jimbomill

I see some folks opting for the 160° thermostat and others going with a 180°. Except for the colder the denser the better approach (favors the 160°) any technical reason for picking a 180° ? I'm guessing it will make a daily driver more comfortable.

jackdaroofer

First, I am sure understand that the thermo temp is what it opens at, not what the engine temp will run


A 160 thermo will open earlier than a 180 and stay open longer if engine temp is marginal 180. But the engine temp is what it is! Granted 160's run a tad cooler on the road in the summer, they run a lot cooler on the road in the winter! This is where I had trouble!

I like my engines to run around 180

With the 160, they were running too cold in winter and at the same temp in summer as the 180 thermo...so I stay with the 180

On the road at speed temp runs around 178 to 183!

If you are having temp problems, try cleaning the radiator! These things are vacum cleaners and suck up all kinds of trash which clogs the radiator

seeya

Nathan Plemons

I've dyno proven that the car doesn't make any better power at 160 degrees than it does at 200 degrees. There are a ton of arguments for NOT running a 160 thermostat, believe what you will. I just figured that since there is no power difference I might as well have a decent heater and run the 180.

Strick

Go with the 180, LT1/4s like to run at the 190-210 range.

vader86

Yeah, the LT1 will not respond to the 160 like the L98 does.

I run 160, but if I lived where it gets cold, i'd be running a 180, especially during winter.

jimbomill

Ah crud, I just got a 160 in the mail from Thunder Racing. Oh well. But the arguments in here tell me to eat the 20 bucks and get a 180°. I should have posted first!
thanks all!

65Z01

I run a 160deg T-stat year around in SE NY and have plenty of heat even on the occasional winter trip to/from OH.

My L98 indeed loves lower coolant temp; this can be seen in near back to back passes down the 1/4 mile.

To avoid possible of corrosive agent build up due to lower temps I change oil & filter every 3k miles or 3mo.

Vic'89

I have to agree with 65Z01 100%, I too am in the NE and run a 160 deg thermostat year round.
And it does get to 0 degrees here on Long Island.

Vic

Strick

Let's talk "apples and oranges" here. LT1/4s run better with 180 stats. L98s probably run better with the 160. I have a LT1 and I can speak from experience that the 180 works best all around.

CFI-EFI

This is important. With no other changes to the cooling system, the engine won't run any cooler with the 160 stat than the 180. BUT, it will take longer to warm up beyond the 160* opening point. You need heat to boil the condensates and resulting acids out of your oil. The shorter and less frequent your trips, the greater the wear and tear a lower temp stat can cause.

RACE ON!!!

warren s

You wont see much of a change if you only replace the T-stat. My 95 LT1 got better performance with the 160 t-stat AND a manual fan overide switch.

I didnt drive it in winter so i dont have clue about heat, but in the summer I was able to control the temp by turning the fans on. Instead of cycling between 195 and 235, I was able to keep the coolant at 180 on the hottest days.

bobmic93

My 93 loves the 160. Even after a long drives the motor feels strong, ready to go. Never had a problem with it. I honestly believe the 160 stat was a great investment. I know my vette and how it responds and it loved the 160 stat. To all the people driving your vettes in the winter. Shame on you guys.

TA

I can't speak for an LT1, but I agree with Vic ans 65Z01 that a 160 thermostat works great on an L98. BTW I have had zero problems with my heater on low temp days and I've driven my car down to about 5 degrees.

jimbomill

I'm checking into aftermarket chips that would account for the new t-stat. I live in NJ, close to Philly and it gets cold enough here where I may see a difference, plus I cannot really say I take a lot of long trips in it, mostly less than 30 miles round-trip, so as CFI-EFI noted, I got to be careful of friction and oil servicing, which is something I had not thought about or even known!

Nathan Plemons

Look guys, from the LT1 standpoint there is no arguing that it runs really hot from the factory. I have mine programmed to keep it below 210 degrees, with the 180 thermostat.

Those who are saying that it "feels better" with the 160 are unfortunately taken in by the placebo effect. I've got track runs from all different temps and dyno runs at all different temps and there isn't a nickel's worth of difference until you get above about 215 degrees, then power starts to fall off.

This trick works on the L98, it has coolant running through the intake. The LT1 does not, thus it is not affected nearly as much by the warmer coolant temperature. Believe me, I argued the point until I was blue in the face, then I saw it with my own eyes, both at the track and on the dyno that it really didn't matter.

jimtreber

My question is: does the ecm go into closed loop below original operating temperature. On my L98 over 10 years ago I went with the 160 and matching Hypertech chip thinking the chip was necessary for the ecm to go into closed loop. I also have the MAD kit that runs both fans together. Everything has been fine since. Even during summer with ac on I rarely see 180. But I do pull the radiator for a rinse and leaf cleaning once a year (overkill?).

jpee

Speaking for myself only... I have a 160 in my car, & on the highway in COLD weather it runs about 170 deg. & in summer HOT days it will run 180-185

At the track I have a manual over-ride switch for the fan, & I try leave the line at 150.. then as Nathon said if I go to the next round & its 160-170 my ET will still be consistant..

bobmic93

With the 160stat the fans dont kick on until 190 which is close enough to the 215 you mentioned. A 180 stat wouldnt kick on until 210. The only bad thing with the 160 is the fans are running much more frequently. I believe that heat causes resistance and the LT1 loves cooler air. So whats your reason for knocking the 160 stat?

jimbomill

I did not see him as knocking the 160° t-stat. With the LT1, Nathan has empirical evidence that it doesn't matter until a certain temperature, above 210° or so. Some other posters (CFI-EFI) make a case for running hotter than 160° for long term engine maintenance reasons too.

silver & red CE

I only know the 95-96 LT1/4, on those PCMs, spark timing is pulled when the ECT exceeds 180*F (and I think it's true for the 94). I notice a 0.1 sec difference between running with the ECT < 170* and above it. It's very consistant and guys on the scan and tune list have verified it. So a lower ECT does make more HP due to PCM programming (on a 95-96 anyway).