Ebay slim fan performance vs Spal
#27
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,297
Total Cats: 477
Well gentlemen, I can tell you the particular fans I did this to, that's not going to be a problem. The motor on these fans is very light. Besides, I mounted then 1" away, they'll never touch. Also by design the fan blades are around 3/4" away from the shroud anyways, so even if you mounted the fan directly to the radiator, the fan blades still would never hit the radiator.
#31
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,297
Total Cats: 477
Because it's a concern that's not actually a problem.
See the two screws in the pic of the motor at 9 and 3 O'clock? That's all that hold the motor the the plastic-hub it's bolted to. If I grabbed the fan blade and started pulling/twisting, I'd break the fan where those 2 screws are. That is the weak link, not the little ribs. I compared both fans in the pic, both would break there first, it's the obvious weak point. So if I want to make it stronger, I need to improve that, not the ribs.
See the two screws in the pic of the motor at 9 and 3 O'clock? That's all that hold the motor the the plastic-hub it's bolted to. If I grabbed the fan blade and started pulling/twisting, I'd break the fan where those 2 screws are. That is the weak link, not the little ribs. I compared both fans in the pic, both would break there first, it's the obvious weak point. So if I want to make it stronger, I need to improve that, not the ribs.
#32
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,297
Total Cats: 477
And FYI, I did it by removing 1 section (proved that removing ribs increases airflow), then 4, then 8, then 10, then all 12. Each time it showed the mounts for the motor were flexing. So I kept cutting. I'm sure it's weaker, but I doubt it will be a problem. Even if it is, so what, they were like 37 dollars shipped for the PAIR!
#38
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,297
Total Cats: 477
It has to help some, and it doesn't seem to hurt anything. Either way my goal is to make things work better, so even if the motor falls off the fan tomorrow and it becomes obvious I caused it, that's ok. Nobody knows everything, and I certainly don't.
If you look at any high quality fan, the little keep-your-finger-out-ribs are much thinner than the ebay fans. Some in this thread show that SPAL fans for example are thinner even if they have them too.
Besides I just knocked at least 10 grams off the fans, so gram strategy make me go faster!
#40
So my temp was 199-201 crusin on the highway, about 3* lower than normal, no ac. Mostlikely caused by reduced restriction for air going through the shroud. I turned my ac when traffic got to less than 10 mph on the highway, I made it about 3/4 of the way before temps got to 218* and I shut it off. Normally I make it less than halfway before temps got that high. I addition the Temps came back to 205* very quickly, before I had to turn the heater on to drop the temps.