Good Aftermarket Aerodynamic Grille?

[awcook]

There are tons of ways to make a grille more aerodynamic, but usually that involves adding coroplast over your grille. I'm wondering about if there is an aerodynamic aftermarket grille that does the same thing as a grille block.

I was thinking that mesh grilles are good for aerodynamics, but I'm not 100% sure.

What grille design would make a good looking, cheap, aerodynamic grille?

[darcane]

Generally speaking, I think aftermarket companies are going to be hesitant to block off airflow to the radiator for liability reasons, so finding an aftermarket grill block is probably not going to happen.

The shape of my grill made making a grill block a little tricky and it was damaged... so I bought a cheap, eBay mesh grill that gave me a nice flat surface to mount the coroplast to.

Grill block:


You can see the back side of the grill here:

[aerohead]

With the advent of the active shutter systems,there be no incentive to develop such a thing,as all the blocking can be now hidden from view,allowing tremendous creative license with aesthetics.

[oldtamiyaphile]

If you search the car tuning forums, you'll find people cutting up OEM grills and splicing in new inserts, usually from later or more sporting models. A little plastic welding and filler and you've got an OEM looking grill.

The other option is to fit black coroplast (etc) to the inside of the grill. The aero penalty is minimal, but you keep the OEM look. Most new cars are like this, the upper grill, where fitted, is actually blocked out permanently.

[awcook]

Is there a certain type of grille that would be better for aerodynamics moreso than others?

[oldtamiyaphile]

Smooth and matching the contours of the body is ideal, but simply blocking the back of the OEM grill will get you very nearly the same gains as someone who does a full external smooth block.

[freebeard]

Is there a certain type of grille that would be better for aerodynamics moreso than others?

Yes, but...

The Edison2 uses a gill slit at the widest point of a canoe shaped body, where the air is moving the fastest. There you go.

Really all the grille does is prevent ingesting road debris. Take it off and save the weight. You don't see a grille on an AC Cobra, for instance.

More seriously, I like perforated metal. By varying the size and spacing of the holes you can control how much air is ingested and how much is diverted over the body.

[NeilBlanchard]

... and if the holes are the right size, they allow air flow through at lower speeds and then they block air flow at higher speeds. A passive "shutter" of sorts.

[ksa8907]

You won't find it in the aftermarket. Liability means it would have to be automated for adjustment and there are patents protecting that.

[Joris]

For some older cars they have made winter grillblocks. This is an example of one I would like to get my hands on. Original option on my car.