Cover for Grill?

[vanib]

I have seen diesel trucks and buses covering their front grill in the winter so that less cold air reaches the radiator and engine compartment.

Is there a similar grill cover for the 4.3 RAV? If not, can I build one myself or is it not recommended?

My mpg is taking a real beating with weather hovering around -25C for the next few weeks. It would also help get the car warm faster.

[MrPulldown]

No need as that is the job of the thermostat.

However I can see that operating temps being lower than you want. For example on one of my cars the T-stat opens at 170F. But the car should operate at 190. When it is cold out side the car has a hard time getting there.
A trick is to slip some card board between the two radiators. The front rad is for the AC and the rear is for the cooling system. Being in a wet climate you might use some flexible cutting board material or thick plastic sheeting.

But if you jsut want quicker warm ups, this would not help. Block heater (or oil dipstick heater) on a timer, park in garage are your only real options.

[Dr. Dyno]

Diesels are more efficient than gasoline engines so moch so they generate very little heat idling. My F-250s idle themselves up automatically when it's cold to keep the engine and cab from cooling off too much.
I can't recall ever seeing such a product for any modern gasoline engined car. You could try it with your RAV but I doubt it would make a measurable difference.

[Blogson]

When I lived in Minnesota some folks would place a sheet of cardboard or similar material in front of their gasoline car radiatiors in winter, usually with part of it cut away to allow for partial airflow. I suspected that they may have had problems such as defective thermostats, but don't know for certain.

[CanuckRAV4]

Originally Posted by CanuckRAV4

In the olden days, you can actually block off the radiator grills with snap-on covering to promote faster warmup in extreme cold weather or highway driving. There are enough opening under the front bumper for air intake and cooling purposes.

Fast forward to today, couldn't Toyota designs a thermostatically controlled shutter inside the front grills to serve this exact purpose? Of course it would be an option only suitable for the northern states and country with persistent cold weather. If it's a better sell, it would also serves as an aerodynamic aid to improve fuel economy.

Ford has something likes this already on their Focus models but it's speed sensitive for aerodynamic gain at highway speed.

Quoted from my other post . . .

I guess a DIY snap-on vinyl grill cover is worth trying . . . Let us know if you're going to market it in our CDN marketplace

[rns]

I thought the same about Ford's thing, the active grill could be good in cold weather too, not just high speeds

Ford Focus Active Grill Shutters - YouTube

Ford Focus Active Grill Shutters - YouTube

But will the electric motors that move it get icy...

Originally Posted by Blogson

When I lived in Minnesota some folks would place a sheet of cardboard or similar material in front of their gasoline car radiatiors in winter, usually with part of it cut away to allow for partial airflow. I suspected that they may have had problems such as defective thermostats, but don't know for certain.

When it's cold enough, even gasoline engines' heat may not keep all engine bay in optimal temperature. (Even not to mention diesels, my diesel Rav4 heats into normal temperature after about 10km(6.2miles) drive if it's more than -10C(14F) and no preheat used.)

But the best effect comes when you start driving, engine heats up more quickly as the draft don't cool it down at all.

Cardboard sheets do the job too, but aren't stylish unless you hide it well. They have been popular here too.

One company here makes more nice looking ones:
Leo Laine Oy // lokari.fi

[Dr. Dyno]

Another factor is we have electric fans that don't pull the cold air thru the radiators unnecessarily. The trucks & buses often have a big "propeller" running all the time.

[vanib]

Originally Posted by rns

...
But the best effect comes when you start driving, engine heats up more quickly as the draft don't cool it down at all.
...

That's what I am aiming for: reduce draft to the engine bay for my daily 5km trips.

[CanuckRAV4]

Originally Posted by vanib

That's what I am aiming for: reduce draft to the engine bay for my daily 5km trips.

Yep, my daily 5Km (3 mi.) city trips are killing me too in the fuel economy department. I don't know if the grill cover would have any effect in such a short distance though, about 15 minutes of driving time?

15L/100Km = 15.7 MPG (US)

[vanib]

how does 20L/100 km sound?