Grill blocking on the C

And the objective of most owners is to improve the aero profile of the front end......which might not actually happen regardless of the method used......and slightly less air flow across the radiator is just a side benefit.
Of course, if you live in Canada, those objectives may be reversed.

 

I've never had any problems like that, but corrugated plastic signboard would work as well.

 

Don't cardboard your grill either in or outside.
You do not need any so called " company's " grill blocking products.
Pipe insulation done neatly is made to order.
My c is dark metal flake charcoal in color.
The pipe insi is invisible unless your looking for it.
Adjustable to small degrees... Made to order in this application.

 

I still can not figure out why there is no temp gauge.
2014 c-3

 

Tell that to the millions of Canadians who have routinely done it for years. I've never heard anyone here recommend against doing it. Grill-blockers are the more stylish alternative here, usually stainless-steel plates that attach to the grill with locking-tabs. Car-bras are also popular here, and have been for decades.

 

It's invisible here anyway, in the land of always dirty cars from road sand & salt.

 

so it will better open up at the bottom and the driver side?

 

I live in a climate where it can go to -40 or -50. Putting a piece of cardboard over the radiator is a necessity sometimes, otherwise the engine never warms up, and there's no interior heat. Everyone here knows about how to do that, and everyone also knows you don't cover the rad over entirely. They also know you have to take it off when it gets warmer.

 

I think you misunderstood the criticism.

The problem, as I see it, is recommending that others who do NOT experience the temp. extremes that you folks do, use the same procedures that you do.

The cardboard solution probably is NOT good for anybody in the US south of the UP of Michigan, or thereabouts, because you don't have to go much farther south before the weather cycles between very cold and ice and a bit warmer and rain.......or puddles of salt water on the road.

I personally think that grill blocking for anybody south of you is a waste of time and on a car without a temp gauge to monitor might be dangerous for the engine too. Just MHO.

 

. I am not sure Grill blocking is a good idea The inverter is designed to run at a fairly low temp, I used to check mine with a infrared temperature gun, generally it was 100-105 degrees F. The radiator temps at the block inlet/outlet were hotter about 185, if I remember right. Radiator/Engine temps are controlled by the thermostat. As long as you are getting heat from the heating system in the Winter and the car is comfortable I would leave it alone. To grill block to the point that you are affecting the inverter is problematic.

 

I got no real problem with this "trick" if you live in an area where you NEED to do it because it is VERY COLD.

My problem is with those who do it because they think they are going to achieve a measurable increase in fuel mileage........like cars that come with engineered grill shutters. I think those who believe that are just fooling themselves.

 

I put pipe insulation on my Prius C today. Cover about 50-60%... Toronto is about -10~-20 degrees at winter and I hope it helps the mileage.

 

There are many years of data posted clearly showing the benefits of heat retention for those living in areas where driving is temperatures stay below freezing.

You can't go wrong in those circumstances.

 

It would be a bad idea to block 100% of any radiator any time. But in very cold weather, it's necessary to restrict the airflow through the engine radiator, otherwise there's too much heat loss, and the engine never gets up to the operating temperature range.

The inverter cooling system never needs to be blocked; it works fine at cooler temperatures, and blocking it could result in overheating. In the Prius, it's the lower portion of the radiator.

When the radiator is cooled by a thermostatically-controlled electric fan, there's a bit more flexibility. When temperatures rise, the fan can accommodate the need for more cooling. That's why I haven't needed to block the grill with my last few cars. I still have to do it with my Dodge Ram occasionally.

 

I think we are more worry about it gets cold to quick. I don't think I will block anything in the summer. But if it's winter at most place in Canada, I think keep it warm isn't a bad idea. At least the engine doesn't need to kick in just keeping the normal working temp.

And yes, I agree block 100% isn't a good idea. That's why I did 50%~60%.

 

With the Prius it started to increase charge or mpg. As for heating the interior of the car faster it may have a small effect. I have done it also in the NE. But basically the thermostat should take care of engine warm-up. If your doing short trips the car may never warmup totally in sub- zero weather. But, with the Prius, keep an eye on the inverter temp. I agree with the one poster: why did they take out the radiator temperature gauges ?

 

I think Toyota marketing is trying to overcome tech-anxiety and a natural aversion to hi-tech machinery by making the Prius as simple to operate as possible. Truly, the Prius is one of the simplest cars to drive; anyone can get behind the wheel and go with little or no training.

 

But, in the process, all cars are becoming way too complicated in respect to, sound, mobile phone, entertainment systems. In fact, initiating, changing and monitoring these systems while driving becomes downright dangerous. I accidently changed my speedometer to Kilometers while driving and could not return it to miles. It took 5 consultants ie: young workers not really too familiar with the Prius C, 15 min. To get it. Off the top of your head, can you change miles to kilometers. It's not in the manual, at least not in any logical category. Back to the subject, I would prefer: a oil pressure gauge , a radiator temp gauge , a ammeter, a HV monitor in Volts, a current draw device showing amperage draw. A entertainment system from a overhead satellite is useless to me. Now that seems much more expensive than all those primitive engine monitoring gauges ! " Food for thought "

 

After digesting a bit, I'm not sure the angle you're coming from, but I drive a PiP, not a C, so take this for what it's worth: My Prius is the most brain-dead car I've ever owned. I wish it had an "advanced mode" which displayed more information like system voltage, temperature etc., but it's already a fairly expensive vehicle to build, so I see why it isn't made that way. The m/km switch getting stuck has nothing to do with the usability of the car, and doesn't fit your thesis that the car is too complicated.

Distractions like navigation phone calls and navigation are driving-distractions for sure, but the Prius has disabled most of that stuff while the car is moving, and moved the basic controls to the steering wheel and making some things hands-free.

A foolproof way of converting between miles and kilometers (if you can't do it in your head) is to have both scales on the speedometer, but since mine is a digital display, they were kind enough to include a button to convert it. I just wish they had finished the job and had it convert the fuel-economy read-out from L/100 km to mpg as well.

 

I re-did my grill blocker today. The old pipe insulation is not holding in the place and I have couple fall into the space between bump and radiator.

I decide to take the front bump off and add the board from the back. It was good fit since there is a lot space to working with and I don't need to trim the size to fit the grill. But I may still move it out since I have to take the front bump off twice a year. For now, it's going to be like that for this winter.

I block the full top grill and half at the bottom. Did the same thing on my sienna and the MPG is definitely up.