2010 Prius Grill Blocking strategy

Excellent info! I just hoped that I have seen this article in last winter. I had many days last winter when ICE was running all the time to keep cabin heat up. Driving in below -25 deg C is not really fun thing to do. I just can’t wait how this effect on next winter.
I am new in this forum and it is very nice to see that there is people like in Alaska who have same car. Some people think in Finland that it is crazy to have any “electric” car in weather conditions what we have. I am not alone.. whee.. =)

 

I recently happened to notice in this technical article at autoshop101.com
http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/Hybrid18.pdf
that the 2004-2009 Prius has a two stage air conditioning condenser to subcool the refrigerant for better performance and efficiency.

The small subcooling section of the condenser is located at the very bottom. I have not yet found a detailed description of the 2010 Prius air conditioning, but I think it is very likely that it is also set up the same way, with a subcooler at the very bottom.

If that is the case, then whenever the weather is warm, and only part of the lower grill is blocked, it might be a good idea to allow part of the airflow through the very lowest part of the lower grill.

Does anyone happen to have detailed information about the 2010 Prius air conditioning condenser?

 

Now I have test this... 100% lower and 50% upper grill.

Thanks again Ken! eace:

Difference is almost half liter per 100km! Yesterday I did 79km/h average speed with only 4.0 liters per 100km and outside temperature was plus 3 to 6 Celsius. Whee!

 

Please
I know it getting cool out there but I really do not want think of winter stuff yet

 

it was -5 Celsius in this morning. I have my summer tires on and all roads was covered with black ice. My stud tires are so noisy that I'm pushing changing tires until I really have to use them...

Winter is coming early in this year, I think...

 

its time!! putting grill blocking on both Pri's today. a bit late, but weather still has shots of fairly warm weather, but probably not going to hit much higher than the lower 60's for the rest of the year.

 

Block the lower grill yesterday:frown:

 

AkustaVirtaa

My sister in law is Finish but since she married by brother she is Polish now

 

Is there much, if any, benefit to grill blocking (aside from possible aerodynamics) when running at 70 MPH? It seems to me that at 70 MPH the engine is generating enough heat to stay at the optimal operating temp and satisfy cabin climate demands, or am I incorrect here?

I block all winter and have already done it several weeks ago. I ask because I will be taking a long drive south where I leave with temps in the low 40's but in one tank will be into the 70's if not the low 80's. I will be at 70 MPH less than 10 minutes after leaving home. Should I start with the grill block and remove it later in the day as the temps rise or just forget it for the whole trip? I do monitor water temp with a SG II.

 

Airbalancer,

 

You should start with the grill block.

At 70 mph, the thermal benefit is insignificant, but the aerodynamic benefit is significant.

 

Today it going to high of 16 c and 18 tomorrow:rockon:

 

Did anyone look into blocking and engine oil temps (hwy driving)? It is my understanding that the correlation between coolant temp and oil temp is poor and oil is mostly cooled by airflow near oil pan; yet, prius has a cover under the oil pan.

 

i would venture to say that the oil is cooled by the water jacket which is cooled by the radiator just like any other car

 

Most cars have no oil coolers and oil is not cooled by water.

 

LOL, oh well, shows what i know. i had a car that worked that way, but it was many moons ago

 

I haven't seen to much information on my specific scenario. I have a 60 mile commute in Orange County, California (temps 45-80f), and I'll be going on a trip to Seattle, Wa which will be a bit mountainous. My highway speeds are 60-75mph. I'm wondering what would be a good grill blocking strategy for such a heavy load, with varying temperatures like that.

I don't have a ScanGauge, so I was thinking of being on the safe side and only doing 0% on the top and 75% on the bottom. What do you guys think?

Thank you.

 

100% on the bottom, 50% on the top

 

FYI; since i have a 2010 that increments the MPG gauge by the minute, i am pulling all my grill blocking and will track my temperatures by the minute for a few weeks while commuting to work in the morning.

i am using morning because its a much more consistent drive. i work at 6 AM so there is very little traffic (other than co-workers!) on the road at that time. last year i did experiments with entire tanks and saw a 5+ mpg difference between blocked and unblocked. i block 75 % upper, 100 % lower.

will create a another thread when i have something to report. giving heads up if anyone else has Scangauge or similar and is willing to parallel a trial

things to record

speed; mine is not constant but relatively consistent which is also why i will only track the morning commute

temps; along with any other significant weather data, excessive winds, snow, etc.

i will personally track how much climate control i use as it will affect water temps. i usually dont use a lot simply because its not extremely cold here and i am always just out of the shower which raises body temps, gives feeling of warmth, etc. i am usually only feeling the temptation for the heater as i am pulling into work. on colder days, i might pulse it on for a few minutes at a time. if i do use the heat or defrost, i will try to turn it on as the minute rolls over