anybody consider adding one of these to their trucks? The ricer dyno says recover 27 hp and increase fuel economy 6%. I've already got the dmax fan in my truck so it should apply to me too....no?

http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/chevy-diesel.html

I just checked the price....:nutkick: $500:bawl:

Many have tried flex blade fans, and some of the electric fan offerings with mixed results, this is a new product, previously there was no alternative that cooled a Diesel as well as a stock fan with a retuned fan clutch. This might be worth looking into, but for $500 if that price is correct I think using conventional wisdom there are more cost effective ways to get more Hp & cooling. It would be interesting if they backed it with a money back guarantee.

I do see a disclaimer at the bottom of their advert, though for it not being acceptable for heavy towing loads.

I am actually contemplating leaving my fan off (for the winter months only) when I put my truck back together. It has a hard enough time getting up to temp up here. I can't imagine that it would hurt if I watched the gauges closely.

The ricer dyno says recover 27 hp and increase fuel economy 6%.That should net me 28 hp and 7% increase in fuel economy because I am not straining the alternator.):h

Many have tried flex blade fans, and some of the electric fan offerings with mixed results, this is a new product, previously there was no alternative that cooled a Diesel as well as a stock fan with a retuned fan clutch. This might be worth looking into, but for $500 if that price is correct I think using conventional wisdom there are more cost effective ways to get more Hp & cooling. It would be interesting if they backed it with a money back guarantee.

I do see a disclaimer at the bottom of their advert, though for it not being acceptable for heavy towing loads.


I noticed the disclaimer, too. However, I'll never get near 18K. How much does your rig weigh with the backhoe behind it?

The $500 figure was from Summit. $500 is $500, if you know what I mean. I think I feel cooler with the $500 in my pocket :)

I noticed the disclaimer, too. However, I'll never get near 18K. How much does your rig weigh with the backhoe behind it?

:)

24K

24K

24K behind a 1/2 ton p/u.

Can someone yell "run forrest, run!":rolleyes:

Hey Qwomack I'll give that theory a short whirl, once I get the Burb road worthy I'll run it fanless for a quick jaunt, I should be able to cut my 1/4 ET on my G meter with all that freed up HP. ):h

24K behind a 1/2 ton p/u.

Can someone yell "run forrest, run!":rolleyes:

We'll it ain't your average 1/2T, Diesel 1/2 is equivalent in body/frame to a 3/4T gasser, & as you see from the sig mine is tweaked a bit, plus I got some other mods that don't show in the sig.

We'll it ain't your average 1/2T, Diesel 1/2 is equivalent in body/frame to a 3/4T gasser, & as you see from the sig mine is tweaked a bit, plus I got some other mods that don't show in the sig.

While I agree that you have done quite a bit with your truck to handle those loads, I must admit, if I saw your rig running down I-10 at 70 and then saw the "1500" badges, you could bet that I would say "son of a b***h", that dude got some testicles.

24K


according to them, you're not a candidate for their fan. But if their setup pulls 6k cfm, I don't think the fan will be the limiting factor when it comes to cooling.

The 98 & up 9 blade fan pulls over 7,000 cfm at 2000 rpm and over 12,000 cfm at 3500 rpm...

Not to worry Qwomack I don't pull that load every day only about 2x per year when I need to work it at my camp, 150 miles away, mostly flat, I run escorted and slow

The 98 & up 9 blade fan pulls over 7,000 cfm at 2000 rpm and over 12,000 cfm at 3500 rpm...


wow. I didn't know that.

two guy's on her tried using the flexi lite fans. And kept having problems with one of the motors going down. They replaced it. But it was a pain and they went back to standard fans.

There is a long thread on here about it. One guy pulled a rather large boat.

Would be nice.

ok a clutch fan only draws hp when you are hot. if my truck had enough room i would put in the electric fan right in front of the clutch fan. that way i would only lose hp if i were hot. not a bad time to lose hp. that would be the best of both worlds. ford did just that on the crown vic. when it is not hot the clutch fan almost is at a stand still.

My "old man" put electric fans on his 95 6.5 1ton dulley and picked up 1-2mpg towing. I was thinking of taking the stock fan off my duramax and testing it with my g-tec Pro RR to see if there is any gains. The clutch fan on diesel trucks seem to pull all the time, so maybe the electrics help some?

I called flex-a-lite about a month or two ago, and asked if they sold anything like this b/c i read an article on a f-350 gas truck they used it in. asked if they had anything for a diesel.

They said do you tow, i said yes, he said stick with your fan clutch electric can't provide what you need. he said it would work great for just driving around but if your towing it probably could not keep up.

I was looking at diong it and putting an intercooler behind it and if room putting a fan on the intercooler to draw more air to it.............

think it is a great idea if they can keep up.

When you guys say "Tow" what do you consider towing? I tow a 16 foot fiberglass boat about 5 times a year, does that count?

Bill

qwomack, you havn't touched the cold yet, come up here further north, get that fan on though, and just invest into a winter front instead

When you guys say "Tow" what do you consider towing? I tow a 16 foot fiberglass boat about 5 times a year, does that count?

Bill

Bill,

From watching my scan tool for fuel rate & EGT, my 6.5 isn't "working" per-sei until I'm hooked up to 5000# rolling load, or my 6 x 12 enclosed trailer with about 1600# in it, wind drag is the key component there.

16' boat probably isn't that much of a load for the 6.5.

That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure. I can pull the boat around by hand, so my 6.5 should be able to move it.):h

There are a few things I'd like to try, but I was worried about losing the ability to tow. This truck is being built as a toy for me. I like mudbogging, and I used to do alot of it in my '86 with a 6.2 and 36" SuperSwampers. I want to run 38.5" Boggers on this truck.:muahaha:

Bill

"The 98 & up 9 blade fan pulls over 7,000 cfm at 2000 rpm and over 12,000 cfm at 3500 rpm..."


Don't forget also, the cfm rating you are looking at is deceptive. All fans are rated at 0 " wg of pressure drop. As soon as you hook it up to a radiator, and facing the motor (obstruction to flow) you will net a fraction of that. Add a few bugs, it drops further. I have measured the flow on some of the fans we are discussing, 12000 cfm is never approached. I see up to 8000 cfm, and that is assisted with motion ram flow.

The only thing you will accomplish is a lighter bank account, a lower GCVWR, and the assurance of a future alternator upgrade. Air costs, empirically, 10-12 amps per 1000 cfm when coupled to a thick radiator. You might get 3000 cfm out of this electric fan (installed)

"recover 27 hp and increase fuel economy 6%"

BS. The typical 21" engine driven fan consumes 27 HP, that is reasonable and so does an electric fan pulling the same cfm, which this does not. In this case it pulls less than the alternative, and tows less as a result. Apples and Tangerines (save even more, run without a fan, leave it in the driveway, massive fuel savings, just send me $400, I just saved you $100)

2 HP when disengaged, fwiw

Fuel savings? even if true, you would need to purchase 128 tankfuls, and travel 80,000 miles to get a payback. IMO, unless for a special reason, It is a waste of money, and its marketing consists of pure smoke and mirrors. IMO

Good input - we try to post the cons, but the question always comes down to the flow-rate of the oem engine-driven fan, at what power-loss.

So far, no-one has posted any data on the GM fan\fan-clutch assembly