[johnnywater]

Hi!

Just wondering if any of you blocked the air intake in the front of the car. Some prius owners do it for winter driving since it helps with air deflection and also keeps the engine bay warmer.

Thought it would help with the since the ICE sends heat to the cabin, it would not get cold as fast as it does.

Any thoughts? would the heat be harmful?

It would also help by blocking salt from entering.

Thanks!

 

[Steverino]

Well, there isn't really an "upper" air intake that I know of

The only thing I did was add a bit of extra grill to stop/slow down rock and debris before they damage the stacked radiators behind it.

, View attachment Volt-V-Cutout.pdf , View attachment Volt-Bolt-Overlay.pdf View attachment Volt-Silouette.pdf

 

[srmarti]

I am skeptical it will make a measureable difference.

 

[Paulacton84]

The only thing I did was add a bit of extra grill to stop/slow down rock and debris before they damage the stacked radiators behind it.

View attachment 40274 View attachment 40282 , View attachment 40290 , View attachment 40298 View attachment 40306

that's neat, what did you use for the edge material?
thanks
Paul

 

[Steverino]

that's neat, what did you use for the edge material?
thanks
Paul

I had some stainless "bird's mouth" wire mesh (from a home center) left over from laying up some mortared rock on a wall. Cut, then trimmed with black plastic "C" door edging. Spray painted with Rustoleum (?) primer/gloss black paint. The 11" long black plastic strap ties secure the mesh to the existing grill. Cheap, durable, easy to remove/replace.

 

[Easy Rider]

I am skeptical it will make a measureable difference.

Often it does make a difference; too much.

There isn't much, if any, excess capacity in the ICE cooling systems on any modern car these days so.......
You might be just fine as long as running on the battery but might overheat quickly when the ICE cuts on.

 

[Paulacton84]

looks great, thanks!

 

[johnnywater]

I was looking to add a coroplast piece on the air intake and maybe leave 10% open. AND only for winter. Montreal winter!

 

[Easy Rider]

I was looking to add a coroplast piece on the air intake and maybe leave 10% open. AND only for winter. Montreal winter!

A little experimentation will be required.
I think 90% coverage might be too much but that's just a wild guess.
Just don't make your first test run or two in a place that it will be hard to stop and "adjust" your baffle.

 

[F8L]

It's not going to make much of a difference from an aero standpoint. On the ICE in extreme cold it could make a difference but I wouldn't expect much.

The main benefit from grille blocking on the Prius is keeping the ICE at the optimum operating temperature which will allow it to turn off at stops and during deceleration. In very cold temps the aluminum block ICE will cool down very quickly and drop below optimum operating temperature. When this occurs the ICE will stay running and thus reduce fuel economy.

If you are going to try this on the Volt I highly suggest you monitor coolant temps with a Scangauge or Torque app.

 

[Norton]

Aerodynamically it will make a difference.
Measuring the difference might be hard in EV. Especially this time of year.
Why else did GM go through the hassle of giving the Cruze Eco moveable front cowl flaps to close off that big opening?
I plan on using hardware store hot water pipe foam insulation.
It's cheap and quickly removable.
Why not close up the nose of the car when it's cold and you are only in EV. The gaps around that silly shiny grill will still be passing lots of air.
I'll monitor all coolant temps with the Torque app on a tablet to be sure.
Of course placing your hand on the APM after a trip in EV will tell if the liquid cooling system is doing its job.
Modern ICE have excellent cooling systems these days. When's the last time you heard of a modern car overheating while idling in Phoenix or climbing the mountains out of that hellhole?

 

[Easy Rider]

Aerodynamically it will make a difference.

But the aero drag isn't a significant factor until you get above....what, 35 MPH or so ??

 

[Norton]

There is no magic number for aero-effect. Try riding your bicycle 35 MPH. Drag is proportional with the square of the speed. It's a drag.

My commute is at highway speeds.

 

[Easy Rider]

There is no magic number for aero-effect. Try riding your bicycle 35 MPH.

I ride a motorcycle so I KNOW about wind resistance.

And yes there IS a speed below which the aero drag is not a significant factor.

It varies some by vehicle size and body style and is partly because the air "bunches up" at some points and creates "drag pockets" at others, both of which doesn't happen at lower speeds. At lower speeds, the mass of the vehicle and mechanical friction are bigger factors.

And without putting it in a wind tunnel, you can't be sure if your "fix" makes things better or worse.

 

[Steverino]

I was looking to add a coroplast piece on the air intake and maybe leave 10% open. AND only for winter. Montreal winter!

My PDF files in post #2 can be printed and used as a cut-out guide.

 

[johnnywater]

Conclusion of my testing with 1/2 " pipe insulation : 25-30% reduction in gaz consumption in erdtt mode ( 2,25 l/100km to 1,75 l/100km ). The ICE simply cycles less frequently, since it is a coolant setpoint that triggers the ICE. Testing was done on the same route every day, since i travel to work, and do 130 km per day.

No check engines, nada problems.

Removed the insulation when we hit 4-5 celcius. It still provided me with 4 months of usage since, as we all know, this winter has been hard.

 

[cchris]

I used the same insulation system and hadn't any trouble. Wasn't able to do some measurement due to the winter temperature fluctuations. Will install it next season!