Some of you were talking about this a few weeks ago so I thought I would post this info. Its on the Chevy Cruze but it might give a few of you some ideas.
The Eco Cruze utilizes an innovative automatic air shutter system that closes the grill vents at higher speeds to reduce drag by .016 – adding .5 mpg and helping push the Cruze to the magic 40 mpg number. The shutter system is fitted to sensors that measure changes in speed or temperature. If the temperature drops or the sensors measure sufficiently high speeds, the vents will be closed by electric motors, cutting down the amount of air that enters the engine bay. Why not simply keep the grill vents closed all the time? Because added airflow is needed to help cool the engine at lower speeds.
<object height='329' width='402'><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always'><param name='movie' value='http://gm.pb.feedroom.com/gm/gm/embedoneclip/player.swf?SiteID=gm&SkinName=embedoneclip&SiteName=General Motors&StoryID=7c11424c6876e04f7107259d0341a7089e8231f2&MaximumNumberOfStories=&AutoPlay=false&mute=false&Volume=.5&tilenumber=&tilemargin=&videoratio=&detailsheight=&Environment=' /><embed src='http://gm.pb.feedroom.com/gm/gm/embedoneclip/player.swf?SiteID=gm&SkinName=embedoneclip&SiteName=General Motors&StoryID=7c11424c6876e04f7107259d0341a7089e8231f2&MaximumNumberOfStories=&AutoPlay=false&mute=false&Volume=.5&tilenumber=&tilemargin=&videoratio=&detailsheight=&Environment=' height='329' width='402' allowFullScreen='true' allowScriptAccess='always' /></object>
The Eco Cruze utilizes an innovative automatic air shutter system that closes the grill vents at higher speeds to reduce drag by .016 – adding .5 mpg and helping push the Cruze to the magic 40 mpg number. The shutter system is fitted to sensors that measure changes in speed or temperature. If the temperature drops or the sensors measure sufficiently high speeds, the vents will be closed by electric motors, cutting down the amount of air that enters the engine bay. Why not simply keep the grill vents closed all the time? Because added airflow is needed to help cool the engine at lower speeds.
