Sandwich77

I'm looking at getting either a 160 degree or 180 degree thermostat for my 96 LT4. Any suggestions? Any preferred brands?

rodj

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/vader86/160.html

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...-vs-180-a.html

Dr.Huxtable

One question i have on this is that alot of these article you see talking about the subject of which is good or bad yadda yadda is mostly talking about OEM applications. What about larger built stroker motors? or even performance built 350's?

Cars that are drivin on the street on a regular basis but taken to the track. I could understand if your car was a dedicated track/drag car you would just slap a 160 in there and call it a day. To me it seems like for a car that will be driven on the road a good amount and year round you would want like a 170 or 180.

Kmcoldcars

I may be missing something but I do not see that it will really make any difference. A Corvette will run hotter than 180, so either thermostat will be open during normal running. All it changes is the temperature at which the water in the system starts circulating through the system. Even if the thermostat opens at 160 it would not take long for the system to reach the normal running temp of about 200.

Dr.Huxtable

Correct. A thermostat only dictates the minimum operating temperature of a motor. Once it's open it's up to the efficiency of your cooling system. But you will see lower temps by running a lower t-stat. A 160 doesn't mean it will run at 160, and a 180 doesn't mean it will run at 180. But if you run a 180 you will see higher temps than running a lower t-stat.

I guess it really depends on where you live and climate. Good info in the links above ^ in the summer here it's constantly in the 90's in SC. I will prob end up switching between a 160 in the summer and a 180 or 170 in the winter.

BADDUCK

Run a 180* and call it a day. A 160* won't make it run cooler unless you lower the fan on temp.

btr85vette

It makes a difference. I live in Tucson, and with a 195 I would run right about there on the freeway. With the 180 I put in I run, you guessed it, about 180 now. Believe me, it gets fn hot here, and Phoenix is worse, and the new thermo works great. IF your system is in good working order, as mine is, you will see a temp drop.

Flame Red

I had tried a 160, 180 and 195 and I felt mine ran the best with a 180.

hooked073

Wax pellet[edit] AutomotiveMain article: Wax thermostatic element

Car engine thermostatPerhaps the best example of purely mechanical technology in widespread use today is the internal combustion engine cooling thermostat. These are used to maintain the temperature of the engine near its optimum operating temperature by regulating the flow of coolant to an air cooled radiator. This type of thermostat operates purely mechanically, using a sealed chamber containing a wax pellet that melts and expands at a set temperature. The expansion of a sealed chamber operates a rod which opens a valve when the operating temperature is exceeded. The operating temperature is fixed, but is determined by the specific composition of the wax. Once the optimum operating temperature is reached, the thermostat progressively increases or decreases its opening in response to temperature changes, dynamically balancing the coolant recirculation flow and coolant flow to the radiator to maintain the engine temperature in the optimum range

Dr.Huxtable

I actually never knew how the iner workings of a thermostat really worked till yesterday when i watched a vid online.

So what is the optimum operating temperature for a 350? or a 383? or a 396? is the next question that pops in my head!

mako41

Thats what I was contemplating, but I think I'll just go witha 170* stat year round. My '89 will run at the minimum operating temp the stat opens at under speed (>60 MPH), but I've increased my cooling capacity alot w/ a double row aluminum radiator & corresponding lower ECM controlled fan temp. activation.

Sandwich77

thanks for all the feedback. I think I will use the 180 thermostat. does anyone recommend a specific brand?

PLRX

Road Agent

93Rubie

Since we are talking a 96 LT4, we need to specify for LTx engines and them only. These are all reverse flow cooling system engines where the coolant goes to the heads first then to the bores. So you got cool heads and warm bores. This is good for power, economy, reduces ring friction, etc...it is superior to conventional systems. However, the extra cost of the block, heads the advantages do not outweigh the extra cost, hence no longer used.

It allowed the engine to develop in 92-96 LT1 300hp with high compression of 10.5:1 while meeting emissions and fuel economy requirements. LT4 10.8:1 and 330hp (rated). Something the old GEN 1 SBC was NOT capable of.

That being said, it was designed to run a little bit hotter. Going down the road I average around 197-204, even on a hot day. The higher temps only happen in town and that is a fan thing not a thermostat thing.

Thermostat controls MINIMUM operation temperature not MAX.

At 197 running 65 on the highway, I am well above 180 the stock t-stat open temp. So a 160 will not do crap to make it cooler, all that a 160 will do is make it take LONGER to get to the higher temps. So in general you will run cooler, but with enough running it will warm up just like a stock one does.

If you really want to run cooler you need more radiator capacity and lower fan turn on temps.

All this BS being said, https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...=230&TopicID=2

Read this and note what Gordon Kilbrew said about lower temp t-stats.

Long story short, the LT1 is very durable you want it to last, run a stock t-stat. Running a 160 t-stat will not magical give you 50 more HP. In fact you will gain next to nothing. http://www.vetteweb.com

/tech/vemp_0611_1996_corvette_lt1_engine_build up/fuel_injection.html

So save your money for REAL mods, and can we please stop with the stupid 160 versus 180 t-stat threads.

cv67

Cant we fight about it for 3 pages first

hooked073

Where does this come from it is so wrong

Sandwich77

Ok, the reason I began looking is my LT4 runs between 215 and 220, has for a while (the car was my dad's, mom kept it when he died in 2003, I don't recall what it ran back then but since I bought it in the past month, it seems consistently in the above range). So, for the LT4, is the range I'm seeing normal, and will the 180 tstat make any difference?

Caboboy

The name Gordon Killebrew was mentioned.

HlhnEast

No, te gist of the above material is your car will run at the same temps with a 160, a 180 or a 195 if it runs higher than 195. You have to make changes to the radiator and/or fan controls to make it run cooler.

My dual row radiator runs so cool on the highway I installed a 160* stat to make sure the temps stay high enough to trigger my OD unit.