Boy this car likes the warmth I Blocked front grille to experiment

I did 100%, although there are still small cracks that wind can get through. I used the smallest available. I believe I bought 1/2. I cut to the right length then cut slits to fit over the small columns. Granted it is down to the single digits here in Indy.

 

I got the 3/4" (it is already slit, btw), cut them to the length I wanted for insertion in the individual spaces, and just wedged them in. No glue, no velcro. I cut them slightly (1/4") longer than the space to help ensure they would stay in place.

 

I ended up using the 3/4" - like the look more than using 1/2. I did a full block on top and half block on the bottom. We'll see if the mileage improves!

 

Weather has been changing so much in Indy, I haven't been able to compare with and without the block. Let me know how MPG's change!

 

Well, I've been driving with the grill blocked for a few days now, the ICE doesn't fire up as often as it used to and initial warmup sure seems shorter.
Been playing with the heater too to keep the ICE from running too long.

-Can't wait to see what its gonna do in the summer. Already getting 46mpg in -15C (5F) and short drives. Pretty happy with the results so far. As comparison, my Jeep does 16 MPG in same city driving, in this cold weather, it went down to 12MPG the other day (including short initial warmup). That's a drop of 25% if the Prius gains 20% in the summer, I'll be laughing all the way to the gas pump...as I drive by it.

 

I've been getting low-mid 40s now that the temp has been around 10-20F before grill blocking.

Today, I drive on to work and got 51.6MPG on a 6.1 mile drive - temp was 10F and I had the heater on @ 72F for most of the drive.

I have not seen the 50s in a really long time!! Was amazed! When the weather was warmer, I would get mileage in the 50s, so I'm really happy with this.

Since I don't have a Scan Guage, I modified my blocking. The top portion is partially blocked (I'd say around 60%) and the bottom is blocked around 67%.

Oh BTW - I do have snow tires on my car as well.

 

^ Maybe set your heater down to ~68F? Especially on short trips it'll likely make no difference to cabin temp, slow down the fan, and help the engine warmup.

 

Thanks good tip!

 

So the folks that are measuring inverter coolant temp - is that the same as coolant temp? I'm not a car person - but I heard there was a cheap way to measure car diagnostics that's not using ScanGauge. It measures coolant temperature. Is that the same?

 

25 degrees today. Averaged 40 mpg and it was tuff to get it over my normal 26 mile one way trip. There was some wind but not that much. My grille is blocked. Same 65 mph speed as always. Normally I get 48-50 mpg average for the same trip.
Dan

 

I never turn the heater on until I am certain the ICE is thoroughly warmed up. I set the temp at 85 then turn the fan on only one click. Does not seem to cause a decrease in mileage and gets the car warm enough that I can turn it off after about 10 minutes (or leave the window cracked if i want fresh air). Of course, I'm not being subjected to the extreme cold temperatures some of you are. We did have a week of 24 degree mornings, but mostly I'm dealing with mid 30s and low 40s on the morning drive, and 50s on the drive home at night.

 

No inverter temp is separate from coolant temp. The inverter should be within +/- 20 degrees of ambient temp. The Scan Gauge can read both. The inverter coolant is run thru the bottom of the radiator, that is why I have the upper grill 100% blocked but the lower is only 60% blocked.

 

Oh

Oh, so it's confirmed to be at the bottom? I have my lower grill blocked About 2/3... You think that's okay? I was using the 3/4 foam, so the top and bottom are blocked in the lower grill with the middle open.

 

Yes you should be ok. If you open the hood you can follow the inverter coolant hoses to the bottom of the radiator.

 

I'm late and new to this, are we talking about ice, like water ice?

 

Just found this site yesterday. Went down to Lowes today and bought 3/4" foam pipe cover. Filled bottom grill up completely using individual sections. Left the 2 slots open below the Toyota logo on the upper grill section. Suppose to turn cold again tomorrow here in Indpls. so will see if my cold weather 45 mpg goes up. I REALLY like the 55-60 mpg I get in warmer weather. My late husband worked for GM so I'm sure he turned over in his grave when I bought this car last March. LOL! I have about 12,500 miles on it.

 

Glad you found us. We are just across the Ms. River in SE Mo. Come through Indianapolis a good bit. this is a friendly group.
Dan

 

I'm also an Indianapolis native, we dealt with a single digit day and below zero if you include the wind shield factor, i got roughly 45mpgs.

 

I have my grill blocked and it is working wonderfully. My question is, at what temperature (outside) should we unblock the grill? It is starting to warm up and I don't want to cause issues from the car being too warm.