89 Convertible car
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 750
Likes: 86
From: St Petersburg
89 Convertible car
mostly all stock except last owner removed catalytic converter and he said he put in some "chip"
I just replaced the thermostat to a 195 but upon switching them out the old one was a 160
any issues with this ?
I live in Florida
I just replaced the thermostat to a 195 but upon switching them out the old one was a 160
any issues with this ?
I live in Florida
Last edited by BillDurant; Dec 29, 2020 at 11:45 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,142
Likes: 1,729
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
It was likely an off the shelf chip, which really doesnt help the HP as they say it does, but what it is doing in conjunction with the lower temp stat is bumping the timing curve up.
Lower engine temps allow the timing to be advanced further, and the chip would have reset the fan settings lower than the factory 228F setting. The lower average operating temps and additional timing is how they try to justify their power gain claims. The chip makers tell the buyers to use a 160 in conjunction.
But no it really doesnt do much, and you don't have to keep the 160F stat in there. 195F is stock for the L98 engine, which is fine but in St Petersburg FL you can be the judge, I ran a 160 or 180 when I lived in Louisiana. I would check to see when the fans are actually coming on however, as it could be running with the fans on pretty much all the time if they are too low. That would just make the main fan wear out faster. There is no other way to tell without getting the chip out and looking at its memory settings on a computer.
You have nothing to worry about though, no damage will occur.
Lower engine temps allow the timing to be advanced further, and the chip would have reset the fan settings lower than the factory 228F setting. The lower average operating temps and additional timing is how they try to justify their power gain claims. The chip makers tell the buyers to use a 160 in conjunction.
But no it really doesnt do much, and you don't have to keep the 160F stat in there. 195F is stock for the L98 engine, which is fine but in St Petersburg FL you can be the judge, I ran a 160 or 180 when I lived in Louisiana. I would check to see when the fans are actually coming on however, as it could be running with the fans on pretty much all the time if they are too low. That would just make the main fan wear out faster. There is no other way to tell without getting the chip out and looking at its memory settings on a computer.
You have nothing to worry about though, no damage will occur.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,192
Likes: 750
From: near the thumb in the mitten
IMO you will need to see how car acts. Spark knock will.probably require the 160 reinstalled. Cooling fans constantly running you have decided if it's annoying. However in central Florida you may have AC on all the time and won't notice.
