What are fan shrouds? and why are they used?

What is a fan shroud?

All cars need some form of heat management as combustion engines create a massive amount of heat, and in almost all modern vehicles, that are in the form of a radiator and fan.

Water flows through the radiator, which helps keep it cool, but when the radiator is not being cooled by travelling air, the fan is there to pull or push air through the radiator, aiding the cooling system of the car.

The shroud keeps the radiator working more efficiently by channelling the air through the whole radiator and not just through the spot where the fan sits.

To summarise, the fan draws air through the radiator whilst the fan shroud distributes that air evenly through the radiator core.

Can I use a fan without a shroud?

You could, but you probably should not. Having a fan with no shroud would still have a cooling effect on the radiator; however, under heavy engine load or being stuck in traffic, the loss of efficiency could be enough to cause overheating of the system.

Should I upgrade my fan and shroud?

The fan shroud, whilst also gaining efficiency, reduces turbulent air going through the radiator, reducing the noise throughout the system.

Upgrading to a slimmer fan and shroud set-up will also gain you as much room as possible in the engine compartment. Gaining room will help when doing maintenance jobs on your car, and having more space between engine components allows air to move more freely, which helps keep parts at a cooler temperature.

Why should I get an upgraded fan and shroud?

Here at Exoracing, we have spent a lot of time developing our high flow series of fan shrouds. They are designed to work with OEM and aftermarket radiators, making installation straightforward.

You can build your car to whatever spec you need. The shrouds and fans are all designed to be as slim as possible whilst still having increased efficiency, which leaves you a lot of room to work in the engine compartment and as much space as possible for airflow.

With our shrouds and supplied SPAL fans, you can expect to see a CFM increase which is enough to keep the highest-powered cars operating at optimal efficiency.

Our fan shrouds combined with the SPAL fans are designed primarily for fast road and track applications. The design of the fan shroud itself allows maximum air to pass through the radiator whilst remaining lightweight, solid and stylish.

Who is SPAL Automotive?

SPAL Automotive Srl is a world leader in the design and manufacture of high quality axial electric fans and centrifugal blowers for all types of vehicles.

Founded in Italy in 1959, SPAL initially specialised in plastic mould design and production and subsequently developed into all automotive sectors.

Designing, producing and marketing high-performance fans and blowers for a broad range of applications, including bus and coach, off-road vehicles, industrial equipment, construction and agricultural machinery, refrigerated transport and motorsport.

SPAL Group has offices and distribution centres on every continent and employs over 1000 people globally.

The manufacturing process

Our high-end radiator fan shrouds are fully designed in house and manufactured locally. Our process starts by finding an original or a popular aftermarket radiator to scan in with our high-end 3D Scanning equipment.

Once we have an entirely digitised copy of the radiator, we select an appropriate cooling fan based on airflow and under fan surface area.

We then import the CAD model, position it over our radiator, and work designing a fan mounting bracket to tie everything neatly together.

For our fan shrouds to work effectively, the fans need to be mounted as close as possible to the radiator.

Our shroud kits are designed to mount the fan approximately 3-5mm away from the core surface whilst being careful not to touch and potentially damage the core under extreme use. The shrouds are laser cut from 3mm thick aluminium and are CNC folded to ensure the perfect fit, and all holes align as expected.

To mount the fan to the shroud, we use press fit studs that are perfectly flush underneath; this ensures no sharp edges can potentially damage the core should it make contact.

Lastly, the shrouds are powder coated in a high-temperature powder coat for excellent aesthetics and durability.

To have a look at our range of fans and shrouds, click on the link below:

FULL RANGE

Not sure which fan you may need for your application? Give us a message on our contact form; we are more than happy to assist you and find the correct one for you! Alternatively, leave us a comment below with your thoughts or questions.