I’m starting this thread to document the testing and research I’m doing to determine the best electric fan set up for our vehicles. I don’t know how long it’s going to take and I want to be as thorough as possible. I will admit I’m still debating how far I want to go with this. I’m in the middle of trying to buy an income property, and if that goes through, this will have to take a back seat, since the income property is a dump…lol.
For the record, I have worked the last 8 years in a specialty field that does fan performance testing in HVAC. I have a very good understanding of air flow and fan performance. Given my company’s services, I am required to own air flow testing equipment that is certified annually for accuracy. I REFUSE to believe any published data from the manufactures since I do understand it is all advertising, and not accurate. A certain fan that is fairly popular on here that pushes “3500” cfm is b.s. I will show everyone what is actually required, and how these fans actually perform. My "BELIEF" is that we need 2,000 cfm running through the radiator, based on my calcs and air flow measurements on the stock fan (more detail on that later). This test will be determine if that's accurate.
Keep in mind; I’m not doing this as a knock on those who have bought, say, a Flex-o-Lite fan, for example. Prior to getting into this line of work, I wouldn’t have known the difference, and bought the most popular brand myself. My goal is to educate everyone on what to look for so they don’t get screwed.
A brief outline of what I’m going to do.
A. Actual airflow requirements.
I’m trying to find any published data on the airflow requirements for our trucks. Only thing I’ve found so far is at http://www.haydenauto.com/catalogs/h...ctric-fans.pdf , which states the following requirements:
By looking up the fan's specified, you can see what 1 manufacturer recommends for airflows. This is their fan specs:
A very important thing to keep in mind when looking at 'ratings' on websites is fans rated at 'free flow' or '0' static pressure (as in the first cfm column) is an airflow number that is for advertising purposes only, if you install the fans as they instruct you to install them, THEY WILL NEVER FLOW THAT AIRFLOW. Hayden is the only manufacturer I've seen so far that advertises any number based on 'installed on radiator' airflows. I'll get more into statics/'typical' radiators in a later post.
Only published data that is specific to vehicles that I've found 'believable' is the Hayden site, and looking at the typical installation numbers of their fans, would seem to indicate 2100 cfm is the airflow necessary.
B. I am going to test fans to determine 'actual' airflow and amperage vs published. Currently researching the best and most accurate method to do this. I am finding the auto aftermarket industry does not seem to have a 'standard' for testing. (Depending on what I find, I might try to create one)
C. I want to show you specifically that fan makers/suppliers are lying. First step of this process was to send an email to 6 major manufacturers asking a fairly 'simple' question about their fan performance ratings when they are installed. First responder was extremely honest and up front about the industry. Second responder was full of crap, which I responded too, and will wait on his reply. Third response was a generic response, which I responded too with a more direct question...waiting on a reply. Going to wait a week or so before I start posting the responses I've gotten because I want to give all the companies I sent the note to a chance to respond.
If anyone has any questions about what I'm doing, ask on here or in a p.m. My original goal was a single electric fan that would pull under 10 amps, for under $100 new. I don't know if this is possible yet until I test the fans, SO PLEASE DO NOT TRY ANYTHING I'M DOING UNTIL I CAN SAY WITHOUT QUESTION IT WILL WORK.
I'll get into more of this later, but basically know this, you won't know how well your electric fan works until you have a stretch of 95 degree, humid days. The reason is the obvious heat load, but what may not be obvious is fans of all types move less air on those days. That is why in a best case scenario, I won't have a legitimate recommendation until later in the summer.
This ad is not displayed to registered and logged-in members. Register your free account today and become a member on Dodge Forums!
__________________
2001 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 5.9 Laramie SLT, Magnaflow cat back, 14x3, Alpine/Infinity/Kicker System. Tint, 17" Off Road Rims, Bilsteins. 3815, fastman 52mm. Near Future: Repaint the lower stripe, high flow cat.
Last edited by hutch1973; 06-04-2009 at 09:03 PM.
Sponsored Links
Registered users do not see this ad. Click here to register for free!
Cool! But for your research accuracy, Hayden appears to be recommending 2100 CFM, not 2050 CFM.
lol..good catch, and fixed. Was typing off of notes from last night, and was messing with this around 1 a.m. (side project hours) Had jotted down 1025 per fan on the radiator.
__________________
2001 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 5.9 Laramie SLT, Magnaflow cat back, 14x3, Alpine/Infinity/Kicker System. Tint, 17" Off Road Rims, Bilsteins. 3815, fastman 52mm. Near Future: Repaint the lower stripe, high flow cat.
It sure will be nice to see some numbers based on testing and measuring rather than the usual:
"It should..."
"I think...."
"It feels..."
I plan to test this weekend the fan I just bought. I'll pm you with the results.
Didn't say this in this thread, but will repeat it here...I will be doing a dyno test before/after my final electric fan install to show what it actually does. I don't expect any significant difference.
__________________
2001 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 5.9 Laramie SLT, Magnaflow cat back, 14x3, Alpine/Infinity/Kicker System. Tint, 17" Off Road Rims, Bilsteins. 3815, fastman 52mm. Near Future: Repaint the lower stripe, high flow cat.
Electric Fan Info Thread.
