aftermarket fan question.
 

so, i see alot of different aftermarket fans out there and came across these while i was looking for silicon couplers.

http://www.siliconeintakes.com/detai...70435ab01702ee

they don't look much different then the ones awr supplies, cept maybe the shroud and stuff...

http://www.awrracing.com/store/produ...roducts_id=234

so my question is, are the cheaper ones essentially the same thing ? there is no way I'll pay $450 for some fans, but for $25 i might be willing to take the gamble.... any advice or recommendations ?

Scott

Do it and tell us how it turns out!

bah lol, i was hoping for some feedback before i decided to buy a pair.

do it and make a custom shroud like AWR, they look VERY similar....

how much CFMs do the stock fans produce?

Stock fans pull ~2500 cfm at ~12 amps. It's been my experience that the cheaper fans don't pull as advertised and they don't last as long. I had two of the cheap 14" fans and one of them pulled noticeable less than the other. Eventually it quit working all together with less than a month's worth of use. Shrouds are fairly easy to build using abs sheet or metal sheet.

speaking of ABS sheet...I was looking for some at Home Depot yesterday to make a top shroud for the radiator, but couldn't find any. Where do you get the stuff?

bsrproducts.com - by the foot
http://www.bsrproducts.com/product_i...roducts_id=514
cuts with metal shears, utility knife and bends with light heat from a plumbers torch or heat gun and holds position when cool. Good stuff!

Much appreciated, thanks.

the site says, 12-15v, 1600 CFM 6 amps.

stock fans pull at 2500 ?

Brand new 2500, but I've found that they tend to slow down with age.

miata roadster states something else:
1140 (rad) and 947 (a/c)

that's probably difference between actual measured vs. manufacturer claims. You'll see the same difference on aftermarket fans. In general, the more expensive the fan, the more accurate the claim (if it's high cfm) - and the greater the durability. There's a reason spals are so damn expensive and why they're used heavily in race applications. That said, if you pay $40 for a high cfm fan that's overrated by 20% and still does the job for 5 years. It just may be worth saving $150 over a spal. I picked up a used 16" spal straight blade on ebay and there's no doubt that fan pulls the advertised 2400cfm - it can drop the coolant temp from 98c to 94c in ~15 seconds sitting at a stoplight after heavy boosting. btw- avoid the straight blades if you don't want horrendous noise. They're efficient for the motor power and take up less space (shallow), but very loud.

I can live with it being loud :) I'm picking up 2 of the cheap 12" ones.

What do you think about these?
I might buy 1 and turn it on and see how long it will last just running in my room.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/12-IN...QQcmdZViewItem

WHich are better (noise is not a problem) the ones with straight blades or "curvy"?

Straight ones pull more cfm per amp.

You take your chances with the cheap fans (I did). I had two of those and one of them lasted only a couple of months before dying. Neither seemed to pull as much as the stock fans, though they were advertised as a higher cfm. I think the environment (extra hot engine bay) also plays a part in the performance and demise of the cheaper fans.

There are other fans out there that are less expensive, but exude better quality, like zirgo, permacool, hayden, flexalite, procomp... They're actually sell retail and have manufacturer names on them. Of course they could just be the chinese no-name versions branded or rebranded.

I bought a used spal 16" straight blade 2400cfm for $60 - which was $100 cheaper than new.

The one I gave the link to is a procomp ( that is what they say)

I got my "procomp" fans - ebay. One of them is running fo rthe 2nd day and the flow hasn't changed (at least I can't tell any difference between when i got it and now). It is around 80-90 here and it's sitting in the sun.
And it flows way better than the stockers - after you turn both on side-by-side (stocker vs. procomp) the stocker barely pushes any air.
I don't mind the vacuum alike sound of the procomps (they are LOUD, very LOUD).

More later (in august after i put them in my cars :) I'll make a DIY thread about the shroud(?) for those 2 fans.