Welcome! As another owner of a MkIV Jetta (though of the TDI flavor), I'm a bit partial to those... so would definitely like to see some pics.
Removing the roof rack will certainly help with your FE. I don't know how much grill blocking the gasser will take, but with the scangauge you can get a baseline and then do some blocking while watching the (more accurate than the factory gauge) temperature.
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