The whole mechanical vs electrical thing has always made me wonder if anyone has some evidence of what the differences are. I can understand the drag of a big viscous fan and the drag of an alternator under load, but does anyone know what the viscous is doing most of the time? Does it sap a certain percentage of its peak consumption even when the motor isn't "hot"? What is hot to the fan? Does the temporary use of an electric negate any power consumption when compared to the possible all-time nature (at least to some degree) of the viscous? Does anyone really know what kind of power we're talking about when an alt is exposed to an extra, what, 20 amps of current?

So many questions!