4LikesFan (40mm) for 1/8 offroad: most durable in long term?
06-24-2019, 07:09 AM
#1
Fan (40mm) for 1/8 offroad: most durable in long term?
Wondering if anyone has tried a few different brands of 40mm fan?
Or if anyone has failed 40mm fans, could you post a photo of how the shaft attaches/inserts into the blade?
I've heard questionable things about WTF and don't have huge interest in trying one, in the past I've run HW or Yeah Racing fans (which I don't necessarily think are any better, just a little cheaper for the ~same thing).
The mode of failure I always experience is not the motor or the bearing interface, it's the fan blade becoming loose and developing play on the shaft (which it is poorly attached to via a very small surface area pressfit). If the shaft had a larger diameter at the blade end and had greater surface area to press into the blade, then the fans would last much longer. I'm fairly confident the WTF will have the same somewhat-inadequate blade mounting as the HW / YR / Yokomo / etc fans do, but if someone has a photo of this interface on the WTF 40mm please do share. I've found the YR (Tornado) decent/adequate and sometimes they do last a while, but with lots of jump landings and foreign objects hitting / entering the blade eventually they develop movement at the shaft/blade interface which is why I want a fan which improves this point specifically. I don't think it's a bad fan, it just has a weak point, shared with many others.
I am curious about the Hudy fans, as they do look a little different from the others and may be from a different OEM.
If anyone has a photo of this interface from a Hudy fan I would greatly appreciate it, before I spend double $$ on it.
I know every time this question is asked, a bunch of fanboys (
) ask how the fan is mounted etc - mine's mounted on the sideguard next to the motor and I don't have any huge intention of changing that.
I have broken a blade recently so plan to implement some sort of guard if I can do so without reducing flow, but mostly I just want a fan which has a stronger shaft/blade interface.
Or if anyone has failed 40mm fans, could you post a photo of how the shaft attaches/inserts into the blade?
I've heard questionable things about WTF and don't have huge interest in trying one, in the past I've run HW or Yeah Racing fans (which I don't necessarily think are any better, just a little cheaper for the ~same thing).
The mode of failure I always experience is not the motor or the bearing interface, it's the fan blade becoming loose and developing play on the shaft (which it is poorly attached to via a very small surface area pressfit). If the shaft had a larger diameter at the blade end and had greater surface area to press into the blade, then the fans would last much longer. I'm fairly confident the WTF will have the same somewhat-inadequate blade mounting as the HW / YR / Yokomo / etc fans do, but if someone has a photo of this interface on the WTF 40mm please do share. I've found the YR (Tornado) decent/adequate and sometimes they do last a while, but with lots of jump landings and foreign objects hitting / entering the blade eventually they develop movement at the shaft/blade interface which is why I want a fan which improves this point specifically. I don't think it's a bad fan, it just has a weak point, shared with many others.
I am curious about the Hudy fans, as they do look a little different from the others and may be from a different OEM.
If anyone has a photo of this interface from a Hudy fan I would greatly appreciate it, before I spend double $$ on it.
I know every time this question is asked, a bunch of fanboys (
) ask how the fan is mounted etc - mine's mounted on the sideguard next to the motor and I don't have any huge intention of changing that.I have broken a blade recently so plan to implement some sort of guard if I can do so without reducing flow, but mostly I just want a fan which has a stronger shaft/blade interface.
06-24-2019, 07:36 AM
#2
I used to run a WTF 40mm fan on my old hyper TT, and I can report that it WILL break if you go for that mega jump. It's not just the fan/shaft play that is the issue, the individual blades of the fan will snap off all too easily. I'm guessing this is from the walls of the fan flexing and coming into contact with the blades. Maybe a fan protector is the way forward.... It would also stiffen up the whole fan assembly. WTF fans also die randomly after repeated crashes.... Otherwise they're good. More for onroad I think.
06-24-2019, 08:47 AM
#3
I have the same question...
I've been trying different fan brands and sizes, and found that my 30mm fans last longer than 40mm fans do. Less moving mass, smaller more ridged housing, both? Anyway, I just ordered the Hudy 40mm fan, my hopes aren't high, but I will post back. Its the large outdoor tracks with big high speed jumps, and plenty of debris flying around that have killed my fans, sometimes after only three days of practice. At this point its a maintenance item, but I'm trying to reduce the maintenance. LOL.
Anyone else try the Hudy?
I've been trying different fan brands and sizes, and found that my 30mm fans last longer than 40mm fans do. Less moving mass, smaller more ridged housing, both? Anyway, I just ordered the Hudy 40mm fan, my hopes aren't high, but I will post back. Its the large outdoor tracks with big high speed jumps, and plenty of debris flying around that have killed my fans, sometimes after only three days of practice. At this point its a maintenance item, but I'm trying to reduce the maintenance. LOL.
Anyone else try the Hudy?
06-24-2019, 06:49 PM
#4
I have the same question...
I've been trying different fan brands and sizes, and found that my 30mm fans last longer than 40mm fans do. Less moving mass, smaller more ridged housing, both? Anyway, I just ordered the Hudy 40mm fan, my hopes aren't high, but I will post back. Its the large outdoor tracks with big high speed jumps, and plenty of debris flying around that have killed my fans, sometimes after only three days of practice. At this point its a maintenance item, but I'm trying to reduce the maintenance. LOL.
I've been trying different fan brands and sizes, and found that my 30mm fans last longer than 40mm fans do. Less moving mass, smaller more ridged housing, both? Anyway, I just ordered the Hudy 40mm fan, my hopes aren't high, but I will post back. Its the large outdoor tracks with big high speed jumps, and plenty of debris flying around that have killed my fans, sometimes after only three days of practice. At this point its a maintenance item, but I'm trying to reduce the maintenance. LOL.
If not, I'll probably have to revert to 30mm too. I'd say the big reason they last longer is less rotating mass and less leverage on that insufficient shaft/blade interface - which no doubt is the same size on the 30mm fans as every other fan for cost reasons, hence reduced leverage over same size interface. I've just found the 40mm moves a lot more air which helps keep the larger 1/8 motors cool, if I switch to 30mm I'll almost definitely end up running two. Downside is a little more cost and weight, but on the upside the redundancy wouldn't hurt if/when one fails.
The other option which I'd like to explore is just hacking up an existing 40mm fan and making it more durable at that interface, it doesn't seem too hard to replace the axle with a longer threaded one that goes right through the blade, just a matter of attaching the blade to it firmly. Once the plastic circlip was removed from the inside of the fan, the axle/bearings/blade all slid off neatly. I've got a pile of broken ones to experiment with...
I used to run a WTF 40mm fan on my old hyper TT, and I can report that it WILL break if you go for that mega jump. It's not just the fan/shaft play that is the issue, the individual blades of the fan will snap off all too easily. I'm guessing this is from the walls of the fan flexing and coming into contact with the blades. Maybe a fan protector is the way forward.... It would also stiffen up the whole fan assembly. WTF fans also die randomly after repeated crashes.... Otherwise they're good. More for onroad I think.
06-25-2019, 09:39 AM
#5
I'm glad you're trying it, after watching your (sweet!) video, if the Hudy 40mm holds up to those sized jumps I'll probably be set. I'm on the same page re: trying to reduce maintenance, it's electric FFS!
If not, I'll probably have to revert to 30mm too. I'd say the big reason they last longer is less rotating mass and less leverage on that insufficient shaft/blade interface - which no doubt is the same size on the 30mm fans as every other fan for cost reasons, hence reduced leverage over same size interface. I've just found the 40mm moves a lot more air which helps keep the larger 1/8 motors cool, if I switch to 30mm I'll almost definitely end up running two. Downside is a little more cost and weight, but on the upside the redundancy wouldn't hurt if/when one fails.
The other option which I'd like to explore is just hacking up an existing 40mm fan and making it more durable at that interface, it doesn't seem too hard to replace the axle with a longer threaded one that goes right through the blade, just a matter of attaching the blade to it firmly. Once the plastic circlip was removed from the inside of the fan, the axle/bearings/blade all slid off neatly. I've got a pile of broken ones to experiment with...
Appreciate your reply, about what I suspected but good to have confirmation. I've found on the Yeah Racing fan the blades only seem to snap from debris, jumps alone don't seem to break them, but either way some sort of protector is in order since even my unbroken blades have a lot of gouges out of them. I was thinking what would be excellent is if the guard also had a central bearing/spindle/locator that could mate with an tophat axle stub or something (small) CA glued to the center of the fan blade, to give it some support from flopping up and down. Probably difficult to do without being done from factory though.
If not, I'll probably have to revert to 30mm too. I'd say the big reason they last longer is less rotating mass and less leverage on that insufficient shaft/blade interface - which no doubt is the same size on the 30mm fans as every other fan for cost reasons, hence reduced leverage over same size interface. I've just found the 40mm moves a lot more air which helps keep the larger 1/8 motors cool, if I switch to 30mm I'll almost definitely end up running two. Downside is a little more cost and weight, but on the upside the redundancy wouldn't hurt if/when one fails.
The other option which I'd like to explore is just hacking up an existing 40mm fan and making it more durable at that interface, it doesn't seem too hard to replace the axle with a longer threaded one that goes right through the blade, just a matter of attaching the blade to it firmly. Once the plastic circlip was removed from the inside of the fan, the axle/bearings/blade all slid off neatly. I've got a pile of broken ones to experiment with...
Appreciate your reply, about what I suspected but good to have confirmation. I've found on the Yeah Racing fan the blades only seem to snap from debris, jumps alone don't seem to break them, but either way some sort of protector is in order since even my unbroken blades have a lot of gouges out of them. I was thinking what would be excellent is if the guard also had a central bearing/spindle/locator that could mate with an tophat axle stub or something (small) CA glued to the center of the fan blade, to give it some support from flopping up and down. Probably difficult to do without being done from factory though.
06-25-2019, 09:36 PM
#7
The Hudy Fan is not worth its price, We have tried it, and did not see any value in it, or gain in "Fan" performance. There is a reason most Xray Drivers have their WTF Fans, lol.
We have run Aluminum Cased 30mm fans to cool motors no Problem, such as the Yeah Racing and Hobbystar, in 1/8 Buggy and Truggy.
R1, has a 40mm 8.4V Fan, yet we have not tried it yet.
https://r1wurks.com/collections/cool...emium-40mm-fan
But as stated by TAman, you do want a more durable fan for that type application
We have run Aluminum Cased 30mm fans to cool motors no Problem, such as the Yeah Racing and Hobbystar, in 1/8 Buggy and Truggy.
R1, has a 40mm 8.4V Fan, yet we have not tried it yet.
https://r1wurks.com/collections/cool...emium-40mm-fan
But as stated by TAman, you do want a more durable fan for that type application
06-26-2019, 09:01 AM
#8
Busted another fan in E-buggy practice yesterday.... 
The whole center of the fan housing and blades popped out. I have both fans suggested in the pic above, and the Hudy one on the way, it looks like anything plastic just cant handle those big jumps at our track. My son ran an aluminum 30mm one yesterday in his SC truck, it survived 20min, so thats a start.
The whole center of the fan housing and blades popped out. I have both fans suggested in the pic above, and the Hudy one on the way, it looks like anything plastic just cant handle those big jumps at our track. My son ran an aluminum 30mm one yesterday in his SC truck, it survived 20min, so thats a start.
06-27-2019, 09:09 AM
#9
Which one did you bust yesterday?
That scenario is exactly my most common mode of failure, the whole center/blade assembly comes off (if you mean the windings stayed on, but the magnet/blade assy came off).
The reason is usually because the interface between that part and the thin shaft/spindle is very small, it can't handle the leverage and forces of the blade when landing jumps, and first becomes loose then fails entirely.
You can test it on fans which have lasted a little while but haven't failed, the blade will have some slop before complete failure. It's easy to mistake as bearing/bushing play, but actually most fans are very durable in the actual bearing/shaft interface, it's the join between metal shaft and plastic blade that develops movement then breaks. Unfortunately it's difficult to inspect this interface non-destructively, so the only easy way is to rip apart a failed fan. Neatest way is to cut or pull off the circlip (? usually white plastic) at the back side of shaft, then the blade and shaft slide out from the front.
If you haven't thrown out your failed fans (where the blade isn't lost), it'd be useful if you posted pictures of that joint. I'll do the same for mine soon.
I'm dubious that the aluminum improves this particular scenario, unless the alloy fan just happens to (unrelated) have a larger shaft interface to the blade.
I do think the 30mm fans will last longer before failing in this way, if only (and likely only) because there's less mass and a shorter lever arm over the same crappy spindle/blade interface.
I ordered 2x Yeah Racing Tornado 30mm fans to see how they compare, hoping they'll last longer than the 40mm but we'll see.
That scenario is exactly my most common mode of failure, the whole center/blade assembly comes off (if you mean the windings stayed on, but the magnet/blade assy came off).
The reason is usually because the interface between that part and the thin shaft/spindle is very small, it can't handle the leverage and forces of the blade when landing jumps, and first becomes loose then fails entirely.
You can test it on fans which have lasted a little while but haven't failed, the blade will have some slop before complete failure. It's easy to mistake as bearing/bushing play, but actually most fans are very durable in the actual bearing/shaft interface, it's the join between metal shaft and plastic blade that develops movement then breaks. Unfortunately it's difficult to inspect this interface non-destructively, so the only easy way is to rip apart a failed fan. Neatest way is to cut or pull off the circlip (? usually white plastic) at the back side of shaft, then the blade and shaft slide out from the front.
If you haven't thrown out your failed fans (where the blade isn't lost), it'd be useful if you posted pictures of that joint. I'll do the same for mine soon.
I'm dubious that the aluminum improves this particular scenario, unless the alloy fan just happens to (unrelated) have a larger shaft interface to the blade.
I do think the 30mm fans will last longer before failing in this way, if only (and likely only) because there's less mass and a shorter lever arm over the same crappy spindle/blade interface.
I ordered 2x Yeah Racing Tornado 30mm fans to see how they compare, hoping they'll last longer than the 40mm but we'll see.
06-27-2019, 02:34 PM
#10
I’ve gone through a lot of fans over the past 6 months. Mostly in the 30-35mm size. Imo none of the fans are any better than the others. Yes Aluminum housings help, but then the wires break. The 2 current 40mm fans that I thought looked good were the Racing Performer and the Maclan. However I’m not sure in the end they will do any better. For debris breakage I’ve eliminated that by using some stainless screen I bought off Amazon. I’ve noticed no issues with air flow, and I use a bright color marker on the center and blades to make it easier to see spinning. As far as breaking from jumps, I’m currently experimenting with custom aluminum and rubber mounting to help isolate and give shock absorption.
06-28-2019, 01:29 AM
#11
I run the Tekin RX8 Gen3 in my buggy and a fan is not needed. Even on very hot days, I never see more than 4 leds on the ESC which means 160°F.
A fan is only needed in truggies. So if you drive buggy and you're fed up with replacing the fan, get the RX8 :-) It's also one of the best and smoothest ESC's for 1/8th scale racing.
A fan is only needed in truggies. So if you drive buggy and you're fed up with replacing the fan, get the RX8 :-) It's also one of the best and smoothest ESC's for 1/8th scale racing.
06-30-2019, 10:32 AM
#13
I run the Tekin RX8 Gen3 in my buggy and a fan is not needed. Even on very hot days, I never see more than 4 leds on the ESC which means 160°F.
A fan is only needed in truggies. So if you drive buggy and you're fed up with replacing the fan, get the RX8 :-) It's also one of the best and smoothest ESC's for 1/8th scale racing.
A fan is only needed in truggies. So if you drive buggy and you're fed up with replacing the fan, get the RX8 :-) It's also one of the best and smoothest ESC's for 1/8th scale racing.
07-01-2019, 02:32 AM
#14
Woops... But I also don't run any fans on the motor. Most 1/8 motors shouldn't run too hot without a fan when you're geared correctly. My Tekin 1900kv usually sits around 65-75°C after a 12min main. The hottest I ever saw it was 85°C last saturday, but it was 36°C outside and I practiced for 15min non-stop and that temp is still within the specs of the motor.
07-05-2019, 11:21 AM
#15
I run the Tekin RX8 Gen3 in my buggy and a fan is not needed. Even on very hot days, I never see more than 4 leds on the ESC which means 160°F.
A fan is only needed in truggies. So if you drive buggy and you're fed up with replacing the fan, get the RX8 :-) It's also one of the best and smoothest ESC's for 1/8th scale racing.
A fan is only needed in truggies. So if you drive buggy and you're fed up with replacing the fan, get the RX8 :-) It's also one of the best and smoothest ESC's for 1/8th scale racing.
Both of your posts are completely outside the topic of this thread, which is for the discussion of motor fans (40mm should imply that, no modern 1/8 ESC runs this size).
Many of us have our own reasons and applications for running fans. Please respect the topic: you seem to be plugging your Tekin gear everywhere right now, but this is not the thread for it.