Horton Fan and MPG

[RottnDogue]

I've been told by a 3500 24v 4x4 owner that his Horton fan install and K&N filter (in stock box) netted him 2 MPG? Is this what everybody has seen? Is it the fan? He installed both at same time so he couldn't say if it was fan alone? $700 for a fan that got you 20 HP when not running seemed steep, but if I can get 2 MPG improvement that may be worth it.



Darren

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Horton Fan & MPG increase

Originally posted by RottnDogue

... . but if I can get 2 MPG improvement that may be worth it.

Darren

Darren, this is precisely why I have gone with the Horton Fan installation - European diesel prices need I say more - every little helps!!. Check the other Horton Fan thread in this forum

 

[radixr]

I don't believe the Horton fan will give you a 2mpg increase. I didn't notice any mileage improvement after I installed mine.

 

[EFielding]

Rottndogue,



I installed my Horton about 2 months ago. On a long haul, unloaded, I saw a gain of about 1-2 mpg. This was after I had installed a K&N shortly after putting the truck into service in May, '99.



Bottom line, I think the fan works as advertised.



Just my . 02

 

[Cooker]

I've been curious about mileage gains from the Horton myself.



2 MPG's for a 20 horsepower increase seems a little steep. I think . 5 - 1 MPG might be more realistic, but I'm just specualting.



-Ryan

 

[Chaw]

FYI, I ran with no fan through the winter and noticed no mpg improvement. Warm up time may have been increased, but not by much.

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Ted Jannetty has one in his truck Douge, give him a call and ask him what he thinks, he wont steer you wrong.

 

[illflem]

I also ran fanless for about 6 months using the same #2 diesel from my own tank, no change in mpgs, don't see how a Horton can do any better. Removing the fan for the cool months sure quiets down the truck and improves acceleration though. A Horton may do much the same.

 

[Bob Beauchaine]

I've tracked the mpg on my '93 from day 1 and I now have 137,000+ miles on the truck. I installed my Horton in May of '99 and have seen a 1 mpg increase since then. I like the faster warm-ups, increase in seat of the pants power and the ability to "pre cool" when going up hills. My Horton only comes on in traffic with the A/C on and on hot 95+ degree days while towing. When it does come on it drops the temp. 30+ degrees in less than 60 seconds. Hope this helps.

Happy Trails

 

[Loren]

The argument that you are saving 20 hp because that is what the fan requires is not valid. Assuming that the fan actually uses 20 hp, the only time your stock fan coupling uses that much is when it fully engages. Normally the stock fan coupling is slipping and the fan is not turning at engine rpm. When the water heats up, the stock clutch engages and then the fan requires that 20 hp.



I admit that turning the fan, even at a slower speed requires horsepower, and slipping that clutch converts a bit more into heat. The Horton clutch avoids both of those wastes of power, but it's not 20 hp.



Notwithstanding all of that, I am still considering getting one, even at the huge expense. (How can they make something so simple cost so much?) The reason I haven't done it yet is because I have heard so many stories about mileage that I don't know what to believe.



If I save 1 mpg, I will pay for the clutch in, what, maybe 150,000 miles or so. Since I'll probably keep this truck that long, it would be nice to start gaining the mpg now... IF the fuel mileage claims are correct. One thing is certain. It would be a lot quieter without that fan running all the time.



Decisions, decisions... .



Loren

 

[Andy Perreault]

The Horton fan is controlled in three ways: A coolant temperature switch, an air conditioning pressure switch, and a manual switch which allows you to turn on the fan whenever you want to. I added an indicator light next to my switch.

Those of you who remove your fans in the winter need to keep in mind that the A/C will be running when you have the defroster on, to de-humidify the interior. I have a Horton, and even in cold weather, it would kick in for a few seconds if the truck was not moving. It was doing that not because of the engine temperature, but because of the pressure buildup in the A/C system. I would hear the belt chirp and see the indicator light come on and then go off about 5 seconds later. If my truck was idling with the defroster on full blast, it would do this about once every two minutes.

I have had the Horton on my truck since the truck was a month old, in '97. I can only think of one time that the fan came on without the A/C being turned on, and that was when I was in Bakersfield in August. The outside temperature was well over 100 degrees F.

With the A/C on, the Horton will go on and off when the truck is not moving. TDR writer Scott Dalgleish added a small electric fan on the front of his truck (project "2-Timer"), just behind the grille when the hood is closed. He had it wired up to come on whenever the A/C is on. He said with that fan on, the Horton never kicks in when the A/C is on.

I think the Horton is a great product, it moves some serious air when it kicks in. Hortons (or their equivalent from other mfr's) are standard equipment on big rigs. They're made to last.

Andy

 

[illflem]

Good info Andy. The way I eliminated the AC problem while running fanless was to modify the climate fan switch so the AC in defrost only comes on if I turn the switch to the AC side. Dave Fritz has instructions on his site how to do the one hour job. My main reason for disabling the AC in defrost was because at 10° outside temp the AC is just too darn cold. Defrost works just as well as it ever did, you do need to turn on the AC occasionally to keep the AC system lubed though.

 

[Cooker]

Loren,



There was a thread a long while back where a member did some dyno runs with and without the fan. The stock fan ate up 20 or 21 horsepower (sorry I don't remember the exact number and I couldn't find the thread) at higher RPMs, I think around 2500 or so. At lower RPMs the number decreased. I wish I could find the thread for you.



-Ryan

 

[Loren]

Cooker,



Do you mean that the stock fan used 20 hp even when the stock fan coupler was slipping? By that I mean, not fully engaged, the way it runs about 99% of the time.



I can see that the fan would use some serious power with the clutch (or coupler) engaged and the fan turning at engine rpm, but with the coupler slipping and the fan idling, it doesn't seem that it should require that amount of power. Do you remember the conditions for the test?



I'd be interested to learn, but the bottom line is that I will still probably buy a Horton clutch one of these days and find out for myself. I just have so many other higher priority items to install first... There's the air horn (already on hand, I just need to put it on), and the fueling/timing box, and the two-speed auxiliary transmission, and the... .



Loren

 

[DAWG-1]

RottnDogue, try this place http://www.mydodgeparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=82205124

I ordered seat covers on monday and had them on friday, saved $45. Horton kit $599 . Sam