First Morning with a Blocked Grill

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimboK @ Jan 13 2007, 11:17 AM) [snapback]375139[/snapback]</div>

Thanks, Jim.

 

Had a chance to install the insulation in my grill this afternoon, finally!! I used the "Schaefer Method" and it really looks fine!! Actually, unless you are really looking for it, you dont even notice it in the upper grill. The lower grill it is more visible, but doesn't look bad at all, even on the silver pine mica. We're getting a cold front moving in Monday, with teens and single digits and snow, so I'll have a chance to see how it goes from there....

Thanks everyone for all the help........ :lol: :lol:

 

well after consistantly averaging 50-51 mpg. my last two tanks are suffering from insufferably cold weather. it just amazes me how much it takes to keep the car warm.

i took off from work yesterday, OAT 21 ºF. i drove about 5 mins before i had to run the defrost for a minute to clear the windows. by then water temp was around 140.

turn it off, drive another 5 mins. water temp is at 175º. not where i want it to be, but not bad. i ran the defrost for about 20 sec then went to split defrost heat. in about 4mins. it dropped my water temp to 155º!!

i turned off the defrost, waited until water temp got back to 175º turned split defrost/heat again. this time it took 5 mins but water temp again dropped to 155º

i began to realize that in colder climates, the gas mileage would really plummet if you like a warm car. so i let it heat up to 175º thinking my driving patterns were causing the fluctuations and left it on. pulled into my driveway at 143º...

realize, my average speeds were 25-40 mph...so no freeway. but amazing how much the heater affects the water temps...

obtw... current mileage after much colder than normal temps. 48.7 down from 51 mpg 4 days ago.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Jan 13 2007, 06:48 PM) [snapback]375339[/snapback]</div>

The trouble in Eastern Washington is that at our current temperatures, even if the car is left cold, one has to turn on the defroster every 2-3 minutes to keep up visibility.

It's 4 F right now (probably got up to 13-14 F today, and the temperature is dropping. My mileage at this last fillup was below 44 mpg. However in the 10 miles from the gas station to home, the mileage was 68. Car already warmed up by a round trip to Spokane, and didn't go over 40 mph on the way home.

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Jan 13 2007, 06:48 PM) [snapback]375339[/snapback]</div>

cold blooded little sucker isn't it. I'd hate to be Jayman as he's out to the hobby farm in -35 weather. Good thing it's 40+ miles or it'd never warm up. Nowadays I hardly ever look at the temps anymore. It just doesn't get to the temps required to turn the cooling fans on even with it totally blocked. I'll start checking the temps in March.

 

I blocked my grill too! Thanks for the thread. I won't post pictures 'cause it's just not a pretty sight. Think little green twisty ties all over. Hopefully, the visual assault will be offset with better mileage. I'll know soon with this week's cold front.

 

I hate to say this but if we had a Chevy Volt this cold weather problem wouldn't affect us

There would be no need to warm up any motor

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jan 14 2007, 11:01 AM) [snapback]375525[/snapback]</div>

My thoughts are first off the size of the ICE is really small compared to conventional autos, second all the hoses and plumbing for the heater and the coolant recovery system all exposed to the air flow thru the rad when it isn't blocked. Those two things probably account for about 30% of the heat loss. In a conventional front screw the two heater hoses are probably only a foot long then they're protectecd by being inside the heater compartement where as the Prius has hoses that go from the ICE to the coolant pump and coolant flow control valve and then the coolant transfer pump for the recovery tank and the tank, it all adds up to a lot of exposed plumbing. Now blow cold air over all of that and you have a cold blooded little sucker.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ecojosh @ Jan 14 2007, 09:40 AM) [snapback]375502[/snapback]</div>

as "there is no free lunch" what are they using for a heater in that thing? Heat is energy and it has to come from somewhere............... where?

 

The Volt would be like any pure-electic car; electric heat of course. The Telsa I checked ouyt had really nice electric heat.

It's instant-on and dryer then engine heat thus it would dehumidify the car as well and make it where you won't have those darn foggy windows

In Vancouver I have to run my AC compressor nearly all winter just to remove moisture otherwise the windows fog up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ecojosh @ Jan 14 2007, 12:37 PM) [snapback]375555[/snapback]</div>

I really don't know what is with the G2 Prius and the foggy windows. So far this winter I've used defrost mode 2 times. All winter long her's has the defrost on just to be able to see out. Both single occupant commutes both from the same location. The two times I used it in my Classic was during the light drizzle we had a couple of weeks ago, you remember the days first one dumped 3 1/2" of rain and the second one it dumped 2". I'm starting to think that it's the way the air is brought into the air box for the heater, possilbly the airflow over the hood and windshield is carrying more moisture into the intake. Not sure but the two cars are very different in the way defrost is required.

 

the engine actually does not lose heat faster than other engines, it simply does not generate as much WASTE heat as other engines do.

 

This is a preemptive greeting to welcome all the new Prius Radiator Blockers soon to arrive to this thread from " SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ". Where it was colder last night, than here in Chicagoland on Friday !!

 

Living in So. Cal, I normally wouldn't read a thread such as this. But for the first time my "low temperature" light went on. I had to look it up in the manual. Outside temperatures were below 37 F. Well, yeah, we're going through a cold spell and there are freeze warmings for tonight as well. I won't be driving tonight. But when I leave for work in the early mornings it is pretty cold.

I had no idea doing something as simple as putting pipe insulation in the front grill would help. And it's an easy in, easy out thing should the temperatures go up.

Thanks to whoever thought this up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 14 2007, 04:42 PM) [snapback]375614[/snapback]</div>

don't forget to install that block heater. That'll help a lot as well

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Jan 14 2007, 12:15 AM) [snapback]375402[/snapback]</div>

Got in a couple of hours ago, we're having a blistering heat wave it warmed up to -25 C. Had plenty of heat with the grille entirely blocked off.

Only averaged 6.2 l/100km though. I had the misfortune of strong winds most of the ride, and the studded snow tires don't help any either.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jan 14 2007, 02:01 PM) [snapback]375525[/snapback]</div>

The ICE is all aluminum, that can't help matters. My 2000 GMC Sierra had aluminum heads, and in traffic with the defrost on Max, you could watch the temp gauge start to fall in temps of -30 C or colder.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Jan 14 2007, 07:56 PM) [snapback]375623[/snapback]</div>

Nope. Too much trouble.

Although, since my commute is only about 15 min/ 12 miles in the morning, it would probably up my mileage since my car has just warmed up by the time I pull into the school parking lot.

Thanks for thinking of me though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ecojosh @ Jan 14 2007, 12:40 PM) [snapback]375502[/snapback]</div>

Look at the concept Volt carefully. It still has a radiator and grills. It might not have a fan (passive cooling) but the radiator will surely cool down the ICE in the winter when in use.

The idea of running electric heater purely on the battery is troubling. Will the battery warrenty be lower in Alaska than in Hawaii?

Dennis