Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

cesspool · #1 06-12-2007, 02:22 PM

I'm going to replace my clutch on my fan, but am pondering the viper fan instead. it is about $400 more than the HD clutch. But will the viper fan pay for it's self in the long run? What kind of increased gas milage will I be looking at? How much more power? If I'm getting .2 MPG more, that is hardly worth it to me. but the extra power could help with the towing I do.

Is socaldakota the only place to get the viper fan upgrade?

Mean Green · #2 06-12-2007, 06:39 PM

I have heard a 2-3 mpg increase (most likely highway but still a good increase) and you will get a signifigant amount of power back. When I replaced my fan clutch I could really feel the difference in power and not in a good way. This thing loves bogging me down and is pretty damned annoying...

Kensai · #3 06-12-2007, 07:44 PM

Yeah, same here, but once the clutch releases itself, power is all there! But I do not know if the viper fan can displace enough air flow if you do alot of towing. I would think it would be okay for light towing, but not recommended for heavy towing. It may help, if you get a dual fan setup. The viper fan for the main fan to pull, and maybe two smaller push fans installed in front of the Durango. This may give you the airflow needed to keep your D cool if you do heavy towning?

cesspool · #4 06-12-2007, 07:52 PM

Why would the fan not be enough for towing if it is more CFM? And by dual fans you mean the flex a lite?

Most my driving is city. When I tow, I average 10 MPG still. I think then camper is around 3500 pounds and the boat even less. So half of capacity at most.

A 2 MPG increase would pay for it self in about 32 weeks I figure with gas costs around $3.

Kensai · #5 06-12-2007, 09:27 PM

One thing is electric fans can never displace the amount air that a clutch fan is capable of. I think that is one reason why you never ever see trucks or heavy duty trucks have electric only fans. They all have clutch fans and some may have electric fans used as a assist or for A/C use for constant air flow when the truck is idling.Thus reasoning for some durangos having a electric fan and clutch fan combo. My R/T has this combo setup. Especially when towing, when your engine is locked in lower gears to get that max torque, engine temps really build up and the electric fans may not be adequate to keep up.

I confirmed this when my clutch fan went out. The electric fan was the only thing that kept my D from really overheating. But I noticed driving in city, the electric fan cannot keep my engine within normal temperature range. I was hovering around 210-220 with electric fan running. These temps were acheived during DFW's hot 100+ summer heatwave and I was not towing anything. After replacing my clutch fan, I dropped back to 195-200 degrees.

Another word of advice, when your Durango hits the 210 degree mark, the PCM will put your engine in limp mode. Meaning you will definitely feel power loss on the engine. This is normal and is a fail-safe feature to prevent you from further overheating your engine. If your engine never can get below the 210 mark, better have your cooling systemaddressed or you will be replacing your engine soon.

cesspool · #6 06-13-2007, 08:42 PM

There are 3 different 2 fan kits on this site:

http://www.stylinconcepts.com/parts....rtfamilyid=964

12", 13.5" and 15". The 15" claims 5500 cfm.

How much CFM is the stock fan? These require "vihicle modification" and I'm mnot so sure I want to deal with that. They also have "push or pull" options which I have no idea what that is....

Kensai · #7 06-13-2007, 10:09 PM

5500 CFM's is plenty of air I guess. More air than what the viper fan pulls. Dual 15 inch fans. You will have to check your alternator and electrical on your Durango to make sure it can handle the power requirements needed by this dual 15 inch fans. You will have to contact that site to see how much amperage is required to operate those fans.

Mean Green · #8 06-14-2007, 02:01 AM

If nothing else you can upgrade to an optima yellowtop and a heavy duty alternator. That means more money to throw at it though. [&:]

Dman98 · #9 06-15-2007, 01:41 AM

I did the viper fan upgrade and have no cooling problems. The viper fan is a two speed fan, in my installation I only use the low speed and the high is wired for emergency use via a cabin mounted toggle switch. I used the fan with the a/c on in 95 degree weather, with no problems at all and idling the temp stayed at 188. I upgraded to a 165 amp alternator, the optima yellow top the largest that would fit and this was done because of my stereo system. I don't tow, if I did I'd use the same or use the high speed only which ever works best.

Kensai · #10 06-15-2007, 09:30 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Dman98

I did the viper fan upgrade and have no cooling problems. The viper fan is a two speed fan, in my installation I only use the low speed and the high is wired for emergency use via a cabin mounted toggle switch. I used the fan with the a/c on in 95 degree weather, with no problems at all and idling the temp stayed at 188. I upgraded to a 165 amp alternator, the optima yellow top the largest that would fit and this was done because of my stereo system. I don't tow, if I did I'd use the same or use the high speed only which ever works best.

I do not like to use switches in the cabin for the fan. Been there done that. Sometimes when driving, you don't have time to take your hands off the wheel and eyes off the road to go toggle a switch. I prefer to keep it automated whenever possible. Do they make a dual stage thermostat? Something like low speed for A/C and normal cooling and when thermostat hits warmer stage, it can kick in high speed?