GrillGrates on Spirit II e310


 
D

Don Salvate

New member
Hi all, I just got a Spirit II e310 and decided to order some GrillGrates replacement grates for it. Wondering if anyone is using these on the same grill.

While these drop in perfectly, I have to push them right up against the back wall of the firebox or the lip on the front of the lid scrapes against them when opening or closing. No big deal. But when heated, they of course expand slightly, and pushed all the way back or not, the lid scrapes against them. And the sound isn’t pleasant either.

I’d really like to give these things a go but also don’t want to scrape the coating off my new grill only to have it rust. I emailed GG customer service about it and after looking at the pictures, said it looks like a great fit, completely ignoring the scraping. I was thinking of possibly seeing if I can bend that lip up enough that it clears the grates.

Any Spirit II e310 owners have this issue?
 
Don, Welcome to the forum. I know what GrillGrates are but have never used them. What kind of grates are you using under the grillgrates or are you only using the grillgrates? It sounds like they may be boosting the grillgrates too high. Other than that, I guess cutting off 1/8" to 1/4" of the grillgrates might be the next step.
 
With the right equipment, those grates can be shortened, or you could round the corners on the edges. Not something to try with simple homeowner tools, though.

I am curious, too, if you are using them as a substitute for the regular grates or set them on top of those.

Finally, using GrillGrates is definitely a different experience than with using traditional grates. I wouldn't argue they provide a "crutch" but I don't feel bad about that myself. I also think there is room to use both depending on what you are grilling or other considerations. For instance, I think they make a good winter replacement for cast iron that may not weather the cold and damp very well. Aluminum is pretty much indestructible. Bring the cast iron back out in the spring. The main thing is to enjoy grilling however you do it! :coolkettle:
 
A crutch is just another term for a tool. It is a tool. It generally makes it easier to accomplish a task to certain expectations. It isn't always the right tool for the job, but often times, it can be.
 
Don -- good call on the GGs. They will definitely improve the performance of your Spirit. For a smaller grill like the Spirit, it is a nice upgrade to eliminate the hot spots and flare-ups so you can use the whole grill top more easily.

GGs are a little higher than regular grates, and the top leading edge of your GGs is just a smidge too high for your clearance angle of your particular grill/lid. Putting the GGs on top of your regular grates make the GGs higher, so try swapping instead.

If you still have some scraping, push GG customer service harder. They do custom lengths, so they should be able to cut or shave the GGs down by the fraction you need to eliminate the scraping.

If they push back, tell them that all the folks on TWBB will start trashing Brad until he makes your GGS right!!

P.S. If you ignore Larry, he'll soon go back to shouting at the kids to get off his lawn. : )
 
Thanks guys. (@LMichaels - I’ve been grilling for 40 years. I know how to do it and don’t wish to start a debate about GrillGrates - looks like there are plenty of other threads for that here!)

Anyway, these are the replacement grates, so they sit as low as they can. GG customer service is dumbfounded and thinks there must be an anomaly with my grill… they offered to send me a set of 17” grates but after measuring carefully that would only leave 1/8” of lip at front and back for the grates to sit on… pretty small margins, and I wouldn’t be able to push the grates far back enough to mitigate the scraping issue anyway.

Yeah, I could take them somewhere and have them grind down the corners on the top edge… just not worth the hassle or $. I wanted to try them, they seem like a great idea. Just not a good fit for my grill! Bummer.
 
Don -- do you also get scraping when the GGs are flat side up?

GGs for a Spirit are supposed to be 17.375.

Since they do custom cuts, no reason they couldn't make or fix you a set that are 17.25. Or just grind down the corner of the rails (so long as you don't get scraping flat side up).

Offering to send you some 17s is lame -- that isn't the correct size for your grill.

Brad -- Stop jerking Don around!! Make it right, Brad!!

Brad -- there's more where that came from unless/until you fix this!!





Please measure and order carefully. There are no refunds or exchanges on Custom Cuts. It is always a good idea to allow for .125” for expansion. Custom Cuts are outsourced. We make every attempt to process and ship all custom cut orders within 3-5 business days, but due to heavy volumes or holidays orders this is not a guarantee. We do not offer 2nd day service on Custom Cut orders.
 
I didn’t try flat side up but there’s no reason I can see it’d be any different. The GG are 17.375 - fit fine otherwise. I didn’t realize they did custom cuts. I do think if they were 1/8” shorter that would work.

But, they only offered the 17” grates after I expressed displeasure with having to pay return shipping cost. When I explained why that wouldn’t work, they just said ok, they’d issue the refund. So I’m out some $$ on return shipping and that about does it for me with GrillGrates for the time being I suppose.
 
They could have at least picked up the shipping for you. This has cost them more in bad publicity than a few dollars shipping. Different than returning just because you just did not like them.
 
They had/have a similar fitting problem with the Q-series grill where they can't angle cut the ends at the factory and if you grind or cut them at home it will void your warranty. Sucks that you are out of pocket on what is clearly a manufacturing problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top