160º thermostat? Good? Bad? Unneeded?

[Blackdevil77]

If i got this put in, would i loose my heat? I was told that i should get a 180 degree thermostate cuz anything lower, i would freeze in the winter. :windy: Is this complicated to install in the G8?

[Chewy]

If i got this put in, would i loose my heat? I was told that i should get a 180 degree thermostate cuz anything lower, i would freeze in the winter. :windy: Is this complicated to install in the G8?

I wouldn't go that low... I like my HOT air in the winter. Plus gains are negligible at best. The car is designed to run at a certain temps so unless you are going to adjust when the fans come on and such I see no reason to do it.

[Blackdevil77]

I wouldn't go that low... I like my HOT air in the winter. Plus gains are negligible at best. The car is designed to run at a certain temps so unless you are going to adjust when the fans come on and such I see no reason to do it.

yup that was adjusted and now the fans come on rather quickly and don't turn off. is there anything else other than a 160 degree thermostate i can use for the G8?

[Chewy]

yup that was adjusted and now the fans come on rather quickly and don't turn off. is there anything else other than a 160 degree thermostate i can use for the G8?

Charlie said to put like 4 small holes in the stock Tstat plate which will act like a 180º

I would probably do the 180º but 160º is TO low for me.

[GRRRR8]

Make sur eyour fans do not come on when the engine is started and a/c is off. It will kill your gas mileage and not allow the motor to warm up fluids properly. The stock t-stat is 187, I havent even touched it and I live in hot ass Texas.

[EC-Ryder]

I wouldn't go that low... I like my HOT air in the winter. Plus gains are negligible at best. The car is designed to run at a certain temps so unless you are going to adjust when the fans come on and such I see no reason to do it.

+1 I wouldn’t go lower than stock, as I see not benefit on these engines and will actually lower it’s thermal efficiency.

I would however install a transmission cooler or run the fans all the time via A\C or mod as the tranny is happier at 160-175*

just a thought!

Cheers!

[MANOFSTEEL69]

Ummm......You won't freeze in the winter. The car still gets up to norm operating temps to heat the car. The idea of the 160 is to start the cooling of the engine sooner to help reduce the heat soak. Which is one of the drawbacks to an aluminum motor. Cooler intake manifolds and cylinder heads translates to decreased ETs and increased mph. Do you need it for a daily driver.....No. If you do a lot stripping...Can't hurt.:prostock:

[-Ray-]

I'm keeping the stock one. On a cool day I want a warm motor to race. With the potential of this engine, I think changing the thermostat is way down on my lift of mods.

[GeorgeInNePa]

Ummm......You won't freeze in the winter. The car still gets up to norm operating temps to heat the car. The idea of the 160 is to start the cooling of the engine sooner to help reduce the heat soak. Which is one of the drawbacks to an aluminum motor. Cooler intake manifolds and cylinder heads translates to decreased ETs and increased mph. Do you need it for a daily driver.....No. If you do a lot stripping...Can't hurt.:prostock:

If I did a lot of stripping, there would be many women made ill at the sight.

[MANOFSTEEL69]

Silly Ass George! Lol!:spc:

[EcoBrick Bob]

I am testing my 160 deg. thermostat!

So far the temps are in the 170 deg range on the open road(outside temp was 75 deg) and heat up to the 86 deg. C (187 deg.F) when in slow traffic.
I don't have an HP tuner, so have no way of changing fan temps.

Taking a 200 mi road trip tomorrow... Will report on mileage variations.
Easy to swap out. Likely will put original in if I drive in freezing temps.

Only advantage so far is that car seems to cool down quicker.. which would help those of you who are dragging your G8.

RRM

PS: If you change it, you need to put original T gasket on 160 T, as it is thicker. Didn't do this when I changed to Charlie's heater hoses and had Dexi all over the drive... Made a 30 minute job into about 1 1/2 hrs waiting for cool down.
:brain:

[SRG963]

Do I need to tune for the stat to work properly, or is this still old school?

[GTPprix]

Pretty much yes, really no reason to get one on these cars anyhow IMHO

[Chewy]

Pretty much yes, really no reason to get one on these cars anyhow IMHO

And everyone elses...

Where did I put that thread?? :hmm:

[SRG963]

and everyone elses...

Where did i put that thread?? :hmm:

lol! ThanksBTW

[G8GTlawride]

Read elsewhere that these aluminum engines are in fact designed to operate at specific temps. Lowering the temp can be as detrimental to the engine as having it too high, and can actually shorten its life. Be careful and research the engineering thoughts behind the higher t-stats.

[whlspin4ever]

What are you guys seeing in Engineering mode as far as Normal Operating temps for your coolant and tranny?

My car is pretty much stock, at this point, and my coolant read out is 90-97 Celsius which translates to 194-208 F. Is this what you guys are seeing cruising around town? At the track my coolant was reaching 104 C = 219 F. If the stock Tstat is 187 F do I need to check this out?

My tranny is running around 60-70 C and hit 80 C at the track. Again, normal?

Any input would be appreciated!

[EcoBrick Bob]

:poof::poof::poof::poof:

OOPS...

disregard my 160 deg. T. posts

[EcoBrick Bob]

Coolant Temp at 75 mph is still 180 F. plus.... NO,... I DON'T GET 30 MPG or even 27MPG at this speed... But I get... damn good gas mileage... with or without the lower temp T. At least equal to my M6- GTO.

Rob:respect:

:poof::poof::poof::poof::poof::poof::poof::poof::p oof::poof::poof::poof::poof:

Damn.. I like these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[fueltrimjesus]

195-200 is optimum for cylinder wear and combustion efficiency(that is in your highschool autotech book) come on guys the 60's are over

[-Ray-]

What are you guys seeing in Engineering mode as far as Normal Operating temps for your coolant and tranny?

My car is pretty much stock, at this point, and my coolant read out is 90-97 Celsius which translates to 194-208 F. Is this what you guys are seeing cruising around town? At the track my coolant was reaching 104 C = 219 F. If the stock Tstat is 187 F do I need to check this out?

My tranny is running around 60-70 C and hit 80 C at the track. Again, normal?

Any input would be appreciated!

I've seen my trans sump temp at 89C consistantly.

[breakinparts]

There is a good article on LS1 tech about this. 1) It is really a waste of time. 2) you lose the capability of your heat working as well in the winter. Especially with a 160. Keep the stocker.

[DarkPhoenix]

Agreed, you want your coolant to get in the 190-200 range so that your oil will also heat up to these temperatures. It is important for the oil to get this hot so that any water vapor in the crank case will stay as a gas and can be sucked up by the pcv system. more good info on hte topis here

http://www.ls2.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=448410

[MANOFSTEEL69]

There is a good article on LS1 tech about this. 1) It is really a waste of time. 2) you lose the capability of your heat working as well in the winter. Especially with a 160. Keep the stocker.

Well, my car hasn't had any heating, or defrosting issues, below 20 degrees so far so your heating theory is BS. True, if your car is stock you don't need the 160 degree thermostat. Start making changes in with a CAI, exhaust, tune, etc. it will benefit you. Cooler engine temps help to make better combustion, increasing performance and horse-power. For those of us that do a lot of drag-stripping with our cars, it's a real benefit, because these engines become heat-soaked so quickly. Before the thermostat 3 passes and I was done...Now I can make at least 5 before I start to lose ET time due to temps. Also, a 160 degree thermostat does not mean you car doesn't reach normal operating temperatures.

[Cliffy]

I would leave the stocker. Also keep in mind the ECM and the TCM use engine coolant as an input, ie torque converter lock up is based on weather or not the engine is up to temp (180-195 degrees) benifits would be minimal if not negative on a stock or even mild mod powertrain.

[GeorgeInNePa]

Well, my car hasn't had any heating, or defrosting issues, below 20 degrees so far so your heating theory is BS. True, if your car is stock you don't need the 160 degree thermostat. Start making changes in with a CAI, exhaust, tune, etc. it will benefit you. Cooler engine temps help to make better combustion, increasing performance and horse-power. For those of us that do a lot of drag-stripping with our cars, it's a real benefit, because these engines become heat-soaked so quickly. Before the thermostat 3 passes and I was done...Now I can make at least 5 before I start to lose ET time due to temps. Also, a 160 degree thermostat does not mean you car doesn't reach normal operating temperatures.

Your heating system will not put out the same amount of heat as mine if your Tstat is 160 and mine is stock.

It would be impossible.

[GRRRR8]

The thing on see on this is if the fan temps were just adjusted down to work with the 187 stat it would run 190 easily.

[MANOFSTEEL69]

Your heating system will not put out the same amount of heat as mine if your Tstat is 160 and mine is stock.

It would be impossible.

Well, it doesn't have any issues heating. Not saying it's the same as stock.

[EcoBrick Bob]

There is a good article on LS1 tech about this. 1) It is really a waste of time. 2) you lose the capability of your heat working as well in the winter. Especially with a 160. Keep the stocker.

Define winter....:windy:

[MANOFSTEEL69]

So far coldest I've used mine is 19 degrees. But Tigger is put away for the winter now....At least till my OTR and Kooks Gen II mufflers get here.

[Chewy]

Define winter....:windy:
4º F this morning... :windy:

THAT is winter and I need ALL the heat I can get and NOW not after 30 minutes of driving.

Mom and dad are in Marco... Bastards! Sent me this photo while it was snowing here... :hang:

[GRRRR8]

Define winter....:windy:

Winter: Not where Rob is at now.

[izaks]

Quote: If the stock Tstat is 187 F do I need to check this out?

The stock thermostat is marked 86'c (187'F), BUT, it does not open fully until 92'C (198'F)
Command the fans on permanently and see if you can get the temps to go below 91-92 at idle with ambient at 78'F.
The fans are programmed to start coming on at 101'C (214'F) and fully on at 109'C (228'F)

MR.GASKET CO. makes a true 180'F thermostat (part no. 6368) for the G8

[EcoBrick Bob]

Winter: Not where Rob is at now.

I just got back from IOWA in ...... (should be 4 letter word) However, I have a 160 deg. thermostat in my 6 liter 2003 Denali XL that I was driving up there when it was below "0" or close. Really didn't notice much difference in temp gauge when warmed up from summer gauge temp. Have heated seats so was plenty toasty. I can tell you that mileage improved when I got in 50+ deg air on the way back to FL, and was best when temp is over 70 deg. Similar fall off in mileage with GTO on way up when temps went down, and it has stock t-stat. Since almost all stations now seem to have Gasohol (10% ethanol) I noticed my mileage numbers were lower both ways. However, they seemed to drop off more in the GTO, no matter what grade I used.

Not sure if I posted this, but G8 mileage returning to FL with 10K mi and all mods INCLUDING 160 Deg T-STAT was about the same as spring, when it had 500mi and only the VMS ECM. Different drivers and definitely Gasohol in fall.

Can't say if the 160 makes any diff. Had it... easy to put in when I changed to Charlie's hoses... So... Did It. Fan parameters not changed. Can check operating temps here in FL if anyone wants to know.

[MtbDoc]

I was discussing some parts w/ Mike @ New Era yesterday, and he is still STRONGLY recommending the 160* stat...which was quite surprising to me. Thought I'd mention this...

[GRRRR8]

I think it really depends on year round temps. Chuck CoW will put 1 in a Vette in a minute, but not a G8 as we have a cooler stat already. I will drill 1 hole and adjust fan temps so it will stay at 180 degrees.

[Top Speed]

Not needed in my opinion. Especially for a daily driver.

[G8-4-Speed]

Mine stays between 196 and 205 stock.:hang: It will be getting something cooler

[GT G8]

I was discussing some parts w/ Mike @ New Era yesterday, and he is still STRONGLY recommending the 160* stat...which was quite surprising to me. Thought I'd mention this...

Hmm, so in plain english for us noobs. What are the drawbacks of doing the 160 deg thermostat?

[yogibaer]

GRRRR8 How big of a hole.

[Blackdevil77]

Hmm, so in plain english for us noobs. What are the drawbacks of doing the 160 deg thermostat?

Not as much heat in the winter. Not sure how much you loose, I just know you do loose some.

[GT G8]

lol, that's it? I meant more like engine damage or some kind of failure in another part?

[PantherGTBlack]

lol, that's it? I meant more like engine damage or some kind of failure in another part?

I know with cooler engine temps. there will be more of tendency for condensation in the engine to collect. Since our cars have an aluminum block there are issues with heat soak which results in power loss. Unless you're going to the strip a lot it's a pointless mod. in my opinion. Plus you have to adjust the temp. in which the fans kick on to get full benefit of this mod, which will require a tune. It's a cheap, inexpensive part. If you reaaaaallllly want, buy it, but I wouldn't consider it a necessity.

[MANOFSTEEL69]

It is more of a "strip" helper. But I have noticed no issues in heating the car.....

[PantherGTBlack]

It is more of a "strip" helper. But I have noticed no issues in heating the car.....

What he said. :drunk2:

[EcoBrick Bob]

I just put in 160 deg. T in second G8 cause I had it. Turned on heat to bleed system and got sunburn...

My experience has been positive. Seems to keep temp down to around 180 without fan re-set. Doesn't heat up so fast in stop and go tropical driving. Also have one in Denali XL. Heater works fine, but do think mileage drops off more in cold weather because of T-stat.

Am I crazee or am I jussst....

[Kaltech Tuning]

I gotta give you guys credit, I never thought I'd see a 5 page sticky thread discussing a 160 thermostat. I'll throw a couple pennies in though:

First, you won't lose any heating ability in the winter, your feet and winshield will be plenty toasty. We're talking about 160+ degrees of coolant temp here. What are you trying to warm your car to, 75 degrees? There's plenty of heat coming off the 160* coolant to keep you warm.

The lower stat gives you the opportunity to adjust your fan settings and have better control of your engine cooling. Remember you're going to exceed the turn on temp. your fans are set to because when the fan turns on they still need to pull the heat out of the coolant and then pump that coolant through the motor before the motor starts to cool. This is especially important because the G8 fan settings aren't just on/off they're percentage based on coolant temp.

You won't necessarily gain hp from it but it helps keep your temps more consistent so your hp stays consistent as well.

Put the stat in if you're there in my opinion but don't be afraid of it.

The LS motors have been around since 1997 and people have been running 160 stats since then, if there were any ill effects you'd know about it. Plenty of people live in cold climates with them without issue as well.

Stop thinking so much and just do it!!! lol

[MANOFSTEEL69]

I gotta give you guys credit, I never thought I'd see a 5 page sticky thread discussing a 160 thermostat. I'll throw a couple pennies in though:

First, you won't lose any heating ability in the winter, your feet and winshield will be plenty toasty. We're talking about 160+ degrees of coolant temp here. What are you trying to warm your car to, 75 degrees? There's plenty of heat coming off the 160* coolant to keep you warm.

The lower stat gives you the opportunity to adjust your fan settings and have better control of your engine cooling. Remember you're going to exceed the turn on temp. your fans are set to because when the fan turns on they still need to pull the heat out of the coolant and then pump that coolant through the motor before the motor starts to cool. This is especially important because the G8 fan settings aren't just on/off they're percentage based on coolant temp.

You won't necessarily gain hp from it but it helps keep your temps more consistent so your hp stays consistent as well.

Put the stat in if you're there in my opinion but don't be afraid of it.

The LS motors have been around since 1997 and people have been running 160 stats since then, if there were any ill effects you'd know about it. Plenty of people live in cold climates with them without issue as well.

Stop thinking so much and just do it!!! lol

Thank You! I can't believe it drug on as long as it did myself! Lol! Alot of misleading info out there. We appreciate your input!

[parish8]

I gotta give you guys credit, I never thought I'd see a 5 page sticky thread discussing a 160 thermostat. I'll throw a couple pennies in though:

First, you won't lose any heating ability in the winter, your feet and winshield will be plenty toasty. We're talking about 160+ degrees of coolant temp here. What are you trying to warm your car to, 75 degrees? There's plenty of heat coming off the 160* coolant to keep you warm.

The lower stat gives you the opportunity to adjust your fan settings and have better control of your engine cooling. Remember you're going to exceed the turn on temp. your fans are set to because when the fan turns on they still need to pull the heat out of the coolant and then pump that coolant through the motor before the motor starts to cool. This is especially important because the G8 fan settings aren't just on/off they're percentage based on coolant temp.

You won't necessarily gain hp from it but it helps keep your temps more consistent so your hp stays consistent as well.

Put the stat in if you're there in my opinion but don't be afraid of it.

The LS motors have been around since 1997 and people have been running 160 stats since then, if there were any ill effects you'd know about it. Plenty of people live in cold climates with them without issue as well.

Stop thinking so much and just do it!!! lol

i am with this guy. ^^^

the car wont take longer to heat up. it will get up to 160+deg as fast as it did before. it just wont keep getting hotter.

yes you will need to program your fans to turn on sooner or this mod wont help much if any.

with my fans running full blast my coolant temp still sits at 200deg while sitting in the staging lanes. i am 99% sure dropping that to 170-180 will make the car quicker. probably just a few .01 but for a free mod why not.

i am going to mod my stat and then do a test. tell me if there is anything wrong with my plan that will mess up the results.

i will drive to the local test spot. coolant should be around 170-180deg with 160 stat. i will set my fans to be on full at 180deg and off at 178. i can do this since i have the 2.5bar os and it lets you adjust that low. i will make a gtech run. then i will go for a cool down spin, set the fans on full at 205 and off at 203, sit and idle till the coolant gets up to that temp. make a run and compare results. probably do each temp a couple of times.

any suggestions on how to make that testing more valid?

one more thing, i am pretty sure you are not suppose to just drill holes in the tstat. we have something called a bypass tstat. i can't say how it works exactly but when it moves from one position to the other it does more than just open one valve. there has always been something called the bb mod where you put a bb in the shaft hole on the tstat and with that you get a colder stat for free. i have done this on a couple of truck motors and it worked great. not sure about this one but i will give it a try.

edit >> bb mod does not work with these stats.

[Rogue]

Great thread guys :)

[timg8]

I find this thread interesting and it has been 30 years since I was a mechanic so maybe something has changed but if I remember correctly the temperature designation on the thermostat designates the temperature at which the thermostat opens, nothing more.

That's why it makes sense that several posters with differing opinions have correct perspective on parts of their arguments.

If you are running heavy with a high horsepower motor it will allow the coolant to flow sooner when restarting between runs; if you have a cool down period where the coolant temperature gets below the thermostat open point.

It should not effect daily drivers as they will reach normal operating temps over an extended time. The t-stat opens at a minimum temperature, it is not a max temperature device, if it was, then a 160 or 180 or 187 would not allow a car to get to 200 degrees.

As far as the heat in the car, a lower temp thermostat shouldn't alter the temperature of your in car heat, it would just take a little longer to reach that temp because the coolant starts flowing through the block sooner. This means it will take a little longer for the car to reach normal operating temps, but in extended driving they will still get there if the fans are not adjusted. If you want to test this theory put a 100 degree thermostat in your engine and disconnect your fans completely and drive around for an hour in 100 degree ambient temps to see what happens

Now we did not have electronically controlled fans back in the day (they used mechanical clutches) but I don't think the concept has changed, fans are for controlling high temperature, thermostats are for controlling minimum temperature. In fact the purpose of a thermostat is to heat your engine up by restricting water flow until a certain temperature is reached. Cool fuel and cool air combust better but a cold engine doesn't run worth a s**t, not to mention the lubrication issues with a cold engine.

There is a lot of knowledge here so somebody please correct me if I am wrong on this.

[steve b.]

i used to have one in my 98 z28 camaro and it worked pretty good keeping the heat down but the heater worked fine

[R.Penguin]

If I did a lot of stripping, there would be many women made ill at the sight.
"If I did a lot of stripping, there would be many women made ill at the sight."

Not only women, a gagging penguin is not a pretty sight! :rofl: *gag*

[JVH1982]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't an engine's operating temperature depend on the capacity and efficiency of the cooling system (as well as fans)? At least to a point...? For example, my '65 Dodge Custom 880 would run hotter if down on coolant (capacity). Also, it ran hot when there was 'gunk' in the old radiator core. Since it's been re-cored, it runs cooler (efficiency). I could be off base, but at least the logic is followable.

[TurboSS]

i got a question with all this.
i have read that some people are saying that with a 160* stat the engine will run cooler thus its thermo eff. would be decreased. i understand the concept..the motor needs some heat and the pistons are pushed by heat...ok i get it. BUT, if you were to run at 160* and then dump in some timing to max out those rpms for cruising wouldnt you regain the lost heat in the cylinders AND increase your mileage? more timing equals more power which in turn should mean LESS throttle (gas) needed for cruising?!?!?

if i am off base here please let me know.

[-Ray-]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't an engine's operating temperature depend on the capacity and efficiency of the cooling system (as well as fans)? At least to a point...? For example, my '65 Dodge Custom 880 would run hotter if down on coolant (capacity). Also, it ran hot when there was 'gunk' in the old radiator core. Since it's been re-cored, it runs cooler (efficiency). I could be off base, but at least the logic is followable.

The cooling capacity for the G8 is very efficent. We don't have the issues a 65 Dodge might have. My G8 only has a 10 degree delta regardless of the air temp or how hard it has to run.
The prevailing idea is there is more power when the engines at 160 rather than 195.
Regardless of the fans,or any other conditions a 160 degree thermostat will attempt to keep the engine operating temp at 160.

[JVH1982]

The cooling capacity for the G8 is very efficent. We don't have the issues a 65 Dodge might have. My G8 only has a 10 degree delta regardless of the air temp or how hard it has to run.
The prevailing idea is there is more power when the engines at 160 rather than 195.
Regardless of the fans,or any other conditions a 160 degree thermostat will attempt to keep the engine operating temp at 160.

I understand what you are saying, however, I believe I failed to make my point effectively. I was trying to convey that the thermostat controls the bottom end of an engine's operating temp while it's capacity and efficiency dictate how hot it will get. As it has been stated before, the temp rating on a themostat is the temp at witch it is fully open. It is my belief that whether or not a t-stat opens at 160 or 185 has little to do with how hot it will get beyond that. A 160* t-stat will just slow the increase in temperature.

[G8GTSBM]

I find this thread interesting and it has been 30 years since I was a mechanic so maybe something has changed but if I remember correctly the temperature designation on the thermostat designates the temperature at which the thermostat opens, nothing more.

That's why it makes sense that several posters with differing opinions have correct perspective on parts of their arguments.

If you are running heavy with a high horsepower motor it will allow the coolant to flow sooner when restarting between runs; if you have a cool down period where the coolant temperature gets below the thermostat open point.

It should not effect daily drivers as they will reach normal operating temps over an extended time. The t-stat opens at a minimum temperature, it is not a max temperature device, if it was, then a 160 or 180 or 187 would not allow a car to get to 200 degrees.

As far as the heat in the car, a lower temp thermostat shouldn't alter the temperature of your in car heat, it would just take a little longer to reach that temp because the coolant starts flowing through the block sooner. This means it will take a little longer for the car to reach normal operating temps, but in extended driving they will still get there if the fans are not adjusted. If you want to test this theory put a 100 degree thermostat in your engine and disconnect your fans completely and drive around for an hour in 100 degree ambient temps to see what happens

Now we did not have electronically controlled fans back in the day (they used mechanical clutches) but I don't think the concept has changed, fans are for controlling high temperature, thermostats are for controlling minimum temperature. In fact the purpose of a thermostat is to heat your engine up by restricting water flow until a certain temperature is reached. Cool fuel and cool air combust better but a cold engine doesn't run worth a s**t, not to mention the lubrication issues with a cold engine.

There is a lot of knowledge here so somebody please correct me if I am wrong on this.

yes you are very correct. the only way to cool the engine more is to increase the cooling capacity not the thermostat

[TurboSS]

I understand what you are saying, however, I believe I failed to make my point effectively. I was trying to convey that the thermostat controls the bottom end of an engine's operating temp while it's capacity and efficiency dictate how hot it will get. As it has been stated before, the temp rating on a themostat is the temp at witch it is fully open. It is my belief that whether or not a t-stat opens at 160 or 185 has little to do with how hot it will get beyond that. A 160* t-stat will just slow the increase in temperature.

i think i might have to disagree with this...
i know, atleast for my 03 z06, after dropping in a 187* stat no matter how long i run the car she sits at 190* and only 192* with A/C running. but like i said that is a diff car.

[GeoffA]

I believe I thought I read some post stating that LSx engines are to run at Mid 190's, and by putting in a 160 stat will hurt performance...

[TurboSS]

I believe I thought I read some post stating that LSx engines are to run at Mid 190's, and by putting in a 160 stat will hurt performance...

i think that is true IF you dont tune the engine to max performance at the lower temps.

[-Ray-]

Nice links here

LOL, even after I warned you in a pm you still do it?

[G8-4-Speed]

I understand what you are saying, however, I believe I failed to make my point effectively. I was trying to convey that the thermostat controls the bottom end of an engine's operating temp while it's capacity and efficiency dictate how hot it will get. As it has been stated before, the temp rating on a themostat is the temp at witch it is fully open. It is my belief that whether or not a t-stat opens at 160 or 185 has little to do with how hot it will get beyond that. A 160* t-stat will just slow the increase in temperature.


Most of your driving is at part throttle so and the engine burns the fuel more completely with more heat in the chamber. The problem is under power, the heads can't disapate the heat fast enough and you can run into detonation after you stay in the power for a few seconds. If you run a slightly cooler thermostat that keeps you out of detonation with a good tune, then thats what you want.

Cool intake charges make power, not cold enginies. Thats why they make plastic intakes, they don't transfer heat to the intake charge like aluminum does.

[Identity Crisis]

Holy crap. I read all of this cause I am about to buy a 160 TS and do the HSRK. What I got out of it was a lot of people saying, "I thought I read somewhere?" but without any links or proof.

I do have a tuner that will allow me to turn on the fans sooner, so I will install the TS and adjust the fans. I have no fear of my engine going to crap over a thermostat.

[Savage-wp]

My stock thermostat is not working properly any more. I figure i may as well go with the cooler thermostat. At the strip, the car suffers from heat soak badly. If the motor is slightly cooler, it can only help.