Has anybody replaced thier stock rad fans with a better aftermarket fan? If so, what did you use?

Thanks,
Scott

 

I don't remember the brand, but someone posted a while back and had some pics of them installed, and they freed up alot of room, enough to have a Meziere HD pump installed without any cutting to the fan shroud.

-Tony

 

I run a dual 11" Spal setup on my Griffen radiator. They'll move 2700cfm max. Don't know how that compares to OEM but Spal is well known for durability... they're also a little noisier (straight blade fans).

Never measured the stock setup so I don't know if they fit but all dimensions are listed on Spal's website.

http://www.spal-usa.com/html/dampframe.htm

And here's a pic I found..... it's a Cardomain website so....

http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...80_50_full.jpg

-Mindgame

 

Thanks for the info guys!

Minegame, should I get a push or pull type. I know the oem is a push type, would the pull type be better?

Thanks,

Scott

 

Stock fans should be good enough for most applications. No sense in going overkill unless you really need them.

 

in most all cases I have seen the stock fans are much better although it might not look like it. example... 91 camaro with a 383 never over heated with stock duel fans, 2 aftermarket fans (flex-a-light I beleve)
and it would overheat at idle

--puller is better than push

 

With my over achieving home made 12# Powerdyne pulley the motor is running hotter (but not overheating) than before. I just want the keep the temp in control.

 

That is because you might be pushing the Powerdyne too far. It is probably running outside of it's maximum efficiency, and you might even be overspinning it.

Also, stock fans are pullers, not pushers.

 

Yes, pull.

As to which is "better", aftermarket or OEM, who can say. I haven't seen any specs on OEM fans and given the nature of a flat fan blade to produce high airflow I can make a case for that design. OEM wouldn't go that route for obvious reasons... they're noisy.

For an engine like mine, I considered them a necessity. I planned to have a better cooling system than I probably needed but that's always better than the alternative.

A supercharged engine is definitely a good candidate, plus the Italian made Spal fans are priced right vs OEM replacements.

-Mindgame

 

Thanks, I'm going to get one.

 

I've seen over and over where aftermarket electric fans don't flow as much as OEM.

We put a monster aftermarket fan on my dad's Dakota and it wouldn't even keep that dog 318 cool. After installing a stock '95 Mustang GT fan, it ran cool.

All my friends with older, carbureted cars are pulling OEM fans off junk yard cars because their aftermarket fans aren't good enough.

One thing to compare: the fuse size required. If the aftermarket fan requires a 20 amp fuse and OEM is 30, the OEM fan probably flows more air.

Mike

 

Data points... George Baxter ran a BeCool radiator, with the stock fans on his 1,125HP 30th SS convertible, running up to 20# of boost. Never overheated. I run the stock fans with a Griffen, 800HP on the juice, and it never overheated.

 

Mine has to stay cool in traffic as well as at the strip.... has never been over 200ºF with an inferior fan so maybe I'll be ok.

Mike, I did quite a bit of research on fans before throwing my money away. Searched high and low for specifications on the OEM fans but could never turn up anything. So I would love to see the data you've collected showing the OEM product victorious. Links would be great.

Efficiency vs maximum flow, from an electrical standpoint, doesn't necessarily determine a winner either. I'll choose the fan blade design that doesn't cut through the air as well as long as it moves more air.

If you want a good fan blade design look at the Japanese aftermarket fans. They are designed like a stator vane blade which is probably the most efficient curved blade design you could use. Specifications are given on the Ken Lowe website for comparison. Still don't move as much air as a straight blade design.

13" single fan stator design ~1200 cfm
dual 11" straight blade Spal ~2700 cfm

Just giving reasons for my choice since this has shifted to a more technical discussion.

-Mindgame