Method for operating a cooling system for a vehicle, in particular for a utility vehicle, wherein the cooling system has at least one cooling circuit by means of which at least one internal combustion engine of the vehicle can be liquid-cooled, wherein the cooling circuit is assigned at least two heat flow setting devices (13, 15) which can be driven in rotation by means of a drive device and by means of which a heat flow that can be discharged from the cooling circuit can be set, wherein the heat flow that can be discharged from the cooling circuit is dependent on the rotational speeds of the heat flow setting devices (13, 15), and the heat flow setting devices (13, 15) are designed such that the heat flow discharged from the cooling circuit increases with an increase of the rotational speeds of the heat flow setting devices (13, 15), wherein at least one of the heat flow setting devices (13, 15) is formed as a fan element for the cooling of the cooling circuit, and at least one of the heat flow setting devices (13, 15) is designed as a coolant conveying device for conveying the coolant through the cooling circuit, and wherein a closed-loop and/or open-loop control device is provided by means of which, in an energy mode which forms a basic mode, the fan element and the coolant conveying device as the heat flow setting devices (13, 15) are automatically controlled in closed-loop and/or open-loop fashion such that a defined heat flow value is discharged from the cooling circuit and, at the same time, the fan element and the coolant conveying device as the heat flow setting devices (13, 15) are driven with minimal drive energy by means of the drive device, wherein an energy mode characteristic map is stored in the closed-loop and/or open-loop control device, in which energy mode characteristic map the heat flow discharged from the cooling circuit is recorded as a function of the rotational speed of the heat flow setting devices (13, 15), such that, for a defined heat flow to be discharged from the cooling circuit, the minimal drive energy for driving the heat flow setting devices (13, 15) is determined, characterized in that the closed-loop and/or open-loop control device is, in a manner dependent on at least one acoustics parameter, switched from the energy mode into an acoustics mode in which the fan element and the coolant conveying device as the heat flow setting devices (13, 15) are automatically controlled in closed-loop and/or open-loop fashion by means of the closed-loop and/or open-loop control device such that a lower heat flow value is discharged from the cooling circuit than in the energy mode, and at the same time an acoustics value of the fan element does not overshoot a defined threshold value, wherein, in order to reduce the acoustics value of the fan element, at least one drive parameter, which influences the acoustics value, of the drive device is changed, specifically such that the fan element is operated with reduced rotational speed, in that the at least one acoustics parameter is at least one defined road traffic parameter, wherein the vehicle has a prediction device by means of which a future traffic situation of the vehicle, in the presence of which a switch should be made into the acoustics mode, can be predicted and/or foreseen, in that, already at a time before a future traffic situation in which the closed-loop and/or open-loop control device should be switched into the acoustics mode, measures are implemented which allow a switch of the closed-loop and/or open-loop control device into the acoustics mode during the future traffic situation of the vehicle, wherein, at a time before a future traffic situation in which the closed-loop and/or open-loop control device should be switched into the acoustics mode, the heat flow discharged from the cooling circuit is automatically increased by means of the closed-loop and/or open-loop control device by increasing the rotational speeds of the heat flow setting devices (13, 15).