Is anyone running the newer OEM Rad Fans (7 and 5 blade)
 

Saw them on this link, pretty reasonably priced actually.

http://www.jt-imports.com/Mazda_FD_JDM_Parts.htm

Has anyone installed these suckers? Might not be a bad idea for road racers.

kind of related- I have seen JT Imports before, but being new to this- they are new to me :). I was nervous about using them since they were in Japan. Are they a trustworthy source? I'm sure they are well known and reputable to you guys- if so, I apologize- but like I said, they are new to me so I am just checking. Thanks.
Joe

Yes, JT-Imports is a great shop to do business with. He, Jason, is easy to get a hold of through email and ships products as fast as he can. Also all the prices on his site include shipping to the US. If you are worried about it taking forever, I have gotten stuff in about 6-7 working days.



Also, Rich, I remember a thread either on this forum or that other shitty one where people bought them. I am not too sure if any "real" data ever came out of it other than hearsay.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=317093

We have a forum just for these types of questions. :)

I have heard nothing but wonderful things about JT-imports. I'd order something from them in a heartbeat.

I am running 2 7 blade fans.

Car isn't running yet, maybe this weekend.

how much do u pay for the 2, 7 fan blades?

:withstupi

From memory.

7 blade is 70
5 blade is 35

I think that's it, give or take a couple bucks.

I also have the 5 blade fan. I ran the fans on high with the 5/7 setup and the 7 blade obviously pulls significantly more air.

I just read a thread the other day recommending switching to 2 four blade fans. What gives?

What was the part number again? I'm too lazy to go back and look for it. :)

Edit: Never mind, thought this was the multi-page thread on the same subject and didn't bother to look at the top of the page where the link to JT Imports was posted. I think I'll try a couple 7 blade fans too. Anyone need a pair of brand spanking new U.S. fans, never installed, still in boxes? :)

No one has bothered to note the difference in temps after swapping the old ones for a set of these?

In my opinion, if you have to depend on fans in an attempt to control coolant temps (the stockers work just fine in traffic), you have other issues with your cooling system that need addressing.

Why wouldn't you take advantage of a fan arrangement that increased airflow through the radiator core?

In that case we should all forget about the miata thermoswitch, better radiators, radiator ducting, fan mods....

TTT, did you buy two sets of fans from JT Imports just to get a pair of 7 blade fans?

Because it only increases (and that's still conjecture at this point) airflow when they're running. What I'm saying is that if you can't keep coolant temps under control by proper ducting of the airflow through the radiator while the car is moving, there's not really that much difference that "better fans" will provide. Overheating is overheating; "better fans" will only reduce the time it takes (and not by much) to get the temps down while the car is off WOT.

Sounds like a good idea up front but consider why the factory changed them.

Maybe it is a electrical load thing, maybe not. If the factory spent $$ to change them and they aren't cheaper to produce (like many 94+ changes) then it probably is a decent upgrade.

Jeff

Mazda changed the fan design because they felt that the older fans pulled too much amperage (25 amps vs. the newer fan motors at 19 amps) AND the fact that the older fans weren't a good enough job of cooling.

93 FSM, fan amps:

5.8-11.8 ... slow
6.5-12.5 ... med
10.6-16.6 ... fast

Mazda upgrade could still be less amps, less noise, slightly more flow.

If you want better temp control in hot traffic with ac, don't underdrive the waterpump, and don't let HOT coolant bypass the radiator ..... put a .07" pill in amy alum ast, and put a shut off valve/plug in the heater return line (bottom snout of wp hsg).

On my car, the cooling system works very well. Upgrading to a higher capacity fan will provide no real benefit. For me, it won't will justify the time and cost to make the change.

Of course, there are others who have the time and money to do this even if it doesn't really do much. Some of them will break or disconnect something in the process, and wind up worse off than they started ........... just because they couldn't leave well enough alone :)

Aren't the fans that are sold at JT Imports just the plastic fan blade themselves - no motor? Or, does it just decrease the load the motor pulls, so the same motor pulls less amperage for the same or better cooling?

Regardless, I'm with Jeff - if Mazda improved it, it's definitely for a reason.

Dale

Agreed, but who said anything about using these as a cure all?

Good points.

I don't mean to throw another wrench into the argument... Just playing Devil's Advocate to the group, I'm not attacking anyone's opinions here. I'm not claiming to have any answers of course, so don't flame me. :D

But is that reason better airflow, or better motor longevity (at the cost of airflow), etc.?

I was wondering how different the blade design is, side-by-side. More/less pitch/curvature? Surface area differences? And did they actually change the motor with the blade in the new design?

Did the JDM vehicles with these have different temperature switching points for the respective fan speeds? Maybe, for example, our fans are optimized to run at high-fan-speed for most of their operational life; whereas, the new fan design is meant to be run more often at "low" speed... or vice-versa?

I just don't see it as a simple "more blades=better fan" argument, even though that likely is the case. We're dealing with fanspeed, flow, pressure, and DC motors that really prefer to work at certain RPMs for effeciency reasons. Constructive comments? Be civil, now :)

The blade pitch would have to be extremely different for them not to be an added improvement over the earlier design.

The way I see it is if its Mazda changed to this fan then surely its not going to hurt anything. That being the case I think if someone wants them, then get them.....if you dont want them, then dont get them. Why does anyone really care if other people buy different fan blades or not? I sure as hell dont care. Its not something that needs to be justified, if someone wants them then get them who the hell cares. They're only $150, I know people that nearly spend that on "race" plugs that last 5K miles.

lol

Stephen