How much CFM needed for E-Fan

[Daves69Coupe]

Im looking to get an electric fan for my stang and my question is, how much CFM do I need for my engine to stay cool.

 

[AzPete]

SPAL # 30102120, 2360 cfm fan.

 

[Daves69Coupe]

damn 2360 cfm, well the one site says 1920cfm for that fan. Is that how much CFM it needs to stay cool? The stock engine blade fan produced that much cfm?

 

[AzPete]

That worked great on a slightly over stock and then I added A/C. I suggest getting the most you can the first time around....no use buying twice.

 

[Daves69Coupe]

I hear ya pete. Hows this fan and temp control switch look?

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance- ... Id=1042833

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance- ... 5/10002/-1

 

[AzPete]

With as much as I dealt with SPAL on the last car before I sold it, I would only buy their product at this point. They provided free checkout of a fan I thought might be bad, gave me a harness free with relays and fuses included. Great to deal with.

That one you selected looks ok....and it is 200 cfm lower for a $35 savings. Most likely will work,,,,but I would most likely still go with SPAL i mentioned. That cooled at 100*, A/C on, parade speeds....

Variable temp control I frrl is overrated. A good basic on and off is all I think you would need.

 

[Horseplay]

Variable temp control I frrl is overrated. A good basic on and off is all I think you would need.

You can always come back and add a different control. Go basic for now and save a few bucks and get the fan Pete suggests that is known to work in the application.

 

[buening]

...otherwise measure your radiator core and distance from core to waterpump pulley and hit up the junkyards. Most OEM fans will push more CFM than any of the Spal fans. A $30 used but in good shape OEM fan is much better IMO than a $150 or so Spal fan.

 

[Daves69Coupe]

Thanks for everybodies help, Ill let you guys know what I decide to go with.

 

[Horseplay]

...otherwise measure your radiator core and distance from core to waterpump pulley and hit up the junkyards. Most OEM fans will push more CFM than any of the Spal fans. A $30 used but in good shape OEM fan is much better IMO than a $150 or so Spal fan.

I've read countless accounts of people using Taurus fan set-ups. Move huge air but also sounds like they are very noisy. That is my one big concern. I do not want an electric fan being audible when idling around.

 

[apollard]

Some good advice above, so I'll just add in my experience. The stock fan with a shroud will move much more than 2300 cfm, I measure well over 4000 cfm at 2500 rpm. However, at idle it was moving less than 1000. However, if your cooling system is in good shape, you don't need more than 2300 cfm, so don't worry about that - the e fan will move more at idle and enough at speed. Over ~30 mph, you don't even need a fan, the air is pushed through the radiator anyway. I tow with my truck fully loaded at 13,500 lbs, and over 35-40 mph, the e fan never comes on.

Pete is right, get the higest quality fan you can now between the SPAL and the Jegs, get the SPAL. I'd add that the OEM fans are high quality, so the junkyard option is a good one. I run a fan from a Contour, which has two fans in a shroud that fits the 27" wide radiator that came on my '68; the fans are offset which clears the water pump pulley quite well - a problem with some fans. Pictures below, it fits perfect. I run one fan and it cools just fine, the second is set to come on at a higher temp but never does. They pull some current (18 amps each), but each one moves over 2000 cfm by my measurement.

The junkyard I called pulled the fan and it wouldn't run, so they got me a new one for $100 bucks. RockAuto.com also had them for this price - search for a 95-99 Ford Contour. Stay away from varible speed controllers IMO.

 

[buening]

I've read countless accounts of people using Taurus fan set-ups. Move huge air but also sounds like they are very noisy. That is my one big concern. I do not want an electric fan being audible when idling around.

I hear no motor noise, but the noise that is audible is the extreme amount of air being pulled through the radiator. You don't hear the aftermarket 16" fans because they don't have as many CFMs. I haven't had mine on the high speed yet (I have the Taurus), but am pretty happy with mine thus far. I'll have it hooked up for the 2speed operation hopefully in the next week or two.

 

[buening]

I have a Contour fan if anyone is interested in it. I also have a Mark VIII fan but those are a biotch to fit due to the immense thickness of the fan.