Vortech5300

I had come across a set of Flex a lite 210s which are dual 10" in a built in shroud. Many of the guys here suggested they were too small as I also thought myself. Well, today I decided to try them since it was costing me nothing but time. I hung the fans on the radiator and wired them directly to the battery. Now, normally with the stock fan and the 160 stat the truck runs about a needle width above 185 at speed and at idle its anywhere from that same point up to the last mark before 210, very rarely does it hit the 210 mark. With the e-fans wired directly it took a little longer to get to temp. Once the needle hit 185 it stayed there for about 7 mins, then over about a 20 min span it reached in between the two marks before the 210 mark. It stayed at that point between those 2 marks(200-205 degrees I guess)for about 15mins. Then finally it got closer to the 210 mark. I held the engine up to 2k rpms for about 30 seconds and let it come back down to idle, it hovered around 210 for about 5 mins then all of the sudden the gauge jumped to 215-220 range at about 1 hour into the run time. I shut the truck off and proceeded to reinstall the stock fan. Now, I am not sure if the gauge was just stuck and finally jumped up past 210 or the extreme heat soak finally just overloaded what the little fans could cool. Mind you though this was idling with the AC on and the temps in low 90s and the humidity was about 90%. It took an hour for it to overheat but the whole point of electric fans is to keep it closer to the thermostat temp, not run 208 degrees with a 160 thermo stat. So with all this being said, I guess I am in the market for some ls 1 fans now.

BTW, after I put the stock fan back on, I let it idle with the ac on for about 15 mins and it was again inbetween the 2 marks before 210, I guess thats 205-208 or something.

You guys with LT1 fans or LS1 fans, where does your gauge stay around with a 160 stat and extended idling, assuming you have it wired direct to the key on or have about a 170 degree activation switch?? I want my truck at 185 at ALL times, even with idling for an hour or two.

My 2001 V6 Mustang has a single 19" electric fan that runs almost continously and it and it's shroud covers the entire radiator. It has hella blades on it also.

BigJ

I control my LT1 fans with 2 toggles. I turn 1 fan on when my temp reaches 175*-180* in light traffic and it will maintain 180*. If I get stuck in traffic with the A/C on, the temp will rise to 195*-200* with just one fan. Flip the second fan on and it is back to 180* in 1-3 minutes. My fans never come on during my morning 25 mile drive to work. Driving on the freeway, the temp will maintain 180* by itself. I like having control of operating temps and voltage draw. Yes, I have to watch my gauges more, but I think it is worth it.
If I drive with both fans on all the time, my temp will stay at 175*-180* with hardly any change. Just don't like run both when I can maintain the temp I want with one fan most of the time. Just takes a little practice.
I have never let my truck idle for an hour, so not too sure how it would react. I am sure both fans would need to be on though.
The flexalite 282 kit looks like a very nice setup and if I had a show truck, thats the way I would go. But, for $125 and under, the LT1 or LS1 fans get the job done on a tight budget

Vortech5300

Well Big J, it looks like the LT1 fans will easily do the trick for me. I want it to stay around 180 degrees all the time, with or without the AC on. Thats why I was going to wire it to a key on. If it stays cooler, its easier to keep cool. I can't use the toggle switch method because if my GF drives it, she'll burn it up. LOL. Anyone have a good source for LT1 or LS1 fans in Houston area? I called a few junk yards, they are all out of em. Looks to be around $80-$125 range.

BigKID

iTrader: (5)

I have caddy guages so my temp guage is a little different than yours. According to ATAP my truck stays around the 185* point in all driving conditions in high 80 low 90 temps. That is with LS1 fans and 160 stat.

BigTex

iTrader: (16)

I have the LT1 fans. I have them both keyed on. I show mid 170s idleing or low speed even in 90* temp. But, when I run the A/C, it will usually run about 185* in traffic.

If I shut the fans off, it gets to 210* in a hurry.

parish8

iTrader: (6)

i know some of you guys are into the budget thing but i have to chime in and tell you how nice the flx-282 is, yes it is almost $400 but it is soo sweet.

it has a nice thick seal to mate up to the radiator, the brackets look almost factory, it comes with a controler that lets me hold my coolant temps down around 175deg. it is variable speed so when it just reaches the tstat setting it starts slower and ramps up to 100% as it gets warmer, when the ac is on it runs the fans at 60%, it has an override terminals on the controler so you can go full on or off. it has a 5sec deleay when you first start the truck so the fan isn't runing when you are starting it. it comes with all the wire and terminals. it blows a ton of air. it covers about 90%of the radiator(34"core style). wiring the fans took a little time but bolting them in took only about 10 minutes.

i have been looking at the atap logs from friday when i was at the track, it was85 to 90deg and i wasn't running the air. i had the fans running full(over ride the controler) my coolant temps were 171-176deg all the time. most runs were 171 to start and 174 at the end of the 1/4, then 171 again 10minutes later, maybe sooner i wasn't watching that close.