Explain Diesel Winter Grill Blankets As If I'm 5 Years Old ...

[SaintlySins]

I've been searching and reading a multitude of sites, forums and threads about using Grill Blankets/Covers for Diesel Engines ... some use them, some don't, some newer models come with built in grill flaps yet some still use a Grill Blanket/Cover ... yet after researching for nearly 3 hours, I can't find anyone who explains ... wait ... "technically" explains why they're so important/beneficial.

I've got a 2021 Limited 1500 Eco Diesel.

I am sometimes in Chicagoland and NYC areas and sometimes I'm in the Evergreen/Denver/Rocky Mountain areas.
This is my first winter with a Diesel.
Why should I cover my Grill ... or ... Why don't I need to bother.

Please be thorough.

Thank you in advance!

 

[crash68]

Unlike a gas engine, diesel actually loose heat when they're not under load like idling and slow driving. Diesels also run more efficient when warm as they don't use spark plugs to ignite the fuel like a gas engine, it's actually the heat compressing the air in the cylinder that causes the fuel burn.
The winter front on will help the engine heat up faster and help retain the heat in cold weather. The grill shutters don't cover the intercooler, the winter front slows the amount it cools the air going into the engine.
I start running my winter front when the weather stays at below freezing. I'll block off one or both upper openings from 20°F down to 10°F. Somewhere below there I'll cover one of the lower openings in the winter front and below 0°F all the opening flaps are closed. How many you close and when is sorta depending on the type of driving your doing but the ranges I mentioned are a good ballpark for the EcoDiesel.

 

[GTyankee]

Crash68 sort of beat me to the explanation

Your vehicle has to maintain a certain temperature to operate as it was designed
Thermostats on some engines like the 5.7L HEMI are designed to be around 180 - 195 degrees F
Even with the Radiator Shutters, sometimes the engine can't reach even the lower preferred temperature & drivers have used cardboard in front of the radiator to bring up the heat.
The cardboard gets wet & falls apart, some people will use a piece of tarp.
The tarp can't cover the whole radiator, because that would cause over heating.
Then someone came up with fabric with flaps cut into it, velcro sewn into the flaps, could hold the flaps open or closed

Semi trucks also have automatic grille shutters, but when it get really cold, they use specially design blanket pads



watch this video, it gives the drivers reasoning for the blankets

Winter Fronts - When to use them

Radiator ice guard/ winter front cover. ONLY use If the outside temperature is 32°F or below AND it is SNOWING or FREEZING RAIN... This does NOT help your he...

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