My Grill Block

[CKaelin]

Check it out guys... Whatcha think should I do the bottom aswell?

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p96/GlobalClimax/GrillBlock1.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p96/GlobalClimax/GrillBlock2.jpg

[KCALB SIRAY]

better than some I've seen, nice job

[rningonfumes]

Nice!...I just went with the cheap and easy and used black duct tape. Of course, the sedan's top opening isn't as large as the hatch's so it was easier to just use the tape.

[CKaelin]

Materials I used were as follows. This floor matt type thing that is foam like and plastic zip ties.. Had both at work. Free. So should I do the bottom opening aswell? I was thinking I'll wait till it gets really cold. See how it goes with this setup for now.

[Appalachian Trail 2007]

I wouldn't do the bottom unless you've got a scangauge so you can keep an eye on your engine temps. Wouldn't want to damage the car

[Sodium Duck]

+1, are you running this currently? Keep an extra close eye on your temp.

[CKaelin]

+1, are you running this currently? Keep an extra close eye on your temp.


I am using it currently. Just made it yesterday. It's been getting cold!

[smofskra]

i drove my yaris all winter last year with no block and had no problems at all. keep in mind that im in north central wisconsin. it gets pretty cold here and had no problems with it at all.

[Sodium Duck]

You shouldn't have any problems. The point of the grill block is to make the engine warm up faster and stay warmer. I'm sure BailOut can give you the numbers, but in theory it should help improve your fuel economy in the winter months.

[Thej3sta2]

man if you would have found some way to tie it without the zips it would look pretty sick.

[YarisDude]

Great job, looks very professional.

Someone mentioned in a previous post, to loose the zip-ties. I used Velcro to fasten my block. Makes it real easy to remove in the summer or on the rare hot winter days....push-on & rip-off!

[Treyz]

Hmmm .. but doesn't it block a bit more airflow to your intake which you want?

It's understandable in terms of warming up the engine, but I'd personally take airflow over warming your engine up quicker. Lol what, can't get a remote start or start your car 10 min before leaving?

[Sodium Duck]

Starting your car 10 minutes early would waste gas. You should read, too. This isn't a performance mod obviously, however I doubt it would make any noticeable difference in power.

As I said before, the grill block helps the engine warm up faster, and stay warmer for longer after you turn the car off in case you will be starting it again shortly.

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8985
One of the main reasons that fuel efficiency drops in the cold months is because fuel doesn't burn as well in a cold environment. Your engine can't always keep itself warm, and when its temperature drops too low your ECU starts feeding even more fuel into it in order to force it to run at a higher RPM in an effort to generate more heat.

In order to stop this wasteful cycle many people block their engine grilles in the colder months in order to stop the flow of too-cold air into the engine area. My own rule of thumb is to block the upper grille when daytime temperatures are peaking at 65F, and also the lower grille when daytime temperatures are peaking at 55F. I also use an engine insulation blanket once daytime temperatures drop to 45, and I will post a DIY on that when that time comes.

[Sodium Duck]

The Yaris consumes 0.2 GPH at an unencumbered idle. While that may not sound like much if you think about how much time you spend idling over the course of a full tank it becomes a significant factor in your overall mileage.

Another lovely BailOut quote. Yes, it does waste a lot.

Doing something like not idling for an excessive amount of time, or turning your car off at lights isn't ridiculous, it's really simple and easy to do.

Bassically, if you don't want to do it, then don't and stop complaining about it. Or search before you post, so you actually know what you're saying.

[06vitzRS]

I'll be making a winter front this weekend. My car JUST hits operating temp (86) as i role into the parking lot at work. (25min drive.)

[stuffy]

hmm...might think about making one of these.

glad i read this, i was confused as to what the purpose of a grill block was. i thought it was for aerodynamics!
duh

[CKaelin]

How much gas are you really wasting? Seems like a waste of time to me. You already got a car that gets 40 or so mpg. If you want to save even more gas get a bicycle or a hybrid. There comes a point where things just become ridiculous and this is one of those times. This and turning your car off at lights.



This is a Fuel Economy Forum broseph.. :thumbdown:

[Sodium Duck]

So this whole conversation got way off topic...

I think I'm going to make a grill block myself, too. Whoever was using the velcro to hold it on, how's that hold up? You think a couple feet of snow and some highway speeds will take it off?

[Treyz]

Honestly, I would have done it from the inside.

[CKaelin]

Honestly, I would have done it from the inside.


Love to see it. Not much room to work in there?

[Treyz]

Of course there is. The front bumper comes off easily. Then again, it might be easier with the Micro Image Grill. Only thing that it might touch up against is the horn.

[Sodium Duck]

There can be hot winter days where it would be best to have the grill cover off. Having it on the inside would be a real pain.

[CKaelin]

So I stop at my local mechanic/gas station on the way to work this morning. I'm topping of my tires with air and my mechanic friend, Vin comes over. "Hey Cliff, what's up with the grill cover?" I say.. "To help warm the engine up quicker and keep it warm to improve mpgs by running an warm engine." He goes on to tell me it's going to interfear with sensors and he thinks it is a bad idea. It can possibley do more damage then could ever be worth gaining acouple mpgs..

I took it off...

[rningonfumes]

Dot Dot Dot?

I could only think of at least two sensors, the one(s) in the air intake, mainly the MAF and the coolant sensor. The ones in the intake are for intake air temp and the one for the coolant is for the coolant temp (obvious statement).

Did your friend elaborate?

[yarswiss]

I've had a near-full upper grill block on my car for the past 5 months, and no damage has occurred as a result of it. I've even had a complete upper-and-lower grill block for a month, during the hot season here in California (90-110F) and the highest temperatures I recorded from the Scangauge was 208F. I called Toyota to make sure, and the 208 is the temperature at which the engine fan starts up, and it can go all the way to 280F before the engine will shut itself off to prevent overheating.

So I can assure you, having an upper grill block during the winter should not cause any damage to either sensors or internals.

Here's my block, btw:

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2609/img1868800x600zv9.jpg

[talnlnky]

anybody have any more pics of the grill block/dam they made? I'm wanting to do an external one (for simplicity of installation/removal) but am not a big fan of most of the installs i've seen so far (I don't want to be embarrassed to drive my car around).

[roadrunner]

I have been using black floor molding for a few years as a grille block.

[Woody_Woodchuck]

Mine is similar to the OP’s block only mine is coroplast and tied with 12 gauge copper wire. Sure the wire sticks out but I’m not into looks I’m into function. Full upper block caused absolutely no issues with overheating or any sensors that I am aware of. I took it off when regular morning temps were in the 70’s. I put it on as a test on an 80 F commute morning and had no issues with overheating.

I also noted by putting it on the outside as level with the body as possible it seemed to give me a slight boost in aero, I noticed my glides were longer than without it. Having that gaping hole right in front is a killer while making it as smooth as possible is a help. The lower grill I did not block last year and this year I will be experimenting with a 50% block (either side) to start. My thinking is that if I am running easy there is no reason why the fan and a limited amount of opening can not cool the engine.

I don’t remember the numbers but there was a gain in FE with the upper block versus without it.

[R2D2]

Mine is similar to the OP’s block only mine is coroplast and tied with 12 gauge copper wire. Sure the wire sticks out but I’m not into looks I’m into function. Full upper block caused absolutely no issues with overheating or any sensors that I am aware of. I took it off when regular morning temps were in the 70’s. I put it on as a test on an 80 F commute morning and had no issues with overheating.

I also noted by putting it on the outside as levtel with the body as possible it seemed to give me a slight boost in aero, I noticed my glides were longer than without it.

Woody,

What is coroplast and how much is it? I'm going to do the block I'm just trying to figure out what to use.

Thanks,

R2

Update-I Googled coroplast and bought half a sheet from a local sign shop. Neat stuff-looks like the perfect material for the job. Thanks!

[AND189]

ha h if i did that to mine in australia i wouldnt leave the driveway