At worst, running the fan at speed is actually interfering with the incoming air because the volume of incoming air will exceed the volume of air that the fan is moving.
When the fans are off, they are moving zero air, so the volume of incoming air will always be greater than zero... so that doesn't really mean much.
My car runs colder at 50mph with the fans off than it does when the fans are running. With my fans set on a digital controller they pretty much never come on once I'm going more than 35mph
Now that is useful information, and the way it's supposed to work. But my car definitely runs cooler on the highway with the fans turning than with them off.
I'll just try it with a jumpered resistor for low speed and see - the Contour fans just look like they are a significant obstruction when they're not turning (large motors, short stubby blades, strong magnets in the motors).
