cooler thermostat?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,546
Likes: 2
From: Proud dad of 2 responsible adults and 1 fallen warrior txtx
cooler thermostat?
What is the benefit to going to a 160F thermostat?
Will an aluminum plenum cover reflect a lot of heat back to the manifold and will this be detrimental to the engine performance?
Will an aluminum plenum cover reflect a lot of heat back to the manifold and will this be detrimental to the engine performance?
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 29,689
Likes: 9
From: Central Florida
Jax Events Coordinator
CI 3-4-5-6-7-8-9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'08
I had a 160 degree thermostat in my car when I gave it to John Lingenfelter. It was not unusual to see coolant temps in the 140's while driving on the highway on a cool day.
John told me that the engine needs to be at a certain temp in order for the fuel to burn the most efficiently and that the 160 thermostat allowed the engine to run too cool. He installed a 172 degree thermostat when they installed my supercharger.
John told me that the engine needs to be at a certain temp in order for the fuel to burn the most efficiently and that the 160 thermostat allowed the engine to run too cool. He installed a 172 degree thermostat when they installed my supercharger.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,027
Likes: 6
From: Shiloh Ohio
Bracket drag racing
Here is how it is beneficial. I like to try to run at the same temp if I can for consistancy. 180 seems to work out nicely. Lets say I run race 1 and win, I go back to the pits and wait for my second run call, The car when I park is at 195, by the time I get called it has droped to 165, with my 160 thermostat the water is circulating as soon as I start the car. It will keep it from heating up to a higher temperature before it opens that way I can keep my car cooler easier. If I had a higher temp thermostat it would heat quickly up to whatever the temp the thermostat is set at. This way I can stay cooler and if I need it to be a little warmer I can just start the engine until I am close to my desired temp of 180. Then I just shut the engine off and wait for my second run. Make sense? In general at high way speeds your car will eventually heat up to whatever its normal operating temp is. The lower thermostat should not effect this, it will just effect how long it takes to get to the normal operating temp. So in cold weather for normal driving you probably do not want a low temp thermostat due to it operating at a low temp for too long, I do not think the effect on your engine is anything drastic but in the long run it could cause more wear due to the cold running temps. 
