- Joined
- Aug 25, 2012
- Posts
- 784
- Reaction score
- 697
- Location
- Southern Illinois
- Ram Year
- 2018 Ram Express Quad Cab
- Engine
- Hemi 5.7
I have been looking at various aftermarket grills for my 2019 Classic Ram. My issue is that OEM grills have panels on either side behind the grill that apparently direct the air flow toward the center, assumingly toward the radiator. None of the aftermarket grills have these panels such that the incoming air goes right through to the panel behind the grill and is not directed to the radiator.
I felt that if the OEM grills had these panels that there must be some logical reason for them to exist.
I did contact American Truck Accessories and asked if there was any issue in swapping grills and there response was "absolutely no issues". But still I wondered....I certainly do not want to goof up my cooling system or the Active Grill Shutters or ????
So, I’ve been doing some further research and finally came up with this idea after a couple of weeks…..
The Active grill shutters are there to help engine warmup when cold and add aerodynamics to the truck when closed at hiway speeds.
Could it be that these side panels are there to feed air towards the active grill shutters (not necessarily the radiator) to help the aerodynamic effect???? Without these panels (as on the aftermarket grills) the air hits back behind the grill, the windshield washer, etc, and is thus NOT directed toward the shutters or radiator.
If, in fact, that is the case, I would assume that the lack of these panels (as on aftermarket grills) probably has a very minimal effect on the overall operation of the active grill shutters….but then, why are the panels there in the first place?? Certainly, I have seen a fairly large number of 4th generation Rams with aftermarket panel-less grills on the road. Not one has been spewing coolant or oil all over the hiway.
Then, there is the whole idea of the Active Grill Shutters themselves....do they really make any difference or are they like the ridiculous "stop-start feature" as on the 5th generation Rams or my son's F150 ecoboost. Actually, he disabled it at 10,000 miles with the stop-start eliminator and noted absolutely NO MPG DIFFERENCE, except that the truck didn't shut down and restart at every stop sign or traffic light. So, are the Active Grill Shutters the same? My research indicated that in an ideal situation of straight hiway driving on level ground, the fuel savings it about 1.2% !! So, I get right at 20 mpg hiway at 65-70 mph. Given the 1.2% fuel savings that means that I save .24 miles per gallon. At that rate, over a distance of 10,000 miles at 20 miles per gallon I would need 500 gallons. But (hold on) driving 10,000 miles at 19.76 miles per gallon would use (get ready) 506.07 gallons. You got it....6.07 gallons of gas at $3.50 per gallon....the extra cost is $21.24 for the 10,000 mile jaunt.
Knowing that to replace the Active Grill Shutters cost about $1,000, and I personally know two folks that had it done AFTER the warranty ran out. It seems to me that the better thing to do is rip that whole system out of the truck, since I can buy a lot of gas for $1,000....or at least I used to be able to. Everything I read describing the procedure indicates that without the shutters, the engine runs cooler and the temperature is more stable. Also, the oil temp and trans temp both drop at least a couple of degrees. Further, it appears that the 4th Generation Ram Rebels and some Tradesmen do NOT have the shutters from the factory...can't totally verify this. Also, I can find NO EMISSIONS MANDATE from the government that requires the active shutters. Though lots of manufacturers use them, most likely for CAFE ratings, there does not seem to be any requirement, especially not all vehicles have them.
Why do I believe that I’m overthinking this whole thing…good grief !!!
I felt that if the OEM grills had these panels that there must be some logical reason for them to exist.
I did contact American Truck Accessories and asked if there was any issue in swapping grills and there response was "absolutely no issues". But still I wondered....I certainly do not want to goof up my cooling system or the Active Grill Shutters or ????
So, I’ve been doing some further research and finally came up with this idea after a couple of weeks…..
The Active grill shutters are there to help engine warmup when cold and add aerodynamics to the truck when closed at hiway speeds.
Could it be that these side panels are there to feed air towards the active grill shutters (not necessarily the radiator) to help the aerodynamic effect???? Without these panels (as on the aftermarket grills) the air hits back behind the grill, the windshield washer, etc, and is thus NOT directed toward the shutters or radiator.
If, in fact, that is the case, I would assume that the lack of these panels (as on aftermarket grills) probably has a very minimal effect on the overall operation of the active grill shutters….but then, why are the panels there in the first place?? Certainly, I have seen a fairly large number of 4th generation Rams with aftermarket panel-less grills on the road. Not one has been spewing coolant or oil all over the hiway.
Then, there is the whole idea of the Active Grill Shutters themselves....do they really make any difference or are they like the ridiculous "stop-start feature" as on the 5th generation Rams or my son's F150 ecoboost. Actually, he disabled it at 10,000 miles with the stop-start eliminator and noted absolutely NO MPG DIFFERENCE, except that the truck didn't shut down and restart at every stop sign or traffic light. So, are the Active Grill Shutters the same? My research indicated that in an ideal situation of straight hiway driving on level ground, the fuel savings it about 1.2% !! So, I get right at 20 mpg hiway at 65-70 mph. Given the 1.2% fuel savings that means that I save .24 miles per gallon. At that rate, over a distance of 10,000 miles at 20 miles per gallon I would need 500 gallons. But (hold on) driving 10,000 miles at 19.76 miles per gallon would use (get ready) 506.07 gallons. You got it....6.07 gallons of gas at $3.50 per gallon....the extra cost is $21.24 for the 10,000 mile jaunt.
Knowing that to replace the Active Grill Shutters cost about $1,000, and I personally know two folks that had it done AFTER the warranty ran out. It seems to me that the better thing to do is rip that whole system out of the truck, since I can buy a lot of gas for $1,000....or at least I used to be able to. Everything I read describing the procedure indicates that without the shutters, the engine runs cooler and the temperature is more stable. Also, the oil temp and trans temp both drop at least a couple of degrees. Further, it appears that the 4th Generation Ram Rebels and some Tradesmen do NOT have the shutters from the factory...can't totally verify this. Also, I can find NO EMISSIONS MANDATE from the government that requires the active shutters. Though lots of manufacturers use them, most likely for CAFE ratings, there does not seem to be any requirement, especially not all vehicles have them.
Why do I believe that I’m overthinking this whole thing…good grief !!!