Hi,
Thank you for the interest, my apologies for the delayed response.
A winter front is installed on front of a vehicle to block the airflow through the grill in cold temps. The end result is higher under hood, oil, and fuel temperatures not to mention better heater output. Because it is not mounted directly on the radiator itself you still have some airflow to the radiator from below the car.
The wind chill on the front of a vehicle traveling at 120kph (75mph) in –40C (-40F) is the equivalent of –70C or –94F even though your coolant temperature may read normal while driving (or a light out in a Yaris J). Years ago, I installed a factory oil temperature gauge in a Volvo wagon that I had. At highway speeds in very cold weather the oil temp would not go above 50C or 122F. Since I had read that you would experience engine wear if you oil temperature is below 77C or 170F this alarmed me.
I purchased the factory winter front from the Volvo dealer and installed it. Much to my amazement the oil temperature rose to 75C under the same driving conditions. I can only assume that this is a result of the super frigid air blowing over the engine block, oil pan etc. It also had a side benefit of the car steering better because the air was not blowing over the power steering pump and rack.
You see them on big trucks and here is a picture of one on a pickup.
Cheers,
Mike Bennett
Discussion area for all the Toyota Yaris and Echo owners worldwide.
Winter Front for a 07 HBack
Linear Mode
