I am one of the few running electric fans for cooling. I adapted Chevrolet Camaro LS1 dual fans for my truck.
LT1 Electric fans conversion
For me it works better than the stock crank driven fan. I have made many changes to the cooling system. The electric fans are just one part of the puzzle.
For my case I needed to lower the operating temperature. The stock thermostat was 195 and I feel more comfortable running a little farther from the edge of over heating. The stock fan clutch engages way too late , IMO. I needed a lower temperature fan clutch to match the lower temperature thermostat I added. None were available.
Reason #1 - I installed electric fans: To control the engagement temperature. I can also manually engage them to get a head start on cooling if needed, as well as cancel them for water crossings.
Reason #2 - Crawling the desert in 100+ degree temps the stock fan did not move enough air at idle speeds to keep it cool. The electrics move more air at idle speeds.
Some tout mileage increases and performance improvement. There may be a little , but not nearly enough to justify the expense. It does warm up faster and the fans rarely run in the wintertime. The colder climates might find this very useful.
The fans I am using were intended for a car running a V-8. They are more than sufficient to cool a little V-6 like mine. Dual fans adds redundancy. Odds are that both will not fail at the same time. Being OEM there should be parts readily available. They are a proven design in that I have found no fan problems in the Camaro world.
Prior to the modifications, I had cooling problems. None critical, but worrisome. Since the change to the LS1 fans it has maintained temperatures very well. Even when towing the boat in the summers I don't have any problems.
I too am one of those Streetrodder's with a big engined electric fan cooled hotrod. My HenryJ runs a 700+ HP Blown Big Block with dual electric fans. They are not enough to keep it cool when it is 100+ outside and in traffic, but they do not have a shroud and are mounted as pushers. There were not better options in this case. They do work though and I do drive it without problems. Does it get warm when I mash the right pedal? Sure. Do they cool it down? Yes.
Are electric fans right for everyone? Probably not. Does your stock fan work? If it does why change?