Spend as much on the shroud as the fan. Get lots of the little floppy flaps, too. No gaps, no corner cutting.
A GOOD shroud will NOT impact at-speed cooling and will dramatically help low speed cooling.
A good shroud shouldn't need any "little floppy flaps". That's an aftermarket band aid for a poorly designed shroud.
72 dude
I have been set'n up cooling systems for 4 decades
When I promote an idea or concept it is based upon many years of success and failure, not bullshit. I dont take yours or any other comments lightly even if the may be "total unnecessary".
When I offer my opinion to the OP it is just that, my opinion and based upon fact. I am confident that if the OP chooses to follow the these recommendations he or she will be happy with the results.
I fully agree with the first part of what you said, the cooling system has plenty of capacity and the radiator and pump combo are working great. The issue is most likely the airflow when the fans aren't running.
Which is why I was put off by your next recommendations. There's
no reason at all to change the pulley ratio, do anything at all to the thermostat, or bother with a different radiator. None of those are causing the problem, a fact demonstrated by the fans being able to cool the car down to 185 when they're running. You said it yourself! The cooling system has plenty of capacity. So why waste money, time and effort messing with it? And running the fans all the time isn't a proper solution either, that's a band aid.
The simple fact is that there are still some things we don't know about the OP's set up and the issues he's having, which is why I'm still trying to get some clarifications to get a better handle on the root of the issue. We honestly don't even know if there IS a real problem, because again, there is nothing wrong with the engine operating between 200° and 220° F if the temperature stops climbing in that range. Now, if it only stops climbing because the OP is manually turning on the fans we know two things - 1- the fan controller is garbage and 2- the shroud is too restrictive.
The shroud thing is why I prefer using OE style electric fans, they were actually designed and tested with those shrouds. Even a great aftermarket electric fan can be undone by one of those cookie sheet style shrouds. There's not enough flow through the shroud and the aerodynamics are terrible (no matter how many floppy flaps it has). Not only that, but the fan CFM rating was not done with a shroud like that, so even a really high rated fan may not be pulling what its advertised at if the shroud is just an afterthought to mount the fan.
That's not bullshit, that's the facts. You pointed most of them out correctly too, so I have no idea why you want to waste the OP's time, money and effort replacing stuff that isn't causing the issue he's having.
Concerned about when I add more power and AC
You've tried the Ford Taurus fan then and it won't fit? How much does it interfere by?
The Taurus fans list at 5.6" deep to the back of the motor, I know that includes some tabs that get cut off but that's still a lot.
A 2006-2011 HHR fan is used a lot now too for 22" radiators, it lists narrower at only 4-1/16" to the back of the motor.
A few installs
HHR Fan???
