Main Menu

Contact Us

Are winterfronts really necessary?

With the vehicle technologies out there, some wonder if winterfronts are a thing of the past, or if they're still useful with today's vehicles. So, do you need a winterfront?

If you live in a climate where the temperature rarely goes below freezing, the answer is probably "no".

If you live in cold climates however (most of Canada and the northern US), winterfronts are often a great idea. They help your car to warm up more quickly which usually means more in-car heat faster, and faster engine warmup which reduces the amount of time your engine's affected by cold-engine-start wear.


How winterfronts work:

Normally as you drive, air is forced into your engine bay during movement. This is a good thing - forced air helps to cool the radiator as you move, decreasing the necessity for the radiator fan to operate. However, in cold temperatures, the rush of freezing air actually fights the ability of your vehicle to warm up. A winterfront covers the grille, significantly reducing (but not eliminating) the amount of air that readily flows into the engine bay. In colder temperatures, this can help your vehicle to warm up faster, and help to keep it warm.

On days when temperatures are a little milder, our winterfronts have "doors" that can be easily opened in a matter of seconds. Simply open them, and it allows more air to pass through. It's a good idea to open these doors when temperatures get mild, as by allowing more cool air in on warmer days (when a vehicle warms up and stays warm more easily), it keeps the radiator fan from working as hard.

Finally, when the season changes to a warmer one, you simply take the winterfront off and store it until the next winter season. Our winterfronts are held on by snaps - tight enough to keep it secured all winter long, but offering a reasonably quick method for full removal.

Keep in mind that we offer Winterfront / Bugscreen combos. The bugscreens are an excellent way to keep bugs and debris from flying into your engine bay at high speeds during the summer. Without a bug screen, most bugs end up lodged in your radiator, decreasing the summer cooling capacity of your vehicle's cooling system. In some cases, bugs and debris can actually *damage* your radiator. Our bugscreens help prevent this.

Our bugscreens use the same snap patterns as our winterfronts - simply use the bugscreen in the summer months, and the winterfront in the winter months. It's an excellent combination.