Changed Coolant....Funny Temp Problem
I am told SPAL fans are one of the best and because of quality are used by NASCAR. I am dissappointed however with their advertisement.
When I purchased the Spal Extreme 3000 I actually spoke to product support and it was what product support recommended at the time (2006). Since then however they have a disclaimer emphasizing that this particular fan model is not for street use. It now says it is not to be used for extended periods of time (more than one hour).
Gee - wish they had told me that or put that in writing when I bought the fan.
But they do have a 16 inch that is built for street use now. Give them a call.
I am told SPAL rates their cfm the most accurately. What you read is what you get.
But will Flexlite, PermCool, Zirgo, or BeCool give you any less service or longevity? I don't know. Who knows - maybe Spal makes their fans.
As for plug and play.
Do you want to use a shroud or not?
No shroud:
If no shroud then two fans staggered and mounted directly to your radiator is the the easiest - eight zip ties and you are done. Cut the fan plugs off of your stock fans and wire each to its mate on your new fans and plug both in and you are done.
Shroud:
I haven't done any research and to find one that mounts/hangs on the existing hooks on your stock radiator - probably not. But if the shroud mounts directly to the radiator with zip ties - then BeCool and Flexalite to name two, sell dual puller fan shroud kits.
Other info:
Straight blades pull more air but are nosier than curved blades.
Shrouds supposedly pull more air, if sealed properly, from the entire surface area of the radiator unlike suface mounted fans.
If the custom fans draw more amps than stock you will have to wire in relays to account for the additional draw and startup.
It is the AC when running that causes elevation of temps into the 220 + range because the superheated air exiting the AC condensor is drawn directly into the radiator. So to compensate you need to turn off the air, or run a bigger radiator, or run bigger fans, or change your coolant ratio or coolant, or run water wetter or evans coolant.
I am not inclined to believe that an electric water pump will give better reliability than a mechanical pump but they do flow better at idling.
Removal of the seal on the cowl allows hot air to excape the engine bay but it also permits water to run in (rain or car wash).
When I purchased the Spal Extreme 3000 I actually spoke to product support and it was what product support recommended at the time (2006). Since then however they have a disclaimer emphasizing that this particular fan model is not for street use. It now says it is not to be used for extended periods of time (more than one hour).
Gee - wish they had told me that or put that in writing when I bought the fan.
But they do have a 16 inch that is built for street use now. Give them a call.
I am told SPAL rates their cfm the most accurately. What you read is what you get.
But will Flexlite, PermCool, Zirgo, or BeCool give you any less service or longevity? I don't know. Who knows - maybe Spal makes their fans.
As for plug and play.
Do you want to use a shroud or not?
No shroud:
If no shroud then two fans staggered and mounted directly to your radiator is the the easiest - eight zip ties and you are done. Cut the fan plugs off of your stock fans and wire each to its mate on your new fans and plug both in and you are done.
Shroud:
I haven't done any research and to find one that mounts/hangs on the existing hooks on your stock radiator - probably not. But if the shroud mounts directly to the radiator with zip ties - then BeCool and Flexalite to name two, sell dual puller fan shroud kits.
Other info:
Straight blades pull more air but are nosier than curved blades.
Shrouds supposedly pull more air, if sealed properly, from the entire surface area of the radiator unlike suface mounted fans.
If the custom fans draw more amps than stock you will have to wire in relays to account for the additional draw and startup.
It is the AC when running that causes elevation of temps into the 220 + range because the superheated air exiting the AC condensor is drawn directly into the radiator. So to compensate you need to turn off the air, or run a bigger radiator, or run bigger fans, or change your coolant ratio or coolant, or run water wetter or evans coolant.
I am not inclined to believe that an electric water pump will give better reliability than a mechanical pump but they do flow better at idling.
Removal of the seal on the cowl allows hot air to excape the engine bay but it also permits water to run in (rain or car wash).
I've always wondered what would happen if I were able to fit a fan inbetween the radiator and condensor that turns on/off at the same times the other fans come on/off. I'd think that fan would take alot of work off the two factory fans having to pull the air through both the condensor and radiator.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,869
Likes: 99
I would definitely want a shroud, as you said, it pulls better and more efficiently than unshrouded. I would only get aftermarket fans if they fit right into my factory shroud mounting set-up. I guess when one fan takes a **** I'll worry about it.
I've always wondered what would happen if I were able to fit a fan inbetween the radiator and condensor that turns on/off at the same times the other fans come on/off. I'd think that fan would take alot of work off the two factory fans having to pull the air through both the condensor and radiator.
I've always wondered what would happen if I were able to fit a fan inbetween the radiator and condensor that turns on/off at the same times the other fans come on/off. I'd think that fan would take alot of work off the two factory fans having to pull the air through both the condensor and radiator.
However two 8 - 10 inch fans will fit on the front of the condensor - but IMO they would have to be pullers instead of pushers. I see no value in pushing hot air off the condensor directly into the radiator. IMO it needs to be pulled rather than pushed - that however is contrary to the movement of the car as it moves forward.
It might be a good project to test next summer. Ten inch Permacools are only two inches thick and a pair will pull nearly 2000 cfm. That setup would mean that the plastic in front of the condensor would have to be removed in order to expel the pulled air from the AC condensor.
Is it possible to attach a smaller condensor to the stock condensor to increase the cooling surface area or find a thicker condensor with more tubes and therefore more fin surface area?
As for the stock shroud - it fits perfect and is staggered. Cutting out the stock fans and mounting two aftermarket pullers wouldn't be that difficult.
The stock fan shroud just doesn't work with the ATI SC however because the fans are staggered opposite of what is required - high on the driver side - low on the passenger side.
Last edited by dlandsvZ28; Jun 16, 2009 at 03:27 PM.
It might be a good project to test next summer. Ten inch Permacools are only two inches think and a pair will pull nearly 2000 cfm. That setup would mean that the plastic in front of the condensor would have to be removed in order to expel the pulled air from the AC condensor.
BTW, whats the stock cfms per fan?
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TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,869
Likes: 99
If the plastic (actually polycarbonate likely) are absent then the previous owner removed them. They are hooked together with two push/pull plastic pins.
CFM? I don't know - an old post said around 2200 cfm - another said 3000 for the pair.
http://www.spalusa.com/store/main.as...&item=30102052
