Show off your Grille Block
 

My best one yet! I love it

http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/v...102_071509.jpg

Before:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...5&d=1429113889

After:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...6&d=1429113889

Made from truck bed liner:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/emgarage-...b6cf5e8dd2.jpg

Made from the rear spoiler of a 90's Subaru Legacy wagon.

This is the second Insight I fabricated this same kind of grill block for. It looks so OEM it's almost invisible, and Insights without one look funny to me now.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...4&d=1446544207

Lots of people ar telling me that they cant really see the différence until they're up close.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-be...aps-blocks.jpg

I saw this Kia Soul in a parking lot; I am pretty sure that is OEM:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1446573585

The lower grill was only made about half open; there were holes on the front, but flat plastic in the back. I noticed a few new cars like that.

Svietlana's lower grille block:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...9&d=1345062915
Openable (powered by 2x powerlock motors) - smaller for intercooler, larger for radiator.

Older version :

http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/a...yb17/block.jpg

Newer version. In winter, I block off the right side with a flat piece ( with matching teeth )

: http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/a...yb17/noway.jpg

Is the top blocked as well ? You might get better results if you block the top instead. One of the members here did some flow testing on a car much the same as yours. ( I think his is a Chevy Malibu.The grille design looks identical to your car. )
The testing showed some detached flow right at the hoodline.

Im a little paranoid about blocking off the top one. The lower one is directed mainly at the intercooler and initially worried me as this is a turbocharged car (want to avoid hitting a lean condition and creating hot spots on the piston heads - I hear this is an issue with turbo engines that run too hot). Either way since the intake is continuous with the turbo, the warmer temperatures from the cold side of the turbo not being cooled down have definitely helped my fuel economy as Michigan is cooling down right now. I used the intercooler block all last winter but, as soon as spring arrived with warmer temperatures I began to run into predetonation issues:eek: I removed the lower block and the symptom went away.

That being said, I'm afraid I'd be pushing my luck with completely blocking off the top for the radiator unless you're talking about the faux grill that rests right beneath the hood which serves no purpose whatsoever except for 'asthetics?' If that is the case I will definitely make one up this weekend and give it a shot. :thumbup:

Afraid to block off too much?
Leave ~two inches on each side and that'll create sufficient Venturi to cool the RAD enough, especially going into the winter.
Put slider(s) in there(looong pieces or the wind will take...!) and slide that to block on YOUR demand.

VERY, wait!
Where is that thing..?

Gorgeous is all I can say, "nice"...:thumbup:

HAHAHA; if you roll backwards, will the onlookers get dizzy with them hubcap psycho drawings turning against "normal" ?

More HAHAHAHA but nice job in and on your Honda.

upper v.2

Attachment 19035
Attachment 19036

lower

Attachment 19037
Attachment 19038
Attachment 19039
Attachment 19040

Average 0.3 L/100km gain on daily work commute. up to 0.5 gain on highway long distance trips

So the first grille opening just below the hood line is fake ?
If so, I would plug it, since from what I recall, this was causing some airflow disruption.

Actually the spiral works both ways - going forward, or in reverse.
I wasn't the first person to do spiral hubcaps on Ecomodder.
Sven7 beat me to it, but I have had the idea for years.
I was inspired by M.C. Escher and the old hippie vans that had these.

Far
out
man

It all depends whether you do city or highway driving. I blocked roughly 75% of my grille. It got hot in traffic the other day with ambient around 70-75. With the temps under 60 i can safely stay under 205 most the time, occasionally hit 210.

Once it gets down around freezing i should be set. Only one tank thus far but i may gain as much as 10%!

I agree with what you're saying. With colder temperatures coming I will not be as worried about doing a complete block of the radiator inlet. However, when it warms up I will definitely be more cautious. Does anyone have experience regarding lean conditions and turbocharged engines creating hot spots on piston heads and creating a hole through? Any info is greatly appreciated.

I dont have any experiencewith forced induction, but your engine will never go lean unless there are component failures. Your o2 sensors will keep the fuel mixture in the correct range. Those horror stories are from people building and tuning engines.

I do know that there is some worry about the longevity of the turbocharger when engine off coasting, if there is not adequate time for it to cool down after a period of high usage.

This is my upper grillblock. I.ve made it from 5mm scrap alluminum. I fits nicely and run it trough the heatwaves. Only in standing traffic the fan comes on to cool it down again and turning off. Only to slowly warm up over a 40 50 sseconds time.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...7&d=1446979286

Looks like I have nothing to worry about then. I wont be doing any EOC'ing as Champagne is an automatic :thumbup:

Brandon Mods,

How about trying spark plugs that are a couple of ranges cooler? That shoud reduce cylinder/piston temp some.

Here is my grille block Attachment 19064 Didn't do any testing, but I haven't seen a difference yet, not even in warm-up times. :(

"Cooler" and "hotter" spark plugs refer to how easily they can dissipate heat back into the cylinder head. Not likely to make any discernible difference.

Hotter or cooler plug TIPS create hotter/faster spark or cooler/slower depending on combustion chamber design.
Example: 2 stroke or Wankel engines

That honestly makes zero sense. You would never want a "cooler/slower" spark. The ecu controls the ignition timing, not the plug.

NGK Spark Plugs

HAHAHAHA, you must be a "young one"...
BEFORE anything that resembled computers, spark(timing) was THE manner to adjust.
Yes, distributors were what organized the electric discharge but final say-so was THE plug and ITS heat range...

Some factory grill blocks:

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2yw8sldf.jpg

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...psv5wqbjbv.jpg

Thanks Vman. My neighbor has one of those Kias, and i noticed the block.
Some models of that same vehicle have them, while others do not.
( I think his has an 'eco' emblem on the back )
I had never seen the MB grille block before. I thought perhaps it was a European version, but i see the Illinois plates.

I'm reminded of a comment about ecomodding from another forum some years ago. It was something like " Stupid hypermilers ! If this #@!* really worked, automakers would have been doing it already. "

The plug will not produce a different energy spark as you suggest. The temperature range will change how hot the tip gets. Using the wrong plug for the engine can cause fouling on one end and pre-ignition on the other.

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but only change plugs with the OE specified plugs. Don't "upgrade" them.

Funny you mention that, as I walked through the lot where I took the Kia picture the other day and saw another 2nd-gen Soul where both upper and lower grills were completely open. The Benz is, I think, the new C-class.

Edit: Just checked fueleconomy.gov--the regular Soul is rated 24/30/26, and the Soul Eco is rated 24/31/27.

This listing on eBay shows the louvers quite well. Doesn't seem completely air tight in the closed mode though.

New Grille Grill 2015 Mercedes W205 C Class C300 Sedan w Air Panel Shutters | eBay

Vman, was that Kia's lower grill completely blocked? The Soul that I saw was about half open.

It's open along the top and bottom, and inexplicably in the top corners. Are there brake cooling ducts or something on the Soul?

There's my 12-piece coroplast grill block on a Honda Jazz.

http://i.imgur.com/yMOlqoL.jpg

Not quite as purdy as others on this thread so far:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D...520Q1-2014.jpg

Opel grille block
 

Hi,

Here is my Opel Astra grille block. It´s made 3mm thick black coroplast and I installed it with cable tie. Average fuel consumption drops about 0.1-0.2 liter /100km.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...3&d=1447585341