SPAL High Performance Cooling Fans

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SPAL HIGH PERFORMANCE COOLING FANS

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Spal High Performance Cooling Fans

How to Choose the best Spal cooling fan system for your car or truck.

CHOOSING A FAN

Start by measuring the available area. Fans work the best when used in the "pull" configuration. In other words the fan should be mounted on the backside of the radiator facing the engine.

Choose the largest diameter fan(s) that will fit your car or truck.   The 30102130 dual 12 inch fan assembly is a great choice for most cars and trucks with V8 engines. The dual 11 inch fan assembly (30102052) shown at the right works great on vehicles with smaller V8 engines and fits on most full size car and truck radiators. You can also make your own fan pairs with fans of the same or different diameters.

16 inch fans also work well for most cars and trucks. The 30102082 and 30102049 are 2 of our most popular 16 inch fans. Looking for a very high output solution in a single fan? The Spal HO series fans are available in 11, 12 and 16 inches. These fans pull massive amounts of air through multi row radiators, making them the highest flowing fans that we sell. (30102800HO , 30103202HO , 30102803HO)

Go through the fan specifications. Look at the chart and not only look at the airflow, but look at the fan current ratings. The higher the current rating the more powerful the fan. The more powerful fans can draw air through multi row radiators and cars with air conditioning. The high flow, lower current fans wiork great on single row radiators.

Don't cheat on your fan. You may be able to save money on other items on for your car, but the fan is a vital cooling system component and will help prevent your engine from burning up. Spal fans are the proven leader.

Spal Cooling Fans Catalog
Spal Radiator Cooling Fans

FAN MOUNTING

Spal Fans are designed to be mounted in various ways. The bracket and strap kit is the most popular mounting option. There are also various length brackets available for custom mounting. Spal fans have multiple slide in mounting flanges on the sides of the fans. The brackets, straps and bolts slide into these mounts.

30130011     Bracket and Strap mount.
This is the most popular mounting option. The strap is approximately 7.64 inches long. In most cases the straps will reach the mounting flanges on the sides or top and bottom of the radiator.

Bolt Mount
A 6 mm bolt with a 10mm hex head can be slid into the mounting slot to provide direct bolt on. Bolts can be purchased at any hardware store in different lengths.

30130010 .75 inch mounting bracket
30130017 .75 inch raised mounting bracket
30130032 1.13 inch raised mounting bracket
30130033 2.31 inch raised mounting bracket (shown)
Dimensions are from fan mounting flange to center of mounting hole.

30130013 Pin mount
The pin mount mounts the fan directly to the radiator core. This is the easiest mount and also the least desirable. With this type of mount, radiator core damage after prolonged usage is inevitable.

FAN CONTROL

Spal offers several different ways to control your fan

SPAL RELAYS AND HARNESSES

Spal relays and wiring harnesses are designed for maximum performance. A water resistant relay and connector is used to keep your setup running year after year. Basic harnesses include relay and harness and must have temperature switch or a toggle switch to activate them. The FRH can be used with all of Spals fans except the HO series fans which require an HO series relay and harness (shown above). One relay and harness per fan is required for all fans that draw over 10 amps.
FRH fan relay and harness for standard Spal fans.
FRH-HO-K fan relay and harness for HO series fans

SPAL RELAY AND HARNESSES WITH THERMOSTATIC SWITCHES
Simple but effective thermostatic sensor and relay setup turn the fans on at 185 or 195 degrees. The 195 degree kit is recommended for most applications. (Note: many late model cars and trucks turn on the fans at temperatures up to 220 degrees) If you're going to run dual fans, you'll want to tie in an FRH fan relay for the 2nd fan or use one 185FH and one 195FH to get dual stage fan control. These kits work with any Spal fan except the fans in the HO series
185FH Thermostatic switch, relay and harness with 185 degree turn on

195FH Thermostatic switch, relay and harness with 195 degree turn on

FRH-HO-SW Thermostatic switch, relay and harness for HO series fans


SPAL FAN FAQS

Q.     Why should I buy a Spal fan?

A.     If you looking for the best possible aftermarket cooling fans for your vehicle, Spal fans are the ones you want.    Most Spal fans have water proof motors that are designed to run for years. See a lot of fans that look like Spal fans? See comparisons to Spal fans? Everyone else tries to copy Spal. They try to copy Spal because they know Spal makes the best cooling fans. Spal fans are Italian made and are very reliable. Is your car worth the investment of a Spal fan?

Q.     How much cooling does my car need?

A.     This is a tricky question. The amount of cooling you need is proportional to the horsepower your engine is putting out. At idle and low speed that might be 5 hp on a small engine or 30 hp on a large car or truck. The more power you use, the more cooling you'll need. That means a larger radiator and larger fan. Other factors such as air conditioning and automatic transmission will also add to the heat load generated by your vehicle.

Q.     What size fan should I use?

A.     Since it's almost impossible to have too large a fan in your car, we recommend that you use the largest fan assembly that you can fit. On many cars a single, 16 inch, high performance fan will suffice.   On cars with large V8's the dual 11 inch or dual 12 inch fan assemblies are the best choice. Have a full size truck with an oversize radiator? You may be able to mount 2 of the 16 inch high performance fans there. Remember, larger fans will keep your car idling in the heat for longer periods of time without overheating.

Q.     The fan CFM Spefifications are confusing. How do i know which fan really moves more air?

A.     As a rule of thumb, the more current a fan draws, the higher the airflow it will have. Current draw is like the horsepower rating to a car. Our HO series fans draw aproximately 40 amps and are some of the most powerful fans available. We also have small fans that draw 2 amps and are great on motorcylcles and oil coolers.

Q.     Tell me more about fan current?

A.     Like we mentioned before, current to the fan is like horsepower to a car. So if you have a large multi row radiator and an air conditioning condensor and oil cooler up front, a high current fan will be able to pull air through it. The low current high flow fans work great on single and double row radiators, but fall short on multi row cooling systems.

Q.     Can I wire my fan to a toggle switch?

A.     While it is possible to wire your fan up through a simple toggle switch, we would not recommend this.   It is too easy to forget to turn the fan on at the proper time. If you decide to use a toggle switch, make sure you use one with sufficient current rating (1.5 times higher than fan current draw) and heavy wiring (typically 12 gauge or higher)

Q.    How do i control when the fan turns on?

A.     The Spal 185FH and 195FH have thermostatic switches that mount on the engine or radiator and will turn on the fan at 185 degrees or 195 degrees. If you are going to run dual fans, using a 185FH on one fan and a 195FH on the other will stagger the turn on by 10 degrees and give you 2 stage operation. Alternately, the programmable Dakota DD-PAC-2750 fan controller can be used and can be set to turn fans on between 150 and 250 degrees.

Q.    What's the difference between the straight blade fans and the curved blade fans?

A.     The straight blade fans provide maximum cooling for their size. The curved blade fans sacrifice a small amount of performance in return for a much quieter fan. If noise is an issue, go with the curved blade fans. If ultimate performance is the objective, use the straight blade fans.

Q.     Will the electric fans help keep my car cooler at highway speeds?

A.     Generally, cooling fans do the most work at idle and speeds up to 35 mph. The faster the vehicle is moving the less important they become. At speeds over 35 mph, the ram air effect is much great than the efforts of the fan. If your car overheats at high speeds, it's probably not the fan.

Q.     Can I reverse the power wires and make my "pull" fan work as a "push" fan?

A.     Literally, yes it can work. But it will work very badly. Spal fan blades are designed to work in one direction. So our recomendation is "Don't do it".

Q.     The 30102113 16 inch race fan has one of the highest CFM ratings of any of your single fans. Would this be the best fan to use on my daily driven car?

A.     We do not recommend the 30102113 fan for daily driven vehicles. This fan was designed for circle track cars or drag race cars where maximum performance vs. weight is more important than long term reliability. This fan does not have a sealed long life motor. It is susceptible to water, dust and other environmental issues like high ambient temperatures and high humidity. Look at a fan like the 30102082, it provides a higher level of cooling in most applications and it has a long life water resistant motor.

Q.     How much power do the Spal fans need? Do I need a new alternator or battery?

A.     The different fans draw different amounts of current. Typically, the higher the airflow, the higher the current draw will be. Look at the spec sheets. Most of the Spal fans can run off of the existing vehicle electrical system without any problems. The higher output fans that draw 25 amps and up may need a higher output alternator to keep the battery from going dead. This is especially true on older vehicles that came with smaller output alternators. You won't need a new battery to run a Spal fan.

Q.     When I look at the fans in the online catalog, I cannot see the specifications sheet?

A.     You need to have Adobe Acrobat reader on your computer.   Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded "free" from the Abobe website.   Download Acrobat Reader

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