(Hint: if your electric fan setup isnt doing the job, YOURE doing it wrong)

 

Electric fans are for cooking potatoes and I have a two late 90's spares.

 

Let me know how many corvettes, vipers, ferraris, lambo's, you find with clutch fans

Same goes for *virtually* every FWD car around.

Clutch fans are for people too cheap to upgrade, or too ignorant to realize the benefits.

 

I cheap and I no care about 2 horsepower.

 

Bingo, that ones fine, I still dont trust fan clutches that old

 

the thing is, lots of people have proven that a clutch fan with shroud cools better than the electric fans.

by the time you step up to an electric fan that moves enough air to match the clutch fan, your electric draw is huge and putting a ton more strain away from the alternator, which in turn just takes power away from the spark, which means anything you've gained, you've probably lost if not more.

 

Again, if they were better like that, you'd best bet high-end cars would be running them.

Really you think when the alternator is putting out its max (higher rpm, not at idle), is when the power isnt going to be there for ignition ? Like I said, peoples setups that are not working properly, are not setup properly.

If you dont understand how to build your car properly, and use an electric fan setup, hey thats cool, by all means run a 20+ yr old clutch fan, just dont try to tell me its "better" because someone else who couldnt do electric correctly, said so.

 

To further put a stop to your gained, lost.

High power OEM fans are available that draw 30A~, a stock SR alternator is 80A

A simple quest alternator upgrade gives you 125A, thats an EXTRA 55A, I'd like to know where all that extra power is going, that the ignition system wont be able to use, since I really really, reallllyy doubt the 30A fan draw (at max, and only once in a while if you've actually set this up properly), is somehow surpassing 55 amps..

 

I'd also love to see some kind of actual proof about clutch fans being BETTER, not flowing more.

You need the majority of your fan airflow at low speed, and at stoplights, where you're likely to be idling or at low rpm, where a clutch fan isnt going to be moving a lot of air, sure once you get rolling, it may cool things down fast, but with a proper electric fan setup you'll be able to keep things cool before they heat up. Theres a reason your a/c setup doesnt rely on the clutch fan.

 

Actually is was Dan that did the "testing" on his old s14, so I would say that it was done right.

And no, it doesn't run at max, but when you can notice a voltage drop just by turning on the headlights, I don't see how a set of good, high CFM fans with a higher draw isn't going to have a greater effect

and I agree, higher end cars have them because there are significant advantages to them.
difference is though, those cars are designed and built for them.
I'm of the opinion that a e-fan install doesn't require upgrading the charging system.

So what are you considering "done right"
a radiator swap to increase heat exchange to compensate for the lower air flow?
an alternator swap to compensate for the increased electrical load?
harness upgrades to properly handle the increase amperage?
A pulley swap to keep the alternator spinning at more optimum rpm's?

a correct e-fan install should only be the fans, shroud, temp driven controller.
If you can't get the job done, with those parts as good, or better than the stock clutch fan, without sacrificing anything, then it isn't worth it.