(2) 12" fans versus (1) 16" fan
How about giving us some examples? Have you ever used or known someone who has used a Black Magic fan? I know a few people with them and none are dissatisfied. I do agree they don't come with shrouds, but then, since the application is going to be a custom one, that would be difficult. Shrouds are cheap and easily made.
BTW, thanks for what you do in your profession.
What kind of example are you looking for? The Ford Contour fans I run pull 3,500 cfm on the low speed, approximately 5,000 cfm on the high speed, and the Dorman reproduction set up is $131
Dorman Electric Fans 620-104
As for the flex-a-lite fans, I’ve never heard anything bad about them. They’re one of the few electric fans out there that flow the kind of cfm needed for a stand-alone electric fan set up. Their dual fan systems definitely move enough air, and most have some kind of shroud.
And actually, in looking at the black magic single fans now they do have shrouds. Maybe not ones designed to completely cover the radiator, but the are shrouded so they should perform as rated. As for the non-shrouded fans, if you’ve run a flow bench for cylinder heads it’s easy to see how even a few small changes in how you set up the bench can make a difference in the numbers that might not be relevant on the engine.
Only thing about the black magic fans is they start at like $250 for the single fans and get well into the $400 range for the dual fans. So the contour set up will flow more cfm for almost half the price in most cases. Although the Contour fans need a 26” radiator, so they’re not an option for everyone.
And thanks! As they say, if you love your job you never work a day in your life. Now, I wouldn’t say “never” as some of the days are pretty hard. But most days I do love my job, and the days that are hard, well, I’m pretty well compensated for. Times are a little strange right now, but someone has to do it.
