Biggest difference is between low and high - big difference.
Low is about as loud as original fan. I could take a video if people are interested of the difference. I have only done driver's side for now to test and do a comparison.

Fan noise is definitely noticeable but to me it's worth it. If it is hot, your AC going to be pounding out air anyway and will definitely drown out any noise from the seat fans. I don't consider it as a concern.

A couple of other notes when installing:

1. Fans have a direction for install, there is an arrow on the housing indicating airflow direction so make sure you follow that. It's not just a simple matter of hooking the wires up the opposite way. Every fan I looked at had the fan motor supported on the side that would face the driver's back. I got a couple different sizes from Fry's electronics to try out ... I can return them , so for those that dremeled them down, if they are installed in the right direction, arms that hold the fan motor may be compromised. Either that or the fan housing design is better. Just something to pay attention to.

2. The original stock fans definitely push. Not sure who mention pulling air away from the seats and how that was determined. If you just hold your hand up to the back of the stock fans when they are on, it feels like there is air coming towards your hand. I thought it was odd because I was watching the fans turning anti-clockwise and the fan blade tilt orientation suggest that it should push. If you physically remove the fan and turn it on, the fan does actually push air on to your back and not pull. Turns out that air is just bouncing off the material in the seat and back through the fan making it seem like air is being pulled away.

3. Last note on the wiring for the B-gears, There are 3 wires on the fan, one is unused. you will need to determine which ones are used by looking at the pigtail that comes with the fan. Plug that in BEFORE, you cut the wires then you can determine the wires that are being used. Middle copper color wire goes to red/yellow wire on the stock wiring. The other used wire (silver) goes to brown on the stock wiring.

 

Damn this is good information. I can't wait to try it on a CLS550.

 

Thanks for the great info turbo97se. Now I don't even have to play "which wire is what?" when they come in.

 

No worries .. the other guys provided a lot of great info also.

One thing to be clear though cos I don't want people coming back complaining I gave false information, the fans are quite a bit louder than stock. But the way I look at it, is you can always adjust the setting lower to reduce the noise (low or medium) if you don't like the noise. I see that as better than stock where I can barely feel the cooling.

 

Guys...I don't even know how to read these specifications. Is this a really good fan?
Noctua NF-B9 92mm Fan
Size: 92x92x25 mm
Bearing: SSO-Bearing Blade
Geometry: NF-B9 Blade Design
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 1600 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 1300 RPM
Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 1000 RPM
Airflow: 64,3 m³/h
Airflow with L.N.A.: 52,6 m³/h
Airflow with U.L.N.A.: 41,1 m³/h
Acoustical Noise: 17,6 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: 13,1 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A.: 7,9* dB(A)
Static Pressure: 1,61 mm H2O
Static Pressure with L.N.A.: 1,09 mm H2O
Static Pressure with U.L.N.A.: 0,64 mm H2O
Input Power: 1,32 W
Input Current: 0,11 A
Voltage Range: 12 V
MTBF: > 150.000 h

 

so with these bigger fans at low, is it better than the stockers on high?

 

I'd say the big fan on low is equal to the stock one on high. Both for noise and cooling.

I'm using the 80mm fans

 

Just got this done in my CLS last night! This has to be one of the greatest bang for your buck mods on these cars!

I never bothered turning these on before because they worked so poorly. I drove my buddy's 2013 CTS-V wagon the other day while I was in San Jose and it was HOT! I turned his vented seats on and they worked amazingly! Came home, found this thread, ordered the fans, now my seats ACTUALLY push air.

As far as the noise they make, you can really only hear it when the car is not running and they are WAY quieter then the A/C and vents blowing. I wouldn't consider it an issue at all and will happily hear the fans to have them work the way they do.

Thanks for the great write up and pictures berti!

 

Were your seats any different since you did this on a cls? Which fans did you use?

 

glad it worked out... its def is worth the hassle

 

What do you guys mean that you feel difference ?

Do you feel the air flow to your back when you are sitting ?

Or do you mean that you feel the air flowing toward your hands and after driving with A/C you feel you back is cold ?

I have done it, changed the fans to 90x90x25 B-gear but couldn't feel any difference except is when I put my hands I feel the air ..

Sorry for bringing old topic.

 

I feel it on my back when I sit against the seat. It works better if you are a little sweaty.

If I were going to do mine again, I'd go with even larger fans. I can only hear them when the engine is off.

 

cls 55 is the same procedure correct?

 

Yes should be

 

I just did this mod to the driver seat today (passenger seat tomorrow). Talk about a night and day difference! I am using the B-blaster 90mm fans. However, if you want more air (and don't mind the noise) go with some Delta Electronics PFB0912DHE-F00 92mm fans. They output an insane 8000 rpm and 175.03 CFM airflow (probably enough to inflate your seat, LOL!). Excessive? Yes, but this fan will make you feel like you're being spooned by a snowman! Thank you for this Mod!

 

Does the delta electronics fan with 8000rpm even fit in our seat?? And how do the B-blaster 90mm fans blow air is it noticable

 

I'm sure the Delta Electronics fan will fit in the seat (it is a 90-92 mm fan). As for the B-Blasters, yes, there IS a noticeable difference in the amount of air pushed by the fans (my back actually gets cold even when I'm not perspiring). Each one is rated at about 75CFM, and there are two per seat. This was the highest CFM I could find in a 90mm fan without getting the Deltas. One Delta is roughly the equivalent of two B-Blasters. Two would create way too much noise. You would probably have to dial the seat down to the low setting for it to be audibly bearable.

EDIT: This model of the Delta Electronics brand would be a better fit for the seat, as it has the same dimensions as the B-Blaster fan (it's also a little better in performance):
DELTA ELECTRONICS FFB0912SH-F00



Basically, it boils down to how much you want to spend on the mod and if you are willing to tolerate a little bit of extra cabin noise.

 

For sure they'll fit.120s would be tight but anything up to 110 should fit no issue.i wouldn't bother with much higher cfm than b blaster ones there's only so much you can blow through those tiny holes. Plus at $30+ each Fan I'm not sure if it's really worth it.

 

I just bought the other 2. 9$ each called it a day, we'll see how different from what I have put already

 

+1

 

lol

 

Awesome write up.
My car is Aussie spec, so doesn't have seat cooling, only warming

Does that mean it still has the holes ? I wonder if I can get the switches and convert ?

 

Just got the new B-blasters fixed up, going to swap them with what I have put in and maybe put the other set on driver side

 

Bump with the hot weather coming again! 30 deg C up here today.

What is the consensus on the best fan now? Balance between quiet & performance. The cooler the better for me.

 

I might swap out the B-hole Blasters for these more powerful ones. A black on black car parked outside in the AZ summer, especially one with a mediocre a/c system, is not a nice place to be.

Brace yourselves, this is coming again soon!