Freak Superblizzard!?
#21
The scanguage reads the coolant at between ~50 C -> 60 C in the mid - 20's. Normal on the highway is about 76 deg Celsius.
It does take a bit longer to come up, but haven't had to resort to the old cardboard rad covers (like the truckers) or anything like that.
The Fit throws out a lot less heat than the Jetta I used to have, so the main thing I notice is that the interior is just starting to warm up at the end of a 45min commute. You really feel the snow and ice on the road with frozen seats.
#22
I think mine runs ok in these deep freeze temps; it is able to heat up the car either when I am in traffic of moving along the faster highways. The big thing is I have to plug it in when it gets below about -15 or it is a hard and nerve racking start!
#23
Yeah, when it's cold it really helps to plug in the block heater. Mine keeps the engine at ~40 C. It's been good to me so far and reliable starting.
Overall the Fit is pretty good in the snow with winter tyres (thanks Tire Bob) being a FWD.
The drive-by-wire means you have to feather the clutch more when starting from a dead stop on slippery roads. I've read elsewhere in the forum about people complaining about it when they first get the vehicle, and you go through a learning process again with slippery roads. Keep in mind my Jetta was a diesel that was geared really low and next to impossible to stall, so that's the main vehicle I'm comparing too.
When the snow was light, late last Friday night, it was fun pushing around snow a couple inches below the headlights getting back onto side streets. I was out to the mountains and driving around all last weekend living close to the inner city where drifting snow wasn't as much of an issue. Worst day was actually Tuesday.
Overall the Fit is pretty good in the snow with winter tyres (thanks Tire Bob) being a FWD.
The drive-by-wire means you have to feather the clutch more when starting from a dead stop on slippery roads. I've read elsewhere in the forum about people complaining about it when they first get the vehicle, and you go through a learning process again with slippery roads. Keep in mind my Jetta was a diesel that was geared really low and next to impossible to stall, so that's the main vehicle I'm comparing too.
When the snow was light, late last Friday night, it was fun pushing around snow a couple inches below the headlights getting back onto side streets. I was out to the mountains and driving around all last weekend living close to the inner city where drifting snow wasn't as much of an issue. Worst day was actually Tuesday.
#24
The scanguage reads the coolant at between ~50 C -> 60 C in the mid - 20's. Normal on the highway is about 76 deg Celsius.
It does take a bit longer to come up, but haven't had to resort to the old cardboard rad covers (like the truckers) or anything like that.
The Fit throws out a lot less heat than the Jetta I used to have, so the main thing I notice is that the interior is just starting to warm up at the end of a 45min commute. You really feel the snow and ice on the road with frozen seats.
It does take a bit longer to come up, but haven't had to resort to the old cardboard rad covers (like the truckers) or anything like that.
The Fit throws out a lot less heat than the Jetta I used to have, so the main thing I notice is that the interior is just starting to warm up at the end of a 45min commute. You really feel the snow and ice on the road with frozen seats.
I'm using the card board trick myself. Water temp did reach 100c in stop & go traffic. But of course cooling fan kicks in once temperature gets high. As far as I hear from a few technicians & tuners they all says if it doesn't get over 100c it's still acceptable. Once traffic free up then it goes down to mid 80 to low 90c range.
Heater can get warm up the interior much quicker even I just turn the fan to "1"... and fuel consumption remain normal with the card board in. Without the cardboard it'll take quite a bit longer to warm up no matter inside the cabin or for the engine.
#25
For me the water temp does take a little longer to get up to 70c these few days in Vancouver while it's -6c outside early in the morning(yeah that's nothing compare with AB). It gets up to that range after 10-15min. I guess maybe there isn't much traffic at 630am-ish & I mostly go downhill when I'm driving to work, which doesn't help too much.
I'm using the card board trick myself. Water temp did reach 100c in stop & go traffic. But of course cooling fan kicks in once temperature gets high. As far as I hear from a few technicians & tuners they all says if it doesn't get over 100c it's still acceptable. Once traffic free up then it goes down to mid 80 to low 90c range.
Heater can get warm up the interior much quicker even I just turn the fan to "1"... and fuel consumption remain normal with the card board in. Without the cardboard it'll take quite a bit longer to warm up no matter inside the cabin or for the engine.
I'm using the card board trick myself. Water temp did reach 100c in stop & go traffic. But of course cooling fan kicks in once temperature gets high. As far as I hear from a few technicians & tuners they all says if it doesn't get over 100c it's still acceptable. Once traffic free up then it goes down to mid 80 to low 90c range.
Heater can get warm up the interior much quicker even I just turn the fan to "1"... and fuel consumption remain normal with the card board in. Without the cardboard it'll take quite a bit longer to warm up no matter inside the cabin or for the engine.
Just remember (to anyone(else) not familar with them) that you need to punch a hole or two in the cardboard for stop and go traffic so the radiator fan can do it's job. If you look at semi's, they'll cover about 7/8's of the front grille.
#26
YES definitely! My setup looks pretty ghetto but works quite good these few days when it's cold. I will trim the board/take out the board once it gets warmer.
And I left the top grill open btw, only blocked 80-90% of the bottom bumper grill with holes & slots here & there.
And I left the top grill open btw, only blocked 80-90% of the bottom bumper grill with holes & slots here & there.
Last edited by spoonek4; 12-13-2009 at 12:16 AM.
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