highwater
08-19-2006, 09:14 PM
The radiator blocked with cardboard on the Insight is old hat by now, so this is just my version of it.
Tired of replacing ugly cardboard, I tried to find some of that coroplast stuff that some of the Insighters were making their blocks out of. Then while wandering around in the automotive section at one of the mart-marts, I spied some stuff on closeout. This huge floor-mat got my attention. Hmmmm rubber cardboard. 9 bucks worth. “Fits most full size SUV’s” I cut up one side of it for a full size radiator block….Insight style.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/522/radiator_block.JPG
I put tarp grommets along the top edge so I could zip-tie it in place and let it hang from the upper radiator support. There is also a grommet in the lower corner, so I could pull up that corner and secure it for a wee bit of flow in the summer time. Yes, it’s August and the block is in place. OBD shows the coolant temp to hold at 199F while cruising in the hypermileing style. During an acceleration/shift routine it may get to 203F, but will quickly come back down after the rpm’s drop back and level off. The radiator fan on my Insight comes on at 207/208F and cuts off at 204/203F. IIRC the SM says the thermostat is not fully open until 212F. I don’t run AC on my commute, so no problem there.
I realize there’s not much advantage to running this in place in 90F ambient, but I am working on another mod , and I wanted to see what this would do to the temps in this weather. There may be some benefit to aerodynamics by blocking nearly all the flow through the engine compartment, but I have no way of measuring that.
Randall
Tired of replacing ugly cardboard, I tried to find some of that coroplast stuff that some of the Insighters were making their blocks out of. Then while wandering around in the automotive section at one of the mart-marts, I spied some stuff on closeout. This huge floor-mat got my attention. Hmmmm rubber cardboard. 9 bucks worth. “Fits most full size SUV’s” I cut up one side of it for a full size radiator block….Insight style.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/522/radiator_block.JPG
I put tarp grommets along the top edge so I could zip-tie it in place and let it hang from the upper radiator support. There is also a grommet in the lower corner, so I could pull up that corner and secure it for a wee bit of flow in the summer time. Yes, it’s August and the block is in place. OBD shows the coolant temp to hold at 199F while cruising in the hypermileing style. During an acceleration/shift routine it may get to 203F, but will quickly come back down after the rpm’s drop back and level off. The radiator fan on my Insight comes on at 207/208F and cuts off at 204/203F. IIRC the SM says the thermostat is not fully open until 212F. I don’t run AC on my commute, so no problem there.
I realize there’s not much advantage to running this in place in 90F ambient, but I am working on another mod , and I wanted to see what this would do to the temps in this weather. There may be some benefit to aerodynamics by blocking nearly all the flow through the engine compartment, but I have no way of measuring that.
Randall