Maximising cooling with slimline thermo radiator fans

[wesleyong]

Hi guys,

It has been previously discussed that when upgrading to a thicker radiator, the use of slimline fans may be necessary.

This is my case where I have bought the 40mm aluminium radiator and my aftermarket intercooler piping is in the way of the stock fans.

I have purchased a 12" thermo off eBay. Although it would be super easy just to slap it on with the "zip tie" mounting kit it came with, the part that concerns me is that there is a lot of exposed radiator that is not covered by the fan.

How would you go about in resolving this issue?

I have thought about cutting out the stock fan from the shroud and placing the shroud over the slimline fan that would be attached directly straight onto the radiator with the "zip tie" mounting kit. (I would trim the shroud to clear my IC piping) However then I realised that may not help the issue as the fan is still touching right up against the radiator, exposing large areas of the radiator, even though it is covered by a shroud.

Any ideas?

Thanks guys!

Wes =)

 

[naughtika]

dont think alot of people are concerned due to the more CFM the aftermarket fan can pull/push

 

[snickells]

Fabricate a new shroud? Sorry man, but there is no easy answer. The stock system is engineered to deal with "X" amount of energy being dissipated via the cooling system and altering it via a new radiator/fan set up without properly planning out the changes, may result in inferior temperature management. Be it warming up or cooling down your engine.

Was any of the gear you bought specifically designed for our cars?

 

[wesleyong]

Yeah, the radiator was the gopher one from Michael's Auto Parts and I bought the silicon hoses from Ivan.

What further planning can I do in regards to the changes I am making? Would you also be able to please elaborate on the inferior temperature management I could potentially be creating?

Do we know what the stock CFM for our cars are? I did a search and I found someone asking the same question, but didn't come across an answer.

Thanks guys!

 

[unclepaulie]

yup, as steve said, make a shroud out of aluminium. you could even make it slim and sit the the fan an inch off the radaitor and shroud from the edges of the rad to the fan.

 

[Bennoz]

I've got 2 x 12 inch Davies Craig fans on mine at the moment & they are not enough. They are pulling 1400 cfm each.... bugger all.

You'd be surprised, the stock fans punch out a sh*t load of air. If only I could fit them in, I would be using the factory items.

For the moment, I've used a thermal doubled sided tape to seal the gap between the new fan housings & the radiator, as the standard style mounts for aftermarket fans don't keep the fan hard against the radiator, there always a couple of mm gap which can substantially reduce its cooling ability.

Im also using Redline water wetter, which is a great product.

 

[unclepaulie]

MS paint time!

id make a shroud and offset the fans 20mm from the surface of the radiator

 

[wesleyong]

Well, once again, thinking about car stuff kept me lying awake in bed last night. In my insomnia, I thought about simply trimming back the circular part of the stock shroud. Then I could make a plastic piece in that circular shape and JB weld it on the shroud, in which I'd cut a hole and mount my fan. What do you reckon? By the way, I am only replacing the big fan on the left side (passenger side). Reason being is that is the only one that is not fitting and I'm trying to save a few bucks where I can!

 

[wesleyong]

Hmm...done some more research and found some DIYs on fibreglassing your own shroud.

Another big obvious thing which I overlooked. Our stock fans are 14"(+ the smaller 12"), why is everyone buying 2 x 12"? I just went on eBay at work the other day kind of bored and bought a 12" from what everyone else was getting on the forums. I just went out with a measuring tape and realised our stock fans are way bigger!

 

[Kitty's VR4]

Sorry Wes,

I missed this tread completely...... I have the 40mm Golpher fitted and IMO there is no need to change the fans, the OEM fans have no problems dealing with the cooling requirements of the aluminium radiator, I've done a heap of track days and if that doesn't test them nothing will, the gauge never moves.

It is neccessary to modify slightly one of the drivers side fan support legs so that it clears the aluminium tube connected to the A/C compressor.

I removed the offending area with an abra file, but have since cleaned it up with the dremel, I'll take another Pic tomorrow, there is still plenty of meat left in the support to do its job.

 

[wesleyong]

Hey Kat,

Thanks for that. My problem is that the big fan shroud is already filed back to clear my aftermarket IC piping. From what I understand, the Gopher 40mm pushes the fans back even more, hence my need for slimlines.

Paul - I found this DIY on what you are already planning to do. http://www.the-rumbler.com/fanshroud-1.html It's a pretty average DIY, but he seems to get a nice result in the end.

 

[unclepaulie]

Hey Kat,

Thanks for that. My problem is that the big fan shroud is already filed back to clear my aftermarket IC piping. From what I understand, the Gopher 40mm pushes the fans back even more, hence my need for slimlines.

Paul - I found this DIY on what you are already planning to do. http://www.the-rumbler.com/fanshroud-1.html It's a pretty average DIY, but he seems to get a nice result in the end.

bingo, thats exactly what i mean

 

[Kitty's VR4]

Hey Kat,

Thanks for that. My problem is that the big fan shroud is already filed back to clear my aftermarket IC piping. From what I understand, the Gopher 40mm pushes the fans back even more, hence my need for slimlines.

Arggh, right, now I see the kufuffle, what a PITA, there is about 14mm of meat left after removing the offending material to clear that A/C pipe.

The definitive answer will be dependent on where you had to mod the shroud to fit the IC pipes and how much material is left, and whether removing the additional material would adversly effect the integrity of the shroud and its ability to support the fans. Otherwise your on the path of GPR'ing a new shroud...... a complete PITA. GRRR for non plug and play mods....

 

[cam1754]

i went to the wreckers and found a pair of ford xr8 thermos off a BF.made new brackets up ,mounted them upside down onto the radiator and put it all in as one...it turned out awesome.

 

[naughtika]

nice pick up on the shrouds..

has anyone considered this?

Mishimoto Fan Shroud

I've passed this information on to Bennoz, not sure if he's gonna buy a set... I dont think I will buy this particular one since the dimensions are a little off for my radiator.. and also there is a workshop near my parent's place who does all kinds of metal work.. might get them to do me custom one to suit 14" & 12" fans..

 

[bdscott]

I'm surprised it doesn't fit as well. My Golpher fitted like Kitty's, with a little trimming, and I have aftermarket pipes as well. Shame about that. Have you test fitted or working on an assumption