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Assiduous · 10-24-2018, 06:24 AM

The shade cloth is a good idea, might even keep debris away from the radiator as a bonus.

I've tested a pool noodle ~50% grill block through the cooler seasons to good effect on temps. Even with no grill block my Astina will fairly quickly rise to fan activation temps when caught in traffic, even at mild ambient temps so you are right to be cautious mid-summer. Ack the cooling worst case - it's finding the trade off that allows the fan to do its job in traffic in summer, but also harvest a Cd reduction at speed. My hypothesis is that substantial blocking could make little difference for this stuck in traffic corner case as even a 25% inlet won't bottleneck the cooling fan. It will however mean the fan is quicker to activate and may thus have to run longer. I'll keep a sharp eye on the temps as i test this - my real time digital temp readout and programmed temperature alerts give me confidence i can intervene before cooking the engine if i'm wrong. Grill block version 2 is a side to center 50% coverage paired with flush fog light recess covers. Yet to test.

Did you have a go at measuring Cd and Crr for either of your Astinas Pete?

10-24-2018, 06:24 AM	#13 (permalink)
Assiduous EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Australia Posts: 4 323 Astina - '96 Mazda 323 Astina 1.8L Hatchback 90 day: 42.54 mpg (US) Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The shade cloth is a good idea, might even keep debris away from the radiator as a bonus. I've tested a pool noodle ~50% grill block through the cooler seasons to good effect on temps. Even with no grill block my Astina will fairly quickly rise to fan activation temps when caught in traffic, even at mild ambient temps so you are right to be cautious mid-summer. Ack the cooling worst case - it's finding the trade off that allows the fan to do its job in traffic in summer, but also harvest a Cd reduction at speed. My hypothesis is that substantial blocking could make little difference for this stuck in traffic corner case as even a 25% inlet won't bottleneck the cooling fan. It will however mean the fan is quicker to activate and may thus have to run longer. I'll keep a sharp eye on the temps as i test this - my real time digital temp readout and programmed temperature alerts give me confidence i can intervene before cooking the engine if i'm wrong. Grill block version 2 is a side to center 50% coverage paired with flush fog light recess covers. Yet to test. Did you have a go at measuring Cd and Crr for either of your Astinas Pete? __________________ [img]/forum/fe-graphs/cycle-log-sig-144.gif[/img] Last edited by Assiduous; 10-30-2018 at 04:32 AM..