I have 2 14 inch spal electric fans on my 79 cutlass and I find them loud when they come on

are electric fans usually loud ?

What are your experiences with electric fans and recommendations on quite fans

 

When electric fans run full tilt, yes they can be noisey. lower speeds not that bad. I personally like them because there is no drag on the water-pump. Also keep in mind when the factory puts them in there cars they usually have sound deadeners all over them to prevent a lot of this fan noise.

 

I had the same experience with excessive noise.

I bought a variable speed controller that will ramp fan speed up depending on temperature.

Now the fans rarely run at full speed, and even when they do, they don't seem as loud. That's because part of the perception of noise is the sudden onset. When the noise ramps up gradually, even fast speed is not so noticeable.

Do contact the fan supplier to determine if your fans will operate properly with a variable speed control.

 

I hear curved blades are more quiet than straight blades.

 

interesting
how long have you had this controller ??

I would think this would shorten the life of the fan motors.

But I’m going to look into this

my built 455 produces a lot of heat
fans come on at 200 degrees and if I’m at idle they seek to cycle quite a bit

drive thru is a no go for me. Just a bit loud especially if fans come on

 

I'm using a stand alone, PWM variable speed, fan controller from AutoCoolGuy.com to control a Derale dual fan shroud. Derale uses proprietary fans from Spal. The controller works well keeping my stroked SBO cool, although, I don't have the AC system charged yet so I can't speak to the performance with the AC on. They don't make the controller that I have anymore, but if you double the full-speed current draw of one fan and add 10% for a buffer then select a controller that will support this load. These controllers switch the ground side of the fan circuit; so you run. a fused +12v directly from the battery for each fan and wire the ground path through the fan controller.
Here's some pics,

Rodney

 

I am running the dual Dodge Stratus electric fans that move plenty of air and draw a lot of amperage on high. They are fairly quiet and easily cools the 358 in my 70 Cutlass with the big 2 core aluminum rad. The Davies Craig 80 amp soft start controller, works great and hasn't failed yet, unlike every other one I have bought.

 

Pulse width modulation is pretty awesome with electric fans. I'm running the Chevy Volt fans with a Holley Terminator controlling them. As others mentioned, there are stand alone controllers available as well.

But yes, if they are running full tilt, no matter how they're controlled, they'll be loud. Just like the mechanical fans are loud at full tilt. It makes a lot of noise to move that much air. The nice thing about PWM is that they'll only be full tilt when they actually need to be. Otherwise, they'll run at a lower, and quieter, setting.