Has Anyone Added An Electric Fan?

Hi All, has anyone added an electric fan to their Tundra? I’m thinking of adding one to the front of my radiator and am eager to know if any here has done so as well. Thanks.

 

Was thinking that an electric radiator fan would provide much more cooling to the radiator and coolant, etc.

 

What r u trying to achieve?

 

I want to add more cooling to the radiator and transmission cooler, for better performance.

 

I see. Another option, more expensive but it’d look really cool is to swap out the radiator with a high performance after market one.

 

I am thinking of doing that as well. Also thinking of getting rid of the belt driven factory fan and replacing it with a new high performance radiator with electric fan attached to it.

 

Calling @dirtydeeds

 

That’s an interesting option. I’m not having any problems whatsoever with my truck or cooling. Have been reading a lot of forums and other stuff and I kept seeing chatter about upgrading the tindra’s cooling system for better performance.

 

Will do. Thanks.

 

Pretty sure he has done a few

 

I totally agree with you. That’s why I’m asking for everyone’s opinion regarding this modification.

 

I have a buddy with a taco who did exactly what you are asking. He removed the stock belt driven fan and replaced with the a dual high flow fan. He said he noticed a considerable difference. I know it was a royal pain in the rear to do and it’s not a cheap project. If you do this please post up a build on it. I would love to see this done.

 

Cool. That’s what I have been reading about online. Many of the people who have done that type of mod, swears that their trucks runs much better and faster.

 

I can see how possibly prolonged rock crawling on long grades uphill in low range, southwestern desert, summertime the electric fan could be a real advantage.

 

I’m sure there are some other people who have done this. I remember him having his fan on a switch with a relay. If it’s not a big increase of power versus the money, I wouldn’t do it.

 

Believe @Spvrtan has done this

 

So, you're saying you didn't like it?

 

Mechanical fans have actually been measured to move more air. I HIGHLY recommend you don’t put an electric fan in front of the radiator while running the mechanical fan. The key to cooling is flow, putting an electric fan in front of the radiator is creating turbulent air for the mechanical fan to pull. Turbulent air being pulled by a turbulent source reduces overall flow. The key to an electric fan is to build an airtight shroud. Forcing the air to have to move through the radiator vs going through other areas or leaking through seams is what reduces efficiency.

Can I ask what issues you are having that’s making you want to consider this? There is a ton of R&D that goes into ensuring the cooling system can keep up to the load.

 

Very interesting information...I never knew that by placing the fan in the front of the radiator, it could pose other problems. The electric fan has been a permanent staple on high performance sports cars and supercars, so, I am sure that it's advantageous to have for HP and torque. Thanks for the information.

 

True. My thoughts are that I would have a cooler running truck, less wear and tear from the heat. As far as cost is concerned, I am not sure what it would run. The type of fan(s), size, etc., would definitely make that determination.Not even sure that I would do it, to be honest.

 

Technically, yes. While you gain some HP in reduction of friction and resistance from turning the fan, the amount of electrical load required to cool a radiator the size of the tundra will be significant. Which ultimately means a very minimal net gain in efficiency or power. If you do look at high end HP build, they choose the electric fan simply from a packaging stand point. Much easier to package, but a shroud is mandatory. Period.

This seems to be a common misconception. See my message above. The overall load decrease may not be significant, while potentially creating issues. Cooling fluid is a science, more cooling is not always good. The transmission fluid in your truck is WS fluid and extremely sensitive to temp swings, in either direction. There is a million mile tundra for a reason. As mentioned, tons of R&D goes into this.

Not saying don’t do it, but plenty of things to take into account. Also, I’m a nerd. So the devil is in the details.

 

I certainly do appreciate your technical expertise in this discussion. Boy, don't I know what it is like to have cooling system issues. I had a buick many years ago and it certainly taught me a thing or two about cooling and over heatingI think that it is better to leave trouble alone where the radiator is concerned