Lower & Upper Grille Block Ideas *UPDATED*
 

So I have completed the first aero mod on my 2001 Toyota Echo.

The lower Grille Block consists of three uncut foam pipe wrap. They were simply inserted and are being held by nothing else but the foam's natural expansion.

The upper Grille Block is partial and is composed of open cell tape that has been cut to fit the Grille design.

Open cell tape has also been used to insulate the existing gap between the headlamps and the hood.

After the installation, I went for a drive on the highway and the coolant temperature was stable at 190 for most of the trip, except towards the end when it rose to 202. I didn't hear the fan come on but I had a feeling it would continue to rise; but it didn't.

Should I leave an opening on the lower Grille Block just to be on the safe side ?

Thanks for the input !

CigaR007 -

I like the layout. The upper grill block looks OEM to me.

Since it looks sooooo cold where you are, I would just leave the lower grill block as is and watch the coolant temps on your scangauge. If it the temperature looks too hot to you then yank the lowest pipe insulator. It it's still too hot, yank the middle one.

If it's too inconvenient to get out of the car for the weather you are in, then yank the lowest one before your leave home.

For my car, the coolant temp is "normal" at 191-195 degrees F. The electric fan automatically comes on at 220 degrees F. I have a manual fan radiator switch that I usually turn on if I hit 210 degrees F. Typically, I *only* reach 210 degrees F when I am stuck in traffic for a long period of time.

CarloSW2

Ok. That's reassuring. We'll see if it provides a noticeable gain.

I have mine almost totally blocked in winter. It really helps with warmup times but in colder climates many of us get our lowest mileage this time of year.

Yeah, it sucks when I do not get the expected mileage at key points (1/4 tank, 1/2 tank) on the gas gauge. I even remove all the snow and scrape the ice from the windshield and windows before starting the car. :(

On my 2007 Yaris Hatch back I have an upper grill blocker and a partial lower grill blocker on the passenger side, and a WAI. I get 85*C coolent temp. most of the time, I have had it go to 95*C in the summer while stuck in traffic in Calgary and I can't remmber the fan ever coming on. I would be inclined to remove part of the lower grill blocker on the driver side [Directly infront of the radiator] Just to be on the safe side. If you look in the em garage you can see what I've done.

Duly noted. Thanks for the input.

Nicely done


I was thinking about using foam but i didnt have any

I am pretty worried about temp though.
You should be fine since its cold over there
(but its sure not cold over here)

Cant wait for the numbers

Is the chin area behind the front bumper open? If it is open, you can close it off so the air that does come through the grill then goes through the radiator. The better use of the air means that you still get enough cooling without the huge stock grill opening...

My fan comes on at 204F; and I think the xA and the Echo have the same engine...

Not sure what you mean by "chin area behind the front bumper".

Indeed, the Echo and xA share the same engine.

So basically, the lower grille block could become problematic since scangauge recorded 202F towards the end of the trip. So for longer trips, it would be advisable to remove at least one of the insulation tubes. I have noticed however, that for short trips, it has improved the warm-up time.

Thanks again for the feedback.