160 degree T-STAT

[hammdo]

Originally Posted by Unreal

Like prostock john said, 160 stat, car runs at 190+. So a 160, 170, 180, 190 will all be fully open. It will just make it so it takes longer to warm up.

Exactly... The floor (opening temp) is set lower. I've not had any issues using the 160 as mine warms very fast but, don't see any need to use a 160 since the operating temps on my DD are the same before the 160 and after. My upgrades to cooling system however are the big benefit as they keep those temps in check when ambient temps get hot. I upgraded my radiator, HX, and intercooler pump to flow more and have greater capacity thus more efficient cooling. TStat does not help that once it's fully open...

-Don

[Unreal]

If "cooler" is better and makes more power, why not just pull the thermostat out completely? If a 160 is good, then a never closed thermostat is better.

[Eric14SS]

Originally Posted by Unreal

If "cooler" is better and makes more power, why not just pull the thermostat out completely? If a 160 is good, then a never closed thermostat is better.

Thanks!!! I'm going to try that. J/k lol

[hammdo]

Last summer, I had temps hit 230 (and climbing) in 118 degree temps, idling in stopped traffic. I had the 160 at that point so it did not aid cooling. For me, I'd keep the factory Tstat and improve radiator capacity for cooling... and I would not take the tstat out either for our cars, but there are always some exceptions (like maybe a road/track racer on some model cars)..

-Don

[Bo White]

Thermostat has only 2 purposes.
Hold the coolant in the block long enough to warm up and to hold the coolant in the radiator long enough to cool off.
If you pull it out then the one that's the most efficient will dictate coolant temp. If the engine can heat up the coolant faster than the radiator can cool it off its just going to heat and heat and heat.

[Kendall421]

Originally Posted by Unreal

If "cooler" is better and makes more power, why not just pull the thermostat out completely? If a 160 is good, then a never closed thermostat is better.

You should not run with nothing in the opening though. In our Dirt Late Model motors we never ran any stat, but we ran a 3/4 inch hole restricter plate in the place of the stat. Remember, the hole in the stat is about 3/4 inch. You need to slow the flow down so the water spends enough time in the radiator to cool down, otherwise the whole system becomes too hot.

[Unreal]

It was a joke.

[zz430camaro]

any car I have ever build and they were all 70's chevy cars that had an adequate cooling system would run at the temp of the t stat by about 5 degrees. All of them would run better with a 160 period. If you put a 160 and it ran 190 then it does not have a large enough radiator to control the temp. I think if the temp was a little lower and it resisted detonation because it was cooler and it made more power this would be good.

[Olddudesrule]

Originally Posted by zz430camaro

any car I have ever build and they were all 70's chevy cars that had an adequate cooling system would run at the temp of the t stat by about 5 degrees. All of them would run better with a 160 period. If you put a 160 and it ran 190 then it does not have a large enough radiator to control the temp. I think if the temp was a little lower and it resisted detonation because it was cooler and it made more power this would be good.

Are you saying that your car with a 160 degree t-stat would run around 165 degrees fully warmed up? Sorry, but if that's the case, I just can't buy it. Never had any car, and I've owned many high performance and standard cars, run those kind of temps, regardless of the t-stat opening temp....

[Unreal]

My brothers GTO did. He had a huge upgraded radiator. He got tired of car never getting to temp, and heater never blowing warm in the winter so he put a 190 in it, much much much better now.

[blue-bayou]

The role of the thermostat is to help control the temperature. The control set point or target is the thermostats temperature "rating". My 72 c20 has a 160 T/S and it controls the temperature at 160 all day. If your system doesn't control to T/S rating then either the T/S is bad or the rest of the cooling system isn't set up to handle that temp

[zz430camaro]

exactly!

[Camaro Dude]

Originally Posted by Unreal

My brothers GTO did. He had a huge upgraded radiator. He got tired of car never getting to temp, and heater never blowing warm in the winter so he put a 190 in it, much much much better now.

This was the case in my BMW. Listen to this one. I discovered BMW sold a different T-Stat part# through their dealers parts bin in the Middle East. Turns out it was a lower temp stat!

I installed it of course, as I was 2-3X more power over stock, figured it would make sense, they used in in their, so BMW was onto something, and since I never winter drove it...

As soon as September would approach, I would put our "4 season" T-Stat back in, as cabin heating was compromised. I was surprised! Full clockwise on the cockpit dial for heating, with middle eastern T-Stat on, was the equivalent of 60% spin clockwise if the cockpit heating dial.

Steady rate cruise on highway coolant temps were lower, even in the heat of the summer. BUT borderline too rich of a mixture on cool nights, after prolonged steady rate cruising on the highway! Yes I always had a wideband Air/Fuel ratio readout on the dash.

The ultimate question here is, and I THINK this is where Olddudesrule thinking is. If you are on a road course, say after constant 20 min WOT running.....will it really make difference on coolant temps, whether you have a "4 season" thermostat, or a "summer" only one installed???

I never did test this scenario on road course full 20 min runs with T-Stat from Middle Eastern parts bin

[Kendall421]

I just discussed with the shop why they want to go to a 160 stat. They said that the motor will have an easier time running around 190-200. He said the factory stat is 210. My car tends to normally run in that 200-210 range. What that would me to me is the stat opens at 210 and coolant flows through and drops the temp to 200ish and the stat closes, and the cycle repeats. That means the cooling system is efficient enough to run a little cooler, but cannot. I guess if you put a 160 stat in and the cooling system is capable of cooling at 195...then the car will run more consistently in temp rather then cycling opening and closing the stat. Kinda makes sense to me why they want to do it now.