, not plastic.

[GChamb]

For anyone thinking of a radiator block, I recently did this. I drive the exact same route everyday will little to no variables. After putting in this 17" x 6" cardboard block my mpg in the am stayed the same (cold climate), however my afternoon return home (75 degrees, nearly all up hill) yielded a 3-4 mpg gain! Awesome!

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[RedJellyBean]

Originally Posted by dykedelta

I do not beleive aword about radiator block ,it cost me 7-8 mph .it interfers with aerodynamics .My milage down to 47-48 ,was`getting 50/s last summer .Tires inflated to max too, This lean burn peploe referr to ,how do yiou know when it appears ? This insifgr has been fair on milage but no way to get 60-70 mph .jd

wait.. your post title said "owner engineer"

Are you implying that you are an engineer?