How much do you block your grille?

[Frank Hudon]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob64 @ Oct 12 2007, 11:30 PM) [snapback]525027[/snapback]</div>

That sorta contradicts what other people has said in other blocking threads... how blocking the top has no effect on temps...

Question: would you consider blocking 75% of the front hood, only leaving a huge block of space on the inverter side, be better then leaving a row open all along the bottom grille?
[/b]

I guess no one has looked at it over the long term. Just monitor it with CANview or Scangauge or a MiniScanner for the Classic.

[Tideland Prius]

haha.. so blocking the top has little effect? then why am I blocking it? lol

[V8Cobrakid]

i would like some answers too! so.. what works for sure? i seem to agree with evan and tony for the most part. no clue about the subject... but they're knowledgeable

[Frank Hudon]

I'll explain it again. I've been blocking it for 3 years now. Last 2 years I had blocked the 2k4 grill and not the upper slots and in the winter noticed that the ICE never got to 87C which is the temp at which the thermostat opens and was very reluctant to go ito stealth (it's her car and I don't drive it much). So one day when I got home from grocery shopping I blocked the top slots and went for a drive and sure enough 90 C on the same drive and every stop it was in stealth. So now I block the bottom off first and when the day time temps drop to 50F block the uppers as well. If it gets warm I just get her to pull the top 2 and no worries. This made almost 1 liter per hundred difference in the fuel ecomomy of her car over the winters where I only blocked the lower. The car now goes into stealth easily and the temp is touching 90C after a mile or so. Come spring time I pull the uppers first as the car gets enough cooling air flow thru it and then lastly the lower blockers when the day time temp is approching 50F

[wile-e]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Oct 15 2007, 12:48 AM) [snapback]525750[/snapback]</div>

I'll explain it again. I've been blocking it for 3 years now. Last 2 years I had blocked the 2k4 grill and not the upper slots and in the winter noticed that the ICE never got to 87C which is the temp at which the thermostat opens and was very reluctant to go ito stealth (it's her car and I don't drive it much). So one day when I got home from grocery shopping I blocked the top slots and went for a drive and sure enough 90 C on the same drive and every stop it was in stealth. So now I block the bottom off first and when the day time temps drop to 50F block the uppers as well. If it gets warm I just get her to pull the top 2 and no worries. This made almost 1 liter per hundred difference in the fuel ecomomy of her car over the winters where I only blocked the lower. The car now goes into stealth easily and the temp is touching 90C after a mile or so. Come spring time I pull the uppers first as the car gets enough cooling air flow thru it and then lastly the lower blockers when the day time temp is approching 50F
[/b]

That makes perfect sense. Here on the coast I don't have to worry as much about the temp changes. At least that is what I thought for the first year that I owned my Prius. Then I was looking at the plastic blockers for my truck and thinking about temperature changes affecting ICE warm up and shut offs...

So I built a plastic blocker for the grill and the change was instantaneous. My ICE shut off much sooner and my mileage went up.

I just hated the look of the plastic that I used (Old shop grade 1/8 black plastic.) Now from another thread I discovered people using pipe insulation. MUCH better looking......

Thank you for the concise explanation.