Horton will officially launch the LCX series fan drives and the HS6 and HS11A fans, new variable-speed fan drive and a pair of new fans that will help medium- and heavy-duty truck makers meet Phase 2 of the federal greenhouse-gas emissions regulations, this September at the IAA show in Hanover, Germany.

The new fan drives – LCX 170 and LCX 230 – will cover the entire range of medium and heavy-duty trucks and are based on Horton’s current viscous variable-speed design that rotates the fan at a wide range of speeds compared to on/off or two-speed fan-drive designs. The new design adds three improvements: extremely low off-speed operation, superior low-speed controllability and the key new benefit, faster Cold-Start Disengagement.

"With a viscous-drive fan, there will always be oil in the drive reservoir when the engine is shut off, and when the engine is restarted on a cold winter morning that fluid remains in the drive so the fan starts rotating when the engine starts," says Manish Virmani, vice president of global market development. "With CSD, we can stop the fan much faster than before, up to 80% faster. This means the engine warms up faster and the cab warms up faster, and the emissions systems starts working efficiently more quickly. It also reduces the parasitic load from the engine, saving fuel and reducing noise."

The second key feature of the LCX series is low-speed controllability. The LCX Series variable-speed fan drives can be controlled at very low speeds to accommodate light cooling needs, such as those associated with AC head pressure. The benefit is more precise fan control across all speeds which increases fuel economy. Low-speed controllability also offers more available horsepower and reduced noise variation due to smoother modulation, Horton says. 

And finally, low off-speed in a fan drive ensures that very little energy is consumed spinning the fan during times when cooling isn't needed. During a 10-hour road test recently, Horton recorded fan-on and fan-off time on a trip across the state of Wyoming. The fan was off 88.87% of the time at an ambient temperature of 70 degrees. The new LCX Series drives allow the fan to rotate as much as 50% slower than competitive products under similar conditions, saving fuel by reducing the amount of parasitic drag created by the fan, says Horton.

Horton will also introduce two new fan designs in September, the 6-blade HS6 and the 11-blade HS11A. Both of these lightweight and efficient fans offer a cleaner frontal profile and fewer blades, which allows better airflow through the engine compartment when the drive is not engaged. The HS6 features 35% less blade area than the Horton MS8 8-blade fan and its performance is enhanced when paired with a Horton fully-variable drive. The HS11A features 5% less blade area than the standard 11-blade molded fan, but it produces five% more airflow and two less decibels of noise, Horton says.

Innovative blade profiles deliver better air movement without requiring additional depth within the fan shroud, so no modifications are required to existing cooling modules.