Flex-A-Lite has been one of the industry’s leaders in engine and transmission cooling products for some time now. No matter the application, even if it’s they don’t have a direct-fit solution, they can get you what you need. Hot off the press this week is their all-new product that has the potential to be groundbreaking.
As most of you know, these trucks we modify offer us limited room between the engine fan and the radiator. When you fill that space with the normal size electric fans, you still don’t have a lot of room. Flex-A-Lite is ecstatic to release their new 3,000 CFM Flex-Wave LoBoy electric fan. The LoBoy is constructed with the new Flex-Wave technology offering you more airflow in the same space, and without a higher amp draw.
This new 16-inch LoBoy fan outperforms their leading competitor by 33-percent with the new Flex-Wave technology. With an output of 3,000 CFM, you might imagine a really big electric motor. Wrong. This fan from face to the motor is only 3-3/16-inches. Not only are you giving yourself even more room, but you’re also getting more airflow than you had initially.
We caught up with one of the troops of the Flex-A-Lite team, Cole Quinnell, to gather his thoughts on this new design. “Our goal with the new Flex-A-Lite Flex-Wave LoBoy fan was to surpass every comparable electric fan in the market. We blew that goal away with 33-percent more airflow than the next best fan on the market,” said Quinnell. “3,000 CFM of airflow in a universal 16-inch auxiliary fan is simply unheard of!”
Using advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics software, Flex-A-Lite engineers developed a blade consisting of an aerodynamic profile using a sine-wave path. The design was then prototyped and tested in a wind tunnel to verify increased airflow and improved efficiency. Beyond having a different look, the LoBoy and Flex-Wave electric-fan blade combo also have several aerodynamic advantages for air movement.
- The leading edge of the fan blade is no longer a single, solid line. The sine-wave design creates leading edges that cut through the air first. This starts movement in the air around the blade with greater efficiency.
- The wave surface of the blade creates channels for the air to move along, producing more airflow through the radiator and reducing energy losses.
- The wave surface forms a winglet at the tip of the blade, further increasing efficiency by reducing air vortices.
- The trailing edge of the fan blade also has variations, which reduce wind noise.
You can see the difference in a normal fan blade versus this hot-new technology. If you’re wanting a fan in this configuration, whether it be an air puller or an air pusher, they can take care of you. The new LoBoy Flex-Wave electric fan is available as both a puller (Part No. 238) and pusher (Part No. 239).
Based in Fife, Washington, Flex-A-Lite has been a leader in performance cooling products for more than 50 years. With this advanced technology in the new Flex-Wave electric fan, Flex-A-Lite is once again leaping ahead of the competition. We can’t wait to try out one of these units soon. Be sure and check out their website here. Stay tuned to DieselArmy for the latest in diesel performance.
