Here are some of the applications where we would recommend a belt-driven fan. It simply takes more energy to spin a belt-driven fan than it does to produce the electricity needed for a comparable electric fan. One major downside of belt-driven fans is parasitic loss. Conversely, electric fans move more air than belt-driven fans at engine speeds below 2,400 rpm in typical applications. Since a belt-driven fan increases speed (and airflow) with engine speed, it can move more air at higher engine rpm - usually above 2,400 rpm - than an electric fan. You can, however, increase your car's horsepower and fuel economy without giving up cooling capability by using one of our high-performance Flex Fans. Finally, if you're installing a custom radiator, adding an electric fan is easy and will clean up your underhood considerably.īelt-driven Fans If your vehicle has a belt-driven cooling fan and you're not making major changes to the engine or cooling system, the simplest thing to do is to keep a belt-driven setup. For vehicles where the engine and radiator/fan shroud move a lot - like in off-roading - an electric fan eliminates the possibility of the fan hitting the radiator or shroud. A belt-driven fan will typically require at least 3 ½ inches between the water pump and the radiator, while our Low Pro electric fan requires only 1.09 inches at the center where your pulley is. Electric fans are designed to mount directly on the radiator, usually providing for the most compact and easy installation possible. If you're making engine or cooling system changes, the original belt-driven fan might not line up any longer, or the factory fan shroud might not fit. We don't mean putting it in a box, but rather how it fits underhood. Another advantage for electric fans is packaging. For a 4x4, you can also add a manual kill switch to turn the fan off during a mud run or water crossing to minimize pulling more than just air through your radiator. You can wire them to come on when the air conditioning is turned on to maximize the efficiency of the air conditioning system. An electric fan can cycle on and off, reducing the electric load. This is nice in the winter time to warm up your car more quickly, and it's critical in drag racing where you want just the right amount of engine temperature of optimum performance. An affect that most people don't consider is that your engine can come up to operating temperature more quickly with an electric fan because the fan doesn't turn on until a specific temperature. One huge advantage that electric fans offer is flexibility in when they are turned on. This can lengthen the life of the bearings in the water pump. Removing a belt-driven fan that mounts on the water pump reduces the load on the pump. Between the two types of fans, an electric fan offers an improvement in power delivered to the wheels. It places an additional draw on the electrical system, but this is a more efficient means of spinning a fan, and it has a smaller impact on engine drag. But in cooling, what makes a good fan is optimum airflow for cooling with minimum energy consumption (for maximum engine power and fuel economy).Įlectric Fans An electric fan completely removes the mechanical load of spinning the fan from the engine. Electric fans rely on electric energy from the battery and charging system. Belt-driven fans use mechanical energy directly from the engine. Which one is better depends largely on the specific application.Īll fans consume energy to spin. The full answer to this question is that both electric and belt-driven fans have their place. But it's not always the better cooling solution. We'll jump right into the heart of the matter: An electric fan is the better performance solution, freeing up maximum horsepower and mpg. In fact, we created the first high-performance belt-driven fan in 1962, and we were the first to introduce an aftermarket electric fan to the U.S. We manufacture both, so we're pretty unbiased on this topic. This debate is as old as the electric fan itself. Which is Better - an Electric or Belt-driven Fan?
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