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No problem, all friends here. I welcome analysis. Let me just clarify my testing method - without casting any stones.
A true ABA test would really involve a run with the mod and then an identical run without the mod. Your point is very valid about engine temps, and could easily skew results one way or another. I dont have the time to run a lengthy test twice, so I prefer to run an identical course to test any mods I make. That run is starting the car cold at 7:00 a.m., and then driving four miles to a specific gas station that is two blocks from the hiway. That way when I return I can refill the tank and check via calculator what my run is and have a nearly complete all hiway speed test. Only four blocks of the test are off the interstate.
My first run four weeks ago was at nearly the same air temperature, with no real wind anywhere. That set a baseline of driving with the cruise control on at 60 mph for the entire I-435 loop around Kansas City. By rerunning that loop under as identical conditions as I can each time, allows me to compare one run against the previous one. At this point all I am interested in is improving my over 35 mph figures. Stop and go is mostly about driving style. Thanks the the Scanguage, I have been able to up my in town figures
I may not have been clear in my temperature descriptions. Under normal, every day driving either around town or on the hiway, my car likes to run right at 200 degrees F. The run with the duct tape, except for hills which ran the temp up to 204, was between 198 and 200 F the whole loop. This matches the temp I would have expected with or without the grill being closed off.
So to recount the results numbers, other than tires at max, folding in my mirrors and using a Scanguage II - my car ran 33.97 four weeks ago. Same road conditions and again starting with a cold car- getting gas and running the interstate loop, I added synthetic oil and duct taped the grill to see if I could get enough improvement to warrant building a more permanent and adjustable grill block. The 36.6 mpg numbers suggest to me that a full grill block (plus making it adjustable for hot summer weather), is a good effort to make. I will post pics as I build.
I intend to use springs to keep it open at low speeds and as the speed increases, air pressure should close it. I will probably work with PVC, and fiberglass.
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