> The bottom line is:- "The best alternative and one that does not rob
> as much HP as a fixed fan is a viscous coupled fan. This seems to
> provide the best compromise".
And we come full circle.
Nissan started out with a viscous coupling, but then issued an
update (don't know if it was an actual recall) and ripped them out in
favor of a solid spacer. Seemed the drives would fail and the engines
would suffer major damage...
Viscous drives do offer advantages, especially at higher revs (they
provide rev-limiting for the fan). But you better have a bulletproof
unit, and take care of it (they DO fail).
As I've mentioned before, automotive design involves lots of subtle
design interactions. If someone is going to make an 'improvement',
let's hope they've looked at ALL the issues and interactions...
-- John
John F Sandhoff sandhoff@csus.edu Sacramento, CA
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