are there any gains involved with having one such as cooling hp weight i read alot about people doing conversions to electric but whats the gains? also what is a good fan is there any need for the "performance" ones? or are the fiero ones good enough

 

^

 

I would also like to know the gains of an electric fan mod. Also what brands are out there that some of you (with the mod done) prefer over others? The difficulty of installing (based on no mechanical experience)?? I am more into reliability than anything. Any input would be nice..Thanks!

 

Some benefits of an electric fan:
- less weight in engine bay
- more room in engine bay (for things like a big rad and IC)
- less drag on engine (slightly faster reving)
- flows more air than the stock engine powered fan

Disadvantages
- costs WAY too much for something as simple as a fan
- ???

 

When you change to an e-fan it changes the sound of the car. The motor driven fan no longer muffles the whine of the belts driving the accessories.

After an e-fan the car has much more of a belt whine. At least mine did.

 

can somebody give an estimated or exact flowrate for the stock fan? it actually flows really well.

 

No one really knows what the flow rate on the stock fan is..

Rat

 

stock fan flows more then any E-fan ever will.

 

Stock fan is very loud (as stated) Even if the flow is the same, its so loud and annoying i can't wait to pick up a electric one.

Running the fan off the engine takes power away from the engine, while your not gaining horsepower etc, Running it from the battery frees up the power the engine was using to run the fan to be used elsewhere.



Justin
1990 GTU

 

haha my e-fan is way lounder then the stock one...

 

Just make sure that you dont shortchange CFM... Get a fan that makes some wind. Or you will be buying a new motor very soon.

Jarrett

 

Um yeah J, some of us do posses common sense

 

Some of you may, but there are some that dont.... Just a word of caution, nothing more.. Some of the fans available from the local auto parts cant handle the cooling duties required for an FC, some cant.

Remember, you arent the only one that reads these posts.

Jarrett.

 

and also be sure to beef up your electrical system as well.

or at least keep the alternator draw in mind

 

another EXCELLENT point. Most fans CFM reading is taken at a voltage of around 14.4v. Stock S4 charging system is not very good, and probably wont give you much more then 12v with an e-fan.

Thats why I did the FD alternator mod.

Jarrett

 

Actually with the typicall current draw that an electric fan has; you end up loosing all the "free" HP because the Alt is having to work considerably harder to supply the needed current.

There is no advantage to using an electric fan over a stock fan for HP on our cars

 

I just converted to an E-fan ($10 from a Ford V6). It fits almost perfectly with clearance for the heater hose connection. I Used a $20 preset controller (on at 185, off at 165) and a $3 circuit breaker. I draws about 12 amps for about 20 seconds per cycle.

 

Like most people on here I have the Black Magic electric fan. I did mine just because I wanted more room in the engine bay. It does flow better, look better, and adds just a touch of better throttle response. But it does cost a lot and if I were to ever do it again I would only go with it if my fan clutch failed due to the fact that a new one from Mazda almost costs the same. I would put this mod on the end of my to do list there is more things to do before you need this. My $0.02

 

It won't give your car a significant hp increase, but you may notice a slightly better throttle response. Most people use an electric fan to free up more space in the engine bay, or because the clutch for the stock fan failed. A replacement clutch for the stock fan is around $200, which is about the same price as a good electric fan, if not more.

The cooling requirements of your car depend on how you drive your car, the type and condition of the radiator, and how much hp your engine is producing, among other things. Usually the most critical time for a radiator fan is when the car is stuck in slow traffic. I guess you could try different salvage yard fans to see what works best for you. As for new fans, most people seem to like the Black Magic fans.
http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/blackmag.htm

FYI:
1) Always use a "puller" fan if space allows.
2) Curved blades are more efficient and quiet, while straight blades move more air.

 

The fans helps clean out the engine bay so you can work in there a little easier. I felt no increase in power or throttle response after installing mine (perma cool finger chopper). But it does take its toll on the alternator. And like Evil said, the cooling is depending alot on how you drive. Some people who run track only cars remove the fan. At highway speeds there is enough air moving through the rad to cool without the aid of a fan. And at extreme track speeds, the fan may actually restrict the airflow.

 

At 150000 miles my radiator's plastic tank split. I put in the E-fan at the same time as the new radiator. (One of those -you might as well- deals).