Pullers vs. Pushers
When it comes to cooling a radiator, we have two fan options: a puller fan, which pulls air through the radiator and directs it towards your engine, and a pusher fan, which mounts to the front of your radiator and pushes air through the radiator and into your engine bay. So, which is better? There is about a 20% decrease in CFM with a pusher-type fan due to it having to push air directly through the radiator. Pulling air through the radiator is the best option for cooling, if possible.
How big of a fan do I need?
With a variety of universal axial fans, we can cool pretty much any application you desire, whether it be high-performance NASCAR vehicles, drag racing, road racing, rock crawlers, hotrods, motorcycles…Pretty much anything!
A great rule of thumb is to cover as much surface area on the radiator as possible. In choosing the best fan for your application you will need to take measurements of your core to figure out what size you will need. Please take into consideration depth measurements, as our fans come in 3.6″, 3.5″, 2.5″ and 2″ overall depths varying in sizes.
Depending on the radiator and application, it takes about 3,000 cfm to cool 800 HP. Most streetcar applications need about 2,000 cfm for a 400-500 hp engine with air conditioning. Trucks pulling trailers need 3,000 to 4,000 cfm, depending on the engine and road conditions. Diesel trucks need more airflow at lower speeds than gas-operated trucks.
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Many cooling fan manufacturers overstate the airflow of their products. beware of fans that claim they move large amounts of air and have low current draw.
It takes about 40 amps to generate 3,000 cfm. If a manufacturer claims 3,000 cfm and 10 amp draw, it is not technically possible at 12 volts. All of our engineering documents and fan performance curves are on our website.
Racing / Extreme Performance
For extreme HP systems, we recommend the BMF (Big Motor Fan). This series of fans has the most airflow in the market. These fans are designed to give it their all. They outperform the competition by +20%. These fans have a limited life due to the performance of the motor. Expect about 1,000 hours of life.
NOTE: The life can be shortened by extreme heat.
Street Rods
Most commonly use (1) 16″ high performance puller fan and sometimes an additional fan for oil, trans or A/C systems.
Most Muscle Cars and Street Machines
Most commonly use (2) 11-13″ high-performance puller fans and sometimes an additional fan for oil, transmission, or A/C systems.
Electrical Requirements
GC Cooling’s fans come in 12 and 24 volt applications. We recommend at least a 100-amp charging system for vehicles using electric fans as a primary cooling method.