http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skoda-Fabia-Winter-grille-cover-vRS-1-9-1-4TDi-/231223807749?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35d6034f05

I don't understand... Why would you restrict the already fairly limited airflow?

Seen them for the Octavia but not the Fabia before.

 

They do apparently help quite a bit in warm up time and I'm going to get one before next winter.

 

You can also block some of the bottom grille up some how to help it further.

 

Phil

I don't understand... Why would you restrict the already fairly limited airflow?

 

It stops the cold air blowing over the engine to aid warm up time.

 

It doesn't restrict the airflow the engine still gets enough air to run and cool itself as the bottom grille remains open.

 

Phil

But the air intake is in the top grill, no? And surely it doesn't get cold enough here to worry about warm up times...

Maybe not cold enough in Cornwall, or even that often in Mintlaw,  

but 60 miles away in Aboyne it does most winters, not this winter though.

Cars are for driving and some areas in the UK do get well below 0*oC and can stay that way for days or weeks.

 

Maybe less about warming up time and more about not cooling down once warmed up.

In my diesel days in the NE of Scotland a piece of board was enough.

But the air intake is in the top grill, no? And surely it doesn't get cold enough here to worry about warm up times...

 

It's not a jet engine, so the car moving forward through the air doesn't really help to feed the intake. The turbo sucking does that. So long as the engine bay isn't hermetically sealed, it'll still be fed air just fine, just like you can breathe just the same with a scarf wrapped around your face.

 

I fit one in winter. It has two noticeable effects...

 

When it's very cold, (below freezing) the engine warms up much quicker than it would've done without the grille block (a couple of miles, rather than anything up to twenty or so minutes driving).

 

Secondly it has a slight aero effect, reducing drag. I noticed it was enough to counter the MPG lost by fitting winter tyres. Take a look at the Polo Bluemotion of the same era (or even the new one). That has a partial upper grille block as standard.

 

 

 

I'd say that it it's not cold enough where you are for winter tyres, it's probably not cold enough to consider a grille block either. I did consider leaving mine on all year, but I did notice the aircon doesn't seem to get as cool with it fitted, so I removed mine a couple of weeks ago.

Edited 12 May, 201412 yr by inventory-photo

Would this help on short journeys?

Would this help on short journeys?

 

I'm gonna say no. With a diesel, IMO if it's not over 5 miles then the engine's not going to warm up anyway.

Would this help on short journeys?

Depends what you mean by short I suppose. In the very cold, it will help it warm up quicker, so your heater will warm up faster. It'll still take a few miles to reach temperature though, unless your journey starts with a climb up a 20% gradient.

 

In winter, I park facing up hill and drive around the block to start my journey, as all journeys into town here are downhill all the way and the engine never warms up on overrun.