Aftermarket Cooling Fans

[RJS]

Just curious if any one has any experience with these aftermarket "Flex" fans from Derale:
https://www.derale.com/basic/default.aspx

Supposedly they flatten out at higher RPM, reducing drag, but pull lots of air at low RPM.

Bob
PS: for that matter, any experience with any aftermarket or non-Triumph fans?

 

[RJS]

Weird, my link doesn't take you to the product page. Take a look under Belt Driven Fans. I am specifically looking at Part No. 17015.

 

[TR3driver]

Friend of mine in college had a similar fan on his Camaro, right up until it threw a blade through the hood!

Looking at what various OEMs have done over the years, I have to think they found some fundamental flaw in the "flex fan" concept. After all, the aftermarket flex fans have been around for some 50 years, but I have never seen one as original equipment. And they must be a lot cheaper than the usual "high performance" OEM fans, which are almost always either a steep, non-flex fan with a thermal clutch, or an electric fan with a thermostat. My Buick Roadmaster (with HD cooling & factory towing package) actually has one of each!

Personally, I've been real happy with the Hayden electric fan I had on the TR3A. Just recently moved it to the project TR3 and still haven't got the controls sorted out yet, but it looks promising. Just need some hot weather to really test it out ... maybe I'll drive over and visit Geo Hahn :laugh:

One thing I like about electric fans, they draw NO power when not needed. Not as efficient (power wise) when running, but that is actually a very small percentage of the time (at least for me); generally only when I'm caught in stop and go traffic for more than a few minutes. The fan cools well enough that I'm comfortable not having it kick on until the coolant reaches 200F, and that generally doesn't even happen at stop lights unless the weather is really hot or I just stopped from freeway speeds.

Once drove through an entire Indiana summer with no fan at all, just by turning off the engine whenever I had to stop.

 

[RJS]

That would make sense. I am never quick to throw out OEM engineering. And as you say, if flex fans were so good, why did they not become original equipment? Kinda reminds me of those "100 mpg carburetors" which never made it into OEM usage.

Bob