Two question on my active grill block?
 

So my Ioniq had active grill shutters for the main section. You can clear see them closed automatically since it’s winter time

But the lower section I circled in blue doesn’t have an active shutter system. It goes towards the radiator at the bottom. There are also little ramps of holes in the front under tray

My two segmented questions are-


Would I be helping or hurting aerodynamics but blocking off those lower holes? Everyone says grill blocks help aero, but what if Hyundai wanted some air to fly in and then go down thru the front under tray to help with something secret they discovered in the wind tunnel? What about stagnation points or adding higher pressure to that front grill lip area? Could that add drag? Or does it just seem like I’m over thinking and it’s making no difference?


The main reason I’m curious to blocking off that section is to limit air flow from going into the engine bay and radiator since it’s so cold now. My cars heat inside only works when the engine is fully warmed up. That or I’m freezing. The hybrid issue is every time I come to a stop light, the engine cuts off and switches to battery and I lose my heat pretty fast. Also hybrids take longer to warm up than most cars. Do I run any chance of overheating by blocking that area off and being a full 100 percent grill block? Should I leave it as is? I really want my engine to warm up faster and stay warm longer. If the engine gets too hot, the active shutters should open up right? I just feel like even with the active shutters closed, allowing cold winter air into the bay and lower radiator, even if it’s a small amount, is still hurting the warm up period. It also rains a lot here too so more water goes into the engine bay too with that lower opening.

Every car I've seen has an upper and lower grill opening. I fully blocked both the top and bottom grill on my Prius in the winter. In the summer I'd open half the upper grill, but leave everything else blocked.

I had Torque monitoring coolant temperature to make sure I didn't run so hot that the fans came on. Only once had the fans turn on while climbing a mountain.

Ok I’ll probably block off the little lower opening. If it gets too hot the upper grill will open anyways ( that happened this summer driving thru Arizona mountains in black car)

I’m assuming no aero benefit though since it’s such a small area?

I posted on this in another thread:

so block the lower opening that doesnt have active shutters or not? its getting cold in oregon as you know lol

Does it lead to the radiator or under the car?

A-B-A testing. Maybe 0.01-2 delta.

It goes straight ti the bottom part of the radiator. I guess to allow some slight airflow in the summer. The main shutters barely ever open. Even in summer in road trips they won’t open. They only
Open when it’s over 100 degrees and aggressive driving.

I put duct tape over the smaller opening And didn’t notice anything bad. I’m sure some air flow from the that vent into the lower skid plate area but I don’t think it affects anything

https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...p;d=1565844879
That's my old Civic Wagon. I had multiple holes for the license plate screws and would manually move the plate as required. It was usually as pictured most of the year just poking around at moderate speeds. If I took it on a higher speed trip, it needed more air. About half of a license plate (6" x 6") was usually enough. The splitter probably increased pressure at the opening, sending more air into it. It was fully blocked in winter. There really wasn't any useful upper grill opening. I don't think any air that made it through that upper slot would hit the radiator, but it's been a while since I looked at that poor car.

Hyundai might've left some grill always open in case the shutters fail to open. Just a guess.

One of my favorites. Mainly the tire deflectors. Are those conveyor belt material?

Baler belting from Tractor Supply. They used to sell it in bulk by the foot.