This weekend I had a chance to try out the new micro-mods on a long distance trip. We drove to the mountains, 400km each way, 4 people plus cargo, at speeds of 100-110km/h and PN(eutral)G 80-90km/h when I could get away with it. So here is what I noticed:
- I couldn't open the lower grille block because it froze. It was -12°C the previous night, no warmer than -7°C during the day, and our dog just loves to pee on the front of our car, exactly at the height of the grille block
Once the engine was warm I manually opened the intercooler half. That didn't seem to effect engine temps too much, so the coroplast wall between the IC and radiator appears to be working
- With the upper grille blocked and the cardboard+alufoil insulation on the engine, coolant temperatures were much higher than usual: mostly 93-95°C, sometimes dropping to 88°C, instead of the 78-82°C I was seeing earlier. I didn't hear the fan turn on, even when climbing small hills on the highway, so the upper grille block seems not be a problem even at +5°C (temperature when returning).
- Air intake temperatures were about 5-6°C above ambient (compared to 2°C above ambient without upper grille block and insulation) at speed and instantly get at least 20°C above ambient when I slow down. Got to do something about that before summer.
- The Wife was happy about the internal passenger side mirror. I never used it, though.
- FC was 4.7 l/100km on the way there (much colder and more uphill) and 4.2 on the way back. Not bad, but I've done better. Winter tires didn't help. Nor did dragging brakes.
I've been hearing a squeeking/scraping sound from the front wheels for quite a while, but recently this has gotten very loud. After returning I asked my mechanic brother-in-law to have a looksy and it turned out that the brake pads were sticking to the discs. Lots of grime and rust (from salt, and from sitting outside and not driving for weeks at a time), so he cleaned each pad, filed it down a little and greased it and that made a huge difference! After I drove into his garage we both had to push to barely move the car, now I could roll it by myself. Three of the wheels wouldn't spin more than half a revolution when rotated by hand, now they do 2-3 revolutions. I haven't driven yet, but I expect much longer coasting distances. I'm sure this has been steadily chewing away at my milage.
While fooling with the wheels/brakes my brother-in-law saind I'll need some work done on the steering rack, after that I'll go and get my front toe checked and zeroed. I hope to get that done before switching back to summer tires.