While I realize the obvious advantages of a cooler running engine are there any disadvantages of running a 160 degree t-stat vs. a 180 vs. a192?

 

If your cooling system is in proper working order, run whatever came stock. If it's not in proper working order, you have problems that a lower t-stat will not solve.

 

Cooling system is in fine working order. Just wondering if a cooler running engine creates more horsepower and/or adds longevity to the life of the engine but by doing so will it create any problems?

 

A lower t-stat will only make your engine run cooler for a few minutes (unless you live in Siberia). Then, your heater will suck.
P.S. STL94LT1, if you keep beating that horse, you will end up in a cell with Michael Vick.

 

Ideally, in terms of longevity you want the engine coolant to run somewhere around 180*F. Slightly cooler is fine, slightly warmer is fine. I prefer to keep mine cool. I use a 160* thermostat in my LT1, but only because it allowed me to set my fan-on/off temps lower without forcing the fans to run constantly at idle and low-speed after warm-up. Changing to a 160* 'stat without making any fan setting changes will accomplish nothing toward lowering low-speed and idling coolant temps.

You'll likely notice little HP difference with lowered coolant temps -- perhaps a bit, but not much if any. There's a bit of a tradeoff to be made there: Lowering the engine temp allows a more dense air/fuel charge into the cylinders, but more heat will be lost into the coolant, so the thermal efficiency goes down a bit.

IMHO, the benefits of lowering coolant temps are:

1. Much more headroom in the cooling system before really bad things begin to happen if something goes wrong. If you lose system pressure when running at, say, 230*F, the coolant will immediately boil and vacate the premises, leading quickly to meltdown of engine parts. If you lose system pressure while running at, say, 180*F, the coolant will not boil away. If you suffer a major coolant loss (blown hose, etc), you'll have more time to react and get the car shut down before meltdown occurs if running at 180*F vs 230*F.

2. Less stress on soft parts under the hood (belts, hoses, seals, gaskets, etc).

Lowering the fan-on/off settings, in combination with a 160*F thermostat also will tend to stabilize coolant temps within a narrower operating range. Mine runs typically no lower than 171*F on the coldest days, and no higher than 200*F on the hottest days, and it tends to remain fairly stable. The stock system allows temps to run anywhere from 190*F to 230*F or more, with a lot of cycling up and down within this range - sloppy engineering, IMHO.

My car's heater works just fine when ECT is at 170*F.

As I see it, the benefits of running at the higher temps generated by a stock C4 cooling system are:

None.

Be well,

SJW

 

http://gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox/tips/cool/cool.htm

 

my opinion is on my site

 

OK, another simple question. Why not fill out your profile? So we will at least know what year Vette you own.

 

The stat rating only controls your mininum operating temps. Once it's open, that's it. It does nothing more.

Drilling holes kinda helps. It won't keep the car from still reaching it's normal temps. But because there is always some coolant flowing, it takes the car longer to reach the same temps. This means that you don't have to sweat it as much at stop light, but the trade off it that it takes that much longer for the car to warm up.

 

Actually he is justified in asking the profile to be filled out. Without knowing the year of the car makes a difference to the answer. A L98 with a 195 t-stat will run at about the same temp. as a 180 in a LT1. Both temp ranges are factory stock for each motor due to the difference of reverse cooling.
Because of this, a 160 in a L98 will make the motor run 15-20 degrees cooler then in a LT1.

 

....

 

You should at the very least identify what type of motor you have.

The LT1/LT4 has an unconventional reverse-flow cooling system that is not like the L98.
So, on the question of the thermostat, they are entirely different breeds.

The L98 thermostat is located where the coolant exits the engine (coolant on way back to radiator), while the LT1 thermostat is located where the coolant enters the engne (coolant coming from radiator).
So, the L98 thermostat is attempting to regulate the temperature at the hottest point and the LT1 thermostat is attempting to regulate the coolant at the coolest point.
So, 160 degrees on an LT1/LT4 really isn't the same as 160 degrees on an L98.

http://www.theherd.com/articles/lt1_cool.html

Tom Piper

 

Since you are fairly new here, you don't realize that this issue has been debated hotly many times. The results are still a subject of debate. It gets so heated that some folks lose their manners and have been put in time out. It's not personal.

 

Yes, I actually started to try to answer his question. Went to his profile to check out what year Vette he owned, and it seems like for some stupid reason he doesn't want us to know what year he has.

 

Guys, he's a newbee be nice. How is he to know we have discussed the issue before?

 

Good post, at what temps do your fan come on and shut off, I guess I missed that part.

Thanks

 

When I started on this forum, I came here to learn from members with more knowledge than I had. During that time I have completed numerous mods with the help received. A C-4 is not the same year over year, variations and set-ups. By telling formum members the year and if it was stock or had mods helped them to help me. No one is being nosey, it just helps.

 

Excuse me for not being as smart as some of you people, but couldn't you have just politely said "What year is your vette Corvette brother?" By the way, if any one cares this lazy idiots corvette is a 1989 L98 automatic.

 

your write-up is based on sound principle. reading it should end the debate for anyone.

great site, by the way -- nice work

 

you know it won't end there I wouldn't even start, others should make up their own minds.