An acquaintance once replaced the belt-driven fan, which presumably runs in direct relation with the engine rpms, with an electric cooling fan that turned on with feedback from the thermostat. This seems to make some sense; no reason to be running the fan quite as fast if you're going 80mph and the airspeed alone helps cool the engine significantly, and no need to run it quite as fast if it's 0F in the dead of winter. I was just wondering what were your thoughts on this? Finally, I'm confused on a point: engines are more efficient the greater the difference in temperature between the inside and the outside. The expanding gas expands faster and you get more energy; if the world were an ambient 500F you wouldn't get much power out of a regular car engine! Maybe there are other reasons too. So why is it, however, that you have very poor fuel efficiency when you first start up your car in wintertime, and why does it run better once it's warmed up a little?
If you have a properly operating fan clutch I personally don't think an electric fan is that much of an upgrade. Keep in mind an electric fan will put extra load on your electrical system. I also like the steady consistent temp I get from a regular mechanical clutched fan when in traffic or waiting in a drive thru, etc. With an electric fan it's up-down-up-down-etc. I know Car Craft did a story on the mechanical vs. electric fan some years ago and they did find some power with the electric fan, but I don't remember the specific setups they used.
I've had a few cars with the Clutch fan, and I do like them better than Electric fans. If they fail, it can be hard to get a replacement clutch unit. Electrics are great but the after-shutdown noise is an issue (for me anyway) I like to know that its off, cold dead off. These electric fans can't do that. They can save up to 3 to 5 HP, but they do push the charging system a lot. Not a good thing in long Night-time driving.
My wagon has both. I haven't really had it in hot enough weather to see the need, but I think it would be handy for idling around the car shows when it 98 degrees. Otherwise, seems redundant...
