First grille block prototype (03 Ford Taurus)
 

So this is the first block, simple packing tape to test effect on cooling... Results, no effect on cooling at all. Standard freeway running temp remained 197-201 F over a weeks' time. Baseline was the same. as reported by Torque via bluetooth OBDLink MX.


http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-xu...cking-tape.jpg

Unfortunatley, during these daily 45-52 mile commutes(oneway), there was no appreciable effect on FE. If there was an improvement it was < 1 mpg (us). :(

I also taped over the outer inlets on the bottom portion of the bumper inlet to the first vertical piece. pic to come l8r.

Don't worry if you dont see any immediate benefits.

Aero mods are only good for incremental improvements.

If you really want to see if the grill block makes a difference, you will need to eliminate as many variables as possible.

Basing your results on a "daily commute" introduces too many variables (traffic, weather, driving habits) that any improvements quickly get lost in the "noise."

Keep it up!

Ditto. You have a fairly small upper grill. I'd start blocking off some of the bottom grill too. You will see a difference in MPG, but it also will be hard to see in the normal day to day mpg variance.

With aero mods, you will have to learn where you can coast more. In other words, if you are not driving at highway speeds, the gains can be realized only when you can drive better because the car now coasts better.

I don't know if anyone has tried it or if it is just a bad idea but I have been thinking of buying a cheap vinyl wrap like from Walmart that comes in 6" by 84" rolls and that why you could block it off easily and still look okay. You could also buy the 20" roll and cover that gap completely (if it doesn't affect the temp) in which case you could probably cover from your bumper to you hood or just under creating a wedge which should help aerodynamics even more. What does anybody think about vinyl wrap idea? Has anyone tried?

Yes, there is a user on here that used vinyl wraps on his steel wheels to create smooth wheel covers.

You should try it out and post your results!

The beauty about ecomodding is all about diy and experimenting with new materials

One simple aero mod doesn't do much but add a few together and then you start to get lower fuel consumption regardless of driving style. Now start hypermiling and save even more!

I do not know about cheap Walmart wrap, but I bought marine wrap off of Amazon: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ock-25986.html

I could not shrink it without creating holes and everyone on Ecomodder laughed at me.

That is quite the attempt I applaud your attempts though. What I am going to do will far less extravagant but I do appreciate the link so I can maybe reference that before I try my own. Cheers

I was saying in another thread...I just toss some cardboard box pieces between the rad and grille. This looks so pretty!