fast65

I've been thinking about getting an electric fan and was wondering what you guys thought. I have a 302 from a '68 Mustang and want to know what would be the best electric fan. I'm looking at a Zirgo or a Flex-a-Lite. Do you guys have any suggestions on what might be the best fan to get? Thanks in advance.

dodgestang

SPAL is one of the few manufactures who rates their fans somewhat accurately. With that said...are you having a problem that you feel you need some type of improved cooling or is this simply for 'looks' and in the hopes you can free up a couple horse power?

Gun Jam

I really like my Felx a lite black magic and I think switching from a stock fan to an electic is a great idea.

It will free up a bit of HP and reduce noise a bit especially above 2500 rpm.

electric fans are great because they only operate when they need to. Sometimes ill drive 80 miles to my other house and it takes 78 minutes to get there. During that entire trip the electric fan come one not once. So it puts no extra load on the alternator or engine. Imagine how much more load the stock fan would create at 3,000 rpm for 78 minutes?

A clutch fan is another option but I have never had any experience with them.

-Gun

66blownmustang66

i went to my local pick n pull and got one for under 15 $ and my motor never goes over 185. and i have a B&M blower and all. i love the fans never want another flex fan lol...

fast65

I really just want to make sure that I have enough cooling power for the summer. It'd be nice to get a few extra ponies to.


EDIT: Who are the other manufactures that rate their fans accurately? Also, what CFM rating should I be looking for?

morg68stang

Don't mean to hijack but can someone explain how you recapture HP by putting in an electric fan? I understand the old fan's not there, but you still have to have the belt to run the water pump correct? Does the resistance from the fan really add up to enough to rob horsepower?

Iskwezm

have you felt the weight of a fan???? Then add the resistance of the bladespulling the air.It might not be alot, but it adds up

Aussie66Fastback

desirable cfm is open to debate
my understanding is around 2800 for a mild small block.

even an electric fan will work better if shrouded.
fan = round, rad = rectangle. you want the fan to draw over as much surface area as possible.

Gun is also right...if your cooling system is ok in other respects, the fan is pretty much redundant over 30mph anyway. forward momentum is creating more cfm over the rad than any fan. So your stock or flex fan is working for nothing.

66FB06GT

+1 for SPAL. 16" for $99 on eBay. Go that route. I haven't heard of people having trouble with their fans.Before you buy something make sure you measure the depthbetween your radiator and waterpump. I had clearance problems with the brass 3-row radiator. Also, an adjustablethermostatic switchwell worth the extra money over the cheaper set temp on/off switches.

Here is some writeup I did about my cooling system upgrade:

http://www.fastbackmustang.com/Proje...emUpgrade.aspx

Hope this helps.

Gun Jam

Morg68stang

The issues with the stock fan has alot more to do with the blades than with the weight of the fan. They have 4 very wide blades that have a very aggressive pitch to them. This is needed to move large amounts of air at idle speeds of 700 rpm and they do a good job. The problem is at 3000 rpm they are generating unnecessary drag.

Its not apparent to most people but air is pretty thick. you dont really notice it until you try to move through it at high speed. Ever notice how a million pound air bus stays aflot at 250 mph? That stock fan generates more drag than you might immagine.

-Gun