Electric Fans....

[73Nova]

So ive got a clutch fan/shroud setup. It cools great. Even in the worst heat {104 actual temp in St Paul Car craft 05'} it never sees the top side of 175. But lately ive had the urge to get rid of it and go to an electric fan. Ive been told ill see a very small power increase but its more or less about getting rid of the big ol' clutch, fan and shround. Ive been thinking about the 16" flexalite electric setup. Its like $100. I think it claims over 2000CFM of air movement. So is that comperable to my current clutch fan setup? I just dont want an inferior setup for long cruises, racing and hot summers. Anyone with this fan or expierence? And just for "shiggles" What kind of power would a guy pick up doing this? 5 hp maybe?? I spin it to 7K on the track if that makes a difference.....

[CTX-SLPR]

Re: Electric Fans....

An electric beats a mechanical at idle and low rpms, that's it. Those mechanical fans pull huge amounts of air when you get to cruising rpm and when your moving most of your cooling air is being rammed rather than drawn through. Flexalite is a reputable brand though Spal has a bit better reputation. Make sure your charging system is up to pulling the fan's steady state amp draw with all your other stuff going at idle. Also ditching the shroud with an electric isn't a good idea, though with an electric you can make the shroud out of aluminum sheet and just put the hole(s) for the fans in it and space it an inch away from the radiator core. I'm no expert though so I could easily be proven wrong.

[thevic24]

Re: Electric Fans....

my expierence with electric fans is they work good. sometimes in traffic with the ac on it would run just a little hotter. just make shure whatever t-stat u use, make it a good one, cheapies can fail and you now what that means

[Steve M]

Re: Electric Fans....

I've had dual Flex-a-Lites on one of my cars for about 6 years now. In my case the best day that the fans had they were not as good as the engine driven fan for cooling the engine down. They are good enough to keep around though if you are willing to get the system working properly. The further north people live the more they are happy with electric fans. Here in KS the summers are hot enough that my 406 small block is a bit toasty. I've found a few things that may help you get a system that works for you;
1. Electric fans draw massive amounts of current on startup. More than a 30 amp relay can handle for long. I now use a 100 percent duty cycle solinoid to switch the fans on.
2. Those fan contollers sell better than they work. I had one that just did not turn the fans back on if they were running when I shut the engine off and started back up before the engine cooled below the shut off point. Check the operation of any controller throughly before you rely on it. I now have my fans wired to the ignition, if the switch is on the fans are on.
3. Your 60 amp alternator does not put out 60 amps if you are idling in traffic. Check your current loads to include the radio, amp, head lights etc before you install an electric fan. I went to a 130 amp alternator to make sure that I didn't run my battery down while sitting in traffic. The new alternator required a lot of new wiring to handle the increased load.

The real performance increase that you'll feel in the seat of your pants is that the engine is going to rev quicker.

[JeffMcKC]

Re: Electric Fans....

Dont cheap out on the Fans!!!!! You will regret it. I use BeCool

[Barry_R]

Re: Electric Fans....

Spal.

[TC]

Re: Electric Fans....

An electric beats a mechanical at idle and low rpms, that's it.

But isn't that where it counts. Because when your driving down the road air is being pushed through your radiator and the fan doesn't really become that important in getting air to be drawn across the radiator as it is when your at a dead stop.

[Eric68]

Re: Electric Fans....

BeCool is made by Spal and they are the only after market fans I would run. The Spal dual 11" fans are what I run and they are supposed to flow about 3000 cfm. The dual Spal is barely enough to keep my car cool. Sorry to sound like a pessimist, but the vast majority of after market electric fans suck and will not keep your car cool.

I have heard good things about the Lincoln MK VII and Taurus fans too BTW.

[thevic24]

Re: Electric Fans....

thats mk vii but who cares thoes fans are good and so are the ones on the 95-98 mustangs. it might have something to do with the shrouds they are build with

[Two Lane Blacktop]

Re: Electric Fans....

might have something to do with

the shrouds they are build with

Absolutely.

Has a lot to do with the shroud. Wouldn't even think about a shroud-less electric fan on the street.

The dual-fan shrouded Derale fans have great CFM numbers. Mega-durability & lower current draw.

Recommend the block or head mount thermostatic fan controllers. Take a pass on the rad or hose "probes".

[CTX-SLPR]

Re: Electric Fans....

An electric beats a mechanical at idle and low rpms, that's it.

But isn't that where it counts. Because when your driving down the road air is being pushed through your radiator and the fan doesn't really become that important in getting air to be drawn across the radiator as it is when your at a dead stop.

I'd say there is a crossover but I couldn't tell you where it is. A thermal clutch mechanical still pulls a lot of air at idle. I don't think electrics are a cure for a bad cooling system, in fact they will probably make it worse. I'm going to be running electric fans on my Regal but thats what was stock on a T-type and there is no room for a crank fan with the way everything is mounted. But I also have a 200A alternator.

[SpeedZealot]

Re: Electric Fans....

Spal is great, I have two of them, there will be no power increase because I've found you need a bigger alternator to carry the load or the fuel pumps won't make enough pressure to keep up. Anything made by Flexalite and that can be bought in a bargain barn discount so called auto parts store will leave you stranded. Flex a lite manual fans are well know for shooting blades through hoods, total crap if you ask me... I'm not sure how others feel about wiring these suckers up. But I've always had the best luck running the relay through the ground side and keeping the power fused and directly to the battery. The relays seem to last longer that way. Also hooking up a small LED to the relay side to tell you whether the fans are working is a good thing too. ALways have used that with the unreliable electric water pumps on an lt1 and its total peace of mind, and has saved many a customers engine

[clutch]

Re: Electric Fans....

BeCool is made by Spal and they are the only after market fans I would run. The Spal dual 11" fans are what I run and they are supposed to flow about 3000 cfm. The dual Spal is barely enough to keep my car cool. Sorry to sound like a pessimist, but the vast majority of after market electric fans suck and will not keep your car cool.

I have heard good things about the Lincoln MK VII and Taurus fans too BTW.

The Mark VIII and some Thunderbirds also are the ones they pull a ton of air.

[CTX-SLPR]

Re: Electric Fans....

I think the 3.8L Essex Taurus also got the same or a very close fan. Stay away from the Intrepid fans, they suck.

[TC]

Re: Electric Fans....

Here's the setup I'm running in both my '71 Camaro and '71 GMC. It is a 33x19 aluminum radiator with two 16" 2800cfm fans, which makes a total of 5600cfm of fan power. Enough to give even the most radicalist small block brain freeze. ;D