thermostat
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
thermostat
Where can I get a high quality thermostat? What temp? Chip recommends 180 degree. Will a 160 be any better? Just put on a Stewart stage 1 water pump.
Last edited by mm174; Aug 27, 2006 at 06:02 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
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From: The Top of Utah
A parts store. The 160° thermostat will only delay the warm up of your engine, shortening or possibly eliminating the time spent driving at temperature, to help purge your oil of contaminants and acids. Once the stat opens, it loses control of the temperature. The stat only has control over how low the coolant can get, but NO control over how hot it can run. A cooler stat can't MAKE your engine run cooler.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,137
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From: Howard PA
Originally Posted by CFI-EFI
A parts store. The 160° thermostat will only delay the warm up of your engine, shortening or possibly eliminating the time spent driving at temperature, to help purge your oil of contaminants and acids. Once the stat opens, it loses control of the temperature. The stat only has control over how low the coolant can get, but NO control over how hot it can run. A cooler stat can't MAKE your engine run cooler.
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
I just installed a 160 in my LT4, now before this cruising my temps were always 197 on the money and hardly wavered, in town up to 230 which was my stock fan turn on temp.
With the 160 the same cruising temps are 176; in town up to 185. How does this not make my motor run cooler? Am I just imagining it?
It has nothing to do with the fans either, they're not programed to come on until 187.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Originally Posted by franks96ce
i wouldnt recomend a 160 therm, it will make your car run to rich.
It will not make your car stay in open loop any longer than a 180 or 195 would, as closed loop conditions occur before the stat opens.
I've run a 160 for 5 years and get 15/26mpg city/hwy.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,137
Likes: 5
From: Howard PA
Originally Posted by vader86
I really wish people wouldnt spread nonsense like that about the thermostat without providing their reasoning.
It will not make your car stay in open loop any longer than a 180 or 195 would, as closed loop conditions occur before the stat opens.
I've run a 160 for 5 years and get 15/26mpg city/hwy.
It will not make your car stay in open loop any longer than a 180 or 195 would, as closed loop conditions occur before the stat opens.
I've run a 160 for 5 years and get 15/26mpg city/hwy.
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Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
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From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Use a high-flow design 180 UNDRILLED stat on your TPI. A regular design will work too if you buy local.
LT1 experience/advice does not apply here, IMO.
And read this too:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1294216
LT1 experience/advice does not apply here, IMO.
And read this too:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1294216
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
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From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Originally Posted by ALLT4
I think a lot of people have a mis-conception about why the hole is there. And the whole t-stat ordeal is one we'll have to agree to disagree on. When you use fancy words you must be right. 
If you have some other reasoning, I'm all ears.
I don't intend to force my info on anyone, or bowl them over with big words, I only want to force them to be sure about what they're talking about before posting.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 13,956
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From: WI
Originally Posted by ALLT4
Man, I really hate to disagree with you because I know how you can get but...
I just installed a 160 in my LT4, now before this cruising my temps were always 197 on the money and hardly wavered, in town up to 230 which was my stock fan turn on temp.
With the 160 the same cruising temps are 176; in town up to 185. How does this not make my motor run cooler? Am I just imagining it?
It has nothing to do with the fans either, they're not programed to come on until 187.
I just installed a 160 in my LT4, now before this cruising my temps were always 197 on the money and hardly wavered, in town up to 230 which was my stock fan turn on temp.
With the 160 the same cruising temps are 176; in town up to 185. How does this not make my motor run cooler? Am I just imagining it?
It has nothing to do with the fans either, they're not programed to come on until 187.
LT4 how did just a thermostat make a 45° difference? Wow!
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
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From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Originally Posted by vader86
In Pennsylvania I would go with a 180.
With the 160 the same cruising temps are 176; in town up to 185. How does this not make my motor run cooler? Am I just imagining it?
I live in a warmer climate so Im big on cool Tstats, they just work.
Nobody will ever convince me running my car at 225 deg. is good for it. thats just too damn hot, and see a noticeable power loss too.
Last edited by cv67; Aug 28, 2006 at 09:31 AM.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 288
Likes: 1
Books
I have a couple of books. They recommend 4 1/8" holes in the thermostat for certain racing conditions ONLY. It also says to block the coolant bypass at the water pump if racing with a thermostat mod this way. It was mainly for more evenly distributed coolant flow, since the back has a tendency to get a little more warm when racing. It's similar to the idea of the open restricters with no thermostat after plugging the water pump bypass. I'm deffinitely not suggesting this by any means. I'm just telling you what the books I read said about it.
Last edited by Coconut; Aug 28, 2006 at 10:04 AM.
Drifting
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,730
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From: Charlotte NC
St. Jude Donor '05
The deal is you want to run as hot as you can while staying away from pre-ignition.
The coolant temp of a engine is kinda like compression w/ thermal efficiency in mind. By that I mean running hotter is better to a point of diminishing returns where the engine to want to knock being the end of that line. You want to run warm because heat released from combustion will be not-as influenced to leave the cylinder. This mean more heat to do work pushing the piston down. Heat transfer works like a voltage difference so more difference = more transfer. You want to keep that temperature in check because of the metallurgy of the pistons and ALSO the intake charges rise and gets you even closer to that spontanous combustion temperature after compression.
Personally for pump gas engines with decent compression I like using a 180 for SBC and 160 for LT1. The SBC should run around 195-200 with a 180 thermostat and a LT1 will sit around 180 with a 160.
The coolant temp of a engine is kinda like compression w/ thermal efficiency in mind. By that I mean running hotter is better to a point of diminishing returns where the engine to want to knock being the end of that line. You want to run warm because heat released from combustion will be not-as influenced to leave the cylinder. This mean more heat to do work pushing the piston down. Heat transfer works like a voltage difference so more difference = more transfer. You want to keep that temperature in check because of the metallurgy of the pistons and ALSO the intake charges rise and gets you even closer to that spontanous combustion temperature after compression.
Personally for pump gas engines with decent compression I like using a 180 for SBC and 160 for LT1. The SBC should run around 195-200 with a 180 thermostat and a LT1 will sit around 180 with a 160.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
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From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
I have an 87 L98 with a 195 stat and a Stewart water pump and a manual fan switch. In the summer at stoplights I see 200 F when I use the manual fan switch and 195-198 when I get underway, fan switch off. When I had the OEM waterpump I would see 210 F at stoplights and it would take a long time to drop to 195 when I got underway. I read that Stant thermostats work very well with lower flow restriction than other thermostats. I don't have any personal experience with them though. C4's have radiators sized so that in summer temps over 35 mph, coolant temps can be maintained at the 195 or 185 temps GM supplied thermostats for up to 90 F outside air temps. Installing a lower temp thermostat will not provide for lower coolant temps in the summer because the radiator cannot get rid of heat fast enough. Thermostats have a very small temp range (about 2-3 deg) from just opening to full open and if the radiator has enough capacity, your coolant temps will be maintained in this control range and if not, once the thermostat is wide open, no matter what the opening temp is, your coolant temp will settle at the temperature where the radiater gets rid of heat as fast as the engine is making heat.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 26,196
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From: Orlando FL
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
$5-8 or whatever it costs from the parts store. Whatever brand, 160*, it keeps my engine much cooler (rarely goes past 200 now unless stuck in heavy traffic, cruising temps are in the 180's). Running rich? haha, ive always used a 160 since I bought the car 6+ years ago.. i get 30-32mpg highway.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
Originally Posted by ALLT4
Man, I really hate to disagree with you because I know how you can get but...
I just installed a 160 in my LT4, now before this cruising my temps were always 197 on the money and hardly wavered, in town up to 230 which was my stock fan turn on temp.
With the 160 the same cruising temps are 176; in town up to 185. How does this not make my motor run cooler? Am I just imagining it?
It has nothing to do with the fans either, they're not programed to come on until 187.
I just installed a 160 in my LT4, now before this cruising my temps were always 197 on the money and hardly wavered, in town up to 230 which was my stock fan turn on temp.
With the 160 the same cruising temps are 176; in town up to 185. How does this not make my motor run cooler? Am I just imagining it?
It has nothing to do with the fans either, they're not programed to come on until 187.
Also, for normal, everyday, driving, those temps are really too cool for a healthy, prolonged engine life.
RACE ON!!!