First trip with dual fan kit installed
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 211
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From: Titletown, WI
First trip with dual fan kit installed
....fyi - this is braboin, I just decided to create a new name to go along with my website....
Just got back from a 230 mile road trip with my newly installed dual electric fan kit from Mike at Troyer Performance. I didn't go into the install expecting HP gains or a change in the SOTP meter (seat of the pants meter)...Instead I did this mod in hopes of seeing the reported mileage gains. I do notice that the motor tends to rev up quicker or at least have a seemingly quicker response to the throttle. Normally I get about 16.25mpg on highway, and after 237.6 miles, I was happy to calculate that I had moved up to 18.1mpg !!
(driving habits unchanged) Granted this is the first tank so of course I have to track it for a while and see how it does. But so far I'm happy.
The installation had it's difficult moments, 3 noteably: 1) breaking the fan nut loose, 2) mounting the fans, and 3) believing in myself that I calibrated the turn on temps correctly.
1) After trying several different attacks at the fan to get it loose and having nothing work, we tried a fail-safe - when you can't find the right tool to get the job done, what do you do? You make it yourself:
Problem solved
2) mounting the fans turned out to be a little tricky since I couldn't get a good look at the radiator...contimplated removing it to install them but didn't have anyplace to store the fluids or to replace them with so we hoped for the best. We broke a few fins, but thankfully no leaks. The mounting systems holds those fans pretty dang secure, but boy are they hard to push through (the rubber, not the radiator) due to the limited workspace and angle you're working at. slow and steady, we got em on, whew!
3) I used an infrared point-n-shoot thermometer to read the temps. I feel I have them pretty close to specs, and during the road trip, the guage never went higher than right in the middle. Not so much a difficult part, as it was the mental 'did I do it right' thing goin on...
wiring was pretty easy, and all the splices, etc were wrapped in electrical tape then covered with plastic tubing and zip-tied to secure everything. looks pretty neat.
All in all I'm pretty happy with it, and the results. Hopefully it will continue to provide the mileage gains I've seen today... it took a little longer when we had to make our own tool but hey, maybe I can find a place or use for it. Thanks Mike!
Just got back from a 230 mile road trip with my newly installed dual electric fan kit from Mike at Troyer Performance. I didn't go into the install expecting HP gains or a change in the SOTP meter (seat of the pants meter)...Instead I did this mod in hopes of seeing the reported mileage gains. I do notice that the motor tends to rev up quicker or at least have a seemingly quicker response to the throttle. Normally I get about 16.25mpg on highway, and after 237.6 miles, I was happy to calculate that I had moved up to 18.1mpg !!
(driving habits unchanged) Granted this is the first tank so of course I have to track it for a while and see how it does. But so far I'm happy. The installation had it's difficult moments, 3 noteably: 1) breaking the fan nut loose, 2) mounting the fans, and 3) believing in myself that I calibrated the turn on temps correctly.
1) After trying several different attacks at the fan to get it loose and having nothing work, we tried a fail-safe - when you can't find the right tool to get the job done, what do you do? You make it yourself:
Problem solved
2) mounting the fans turned out to be a little tricky since I couldn't get a good look at the radiator...contimplated removing it to install them but didn't have anyplace to store the fluids or to replace them with so we hoped for the best. We broke a few fins, but thankfully no leaks. The mounting systems holds those fans pretty dang secure, but boy are they hard to push through (the rubber, not the radiator) due to the limited workspace and angle you're working at. slow and steady, we got em on, whew!
3) I used an infrared point-n-shoot thermometer to read the temps. I feel I have them pretty close to specs, and during the road trip, the guage never went higher than right in the middle. Not so much a difficult part, as it was the mental 'did I do it right' thing goin on...
wiring was pretty easy, and all the splices, etc were wrapped in electrical tape then covered with plastic tubing and zip-tied to secure everything. looks pretty neat.
All in all I'm pretty happy with it, and the results. Hopefully it will continue to provide the mileage gains I've seen today... it took a little longer when we had to make our own tool but hey, maybe I can find a place or use for it. Thanks Mike!
Last edited by Buckfu; Jul 7, 2003 at 02:48 PM.
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi Bart,
Great to see you again!
That's quite a tool you made to loosen that Fan Body Nut, nice improvisation!
When we mount the fans, we don't remove the radiator either, what we do is to tilt the top of the radiator back about 3 inches (after removing the 2 top mounts), being careful not to bend automatic transmission lines running into the radiator, and then drop a bright shop light down in between the radiator and the A/C condenser. That allows us to clearly see the radiator's tubes basically "silhouetted" when looking at the back (engine) side of the radiator. That makes mounting the fans easier, as you can see everything. We have had a few of our customers go ahead and pull the radiator to mount the fans, and you can certainly do that way if you want to.
Your mpg gain sounds reasonable to me, going from 16.25 mpg up to 18.1 mpg is not out of line, that's a 1.85 mpg gain, a bit above average, but not out of line. The lowest result we've seen is 1.0 mpg, and that was actually on one of our vehicles here. We're in the mountains, and it's a 6000 lb. truck, so it got the worst results, which was a 1.0 mpg increase overall. The range runs from a low of 1.0 mpg to reports of as much as 2.5-2.8 mpg, with the average result being somewhere in the 1.5-1.7 mpg range, just to give you a rough idea.
You're absolutely right, the engine does gain rpms more quickly without that dead weight of the factory fan hanging off the end of it, and that is of course where both the power gains and the fuel mileage gains all come from, eliminating the parasitic loss of that factory mechanical fan. Where I notice this most is in immediate throttle response at any speed. In fact, you actually have to change how you pull away (when driving slowly) from a stop sign, for example, the first time I drove a truck with our kit the vehicle lunged forward, and I was just taking off easy like normal from a stop sign in the neighborhood. So I have to use a bit less throttle when taking off & just driving easy, so the vehicle doesn't lunge forward. This is also noticeable anywhere in the power band, the engine no longer has to get that additional 11 lb. mass of the factory fan accelerated up to speed along with everything else, so it gains rpms quicker & easier than before, and that is in effect at any rpm, any speed.
I'm glad you finally got your fan kit on, I know you've had it for some time now, since you did the basic design of our web site at TroyerPerformance.com!
Thanks for your post & have fun,
Great to see you again!
That's quite a tool you made to loosen that Fan Body Nut, nice improvisation!
When we mount the fans, we don't remove the radiator either, what we do is to tilt the top of the radiator back about 3 inches (after removing the 2 top mounts), being careful not to bend automatic transmission lines running into the radiator, and then drop a bright shop light down in between the radiator and the A/C condenser. That allows us to clearly see the radiator's tubes basically "silhouetted" when looking at the back (engine) side of the radiator. That makes mounting the fans easier, as you can see everything. We have had a few of our customers go ahead and pull the radiator to mount the fans, and you can certainly do that way if you want to.
Your mpg gain sounds reasonable to me, going from 16.25 mpg up to 18.1 mpg is not out of line, that's a 1.85 mpg gain, a bit above average, but not out of line. The lowest result we've seen is 1.0 mpg, and that was actually on one of our vehicles here. We're in the mountains, and it's a 6000 lb. truck, so it got the worst results, which was a 1.0 mpg increase overall. The range runs from a low of 1.0 mpg to reports of as much as 2.5-2.8 mpg, with the average result being somewhere in the 1.5-1.7 mpg range, just to give you a rough idea.
You're absolutely right, the engine does gain rpms more quickly without that dead weight of the factory fan hanging off the end of it, and that is of course where both the power gains and the fuel mileage gains all come from, eliminating the parasitic loss of that factory mechanical fan. Where I notice this most is in immediate throttle response at any speed. In fact, you actually have to change how you pull away (when driving slowly) from a stop sign, for example, the first time I drove a truck with our kit the vehicle lunged forward, and I was just taking off easy like normal from a stop sign in the neighborhood. So I have to use a bit less throttle when taking off & just driving easy, so the vehicle doesn't lunge forward. This is also noticeable anywhere in the power band, the engine no longer has to get that additional 11 lb. mass of the factory fan accelerated up to speed along with everything else, so it gains rpms quicker & easier than before, and that is in effect at any rpm, any speed.
I'm glad you finally got your fan kit on, I know you've had it for some time now, since you did the basic design of our web site at TroyerPerformance.com!
Thanks for your post & have fun,
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 211
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From: Titletown, WI
heh, I thought you'd enjoy seeing 'the tool' photos....as long as you have a blow torch and a BFH in the shop, you can always find a way 
and yep, I did tilt the radiator back, but my difficulty in mounting the fans was probably due to the fact that this was the largest under-hood project this rookie has ever tackled, so I was treading uncharted waters. But it all turned out good in the end. I do have one question for you that I'll email to you, rather than posting it here, nothing urgent but just wanted to get your thoughts.
....all these mods are completed just in time for the 04's to come out, and start all over again....
and yep, I did tilt the radiator back, but my difficulty in mounting the fans was probably due to the fact that this was the largest under-hood project this rookie has ever tackled, so I was treading uncharted waters. But it all turned out good in the end. I do have one question for you that I'll email to you, rather than posting it here, nothing urgent but just wanted to get your thoughts.
....all these mods are completed just in time for the 04's to come out, and start all over again....
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi Bart,
>>>and yep, I did tilt the radiator back, but my difficulty in mounting the fans was probably due to the fact that this was the largest under-hood project this rookie has ever tackled, so I was treading uncharted waters. But it all turned out good in the end. I do have one question for you that I'll email to you, rather than posting it here, nothing urgent but just wanted to get your thoughts.<<<
Ahh, I see! Well, if that was the biggest underhood project you've tackled to date, then I'd say you probably did very well indeed with the installation. We generally try to let people know that this is not a job for an absolute "novice" under the hood. Though it doesn't require a professional mechanic, it does require some general underhood experience & automotive common sense, and it sounds like you did a good job!
Talk to you soon,
>>>and yep, I did tilt the radiator back, but my difficulty in mounting the fans was probably due to the fact that this was the largest under-hood project this rookie has ever tackled, so I was treading uncharted waters. But it all turned out good in the end. I do have one question for you that I'll email to you, rather than posting it here, nothing urgent but just wanted to get your thoughts.<<<
Ahh, I see! Well, if that was the biggest underhood project you've tackled to date, then I'd say you probably did very well indeed with the installation. We generally try to let people know that this is not a job for an absolute "novice" under the hood. Though it doesn't require a professional mechanic, it does require some general underhood experience & automotive common sense, and it sounds like you did a good job!
Talk to you soon,