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actually if your on a continuous drive the 160 degree thermostat will keep the coolant temperature below the normal (stock stat) operating temperature. However,around town driving will require the fans to be adjusted before a lower operating temperature will be realized.
A thermostat, no matter what the opening setting is, only controls how cold the coolant gets down too, not how hot the coolant gets, once its open, other conditions take over.. like speed and ambient temps, and surface temps. etc. the car draws all of its air 6 inches off the surface.. The statement that a 160 stat will lower your coolant temp without adjusting the fans is incorrect. If you run a 160 stat year round , and its 20 F outside your car will run no colder than 160 but, because its running at that temp the oil temp will be way lower than that required to lubricate the engine properly especially the top end.. cold oil is much worse than hot oil. Once the engine is at operating temp the oil temp should be optimally at 200/220 F. Remember a 160 stat can still see 250 F coolant.. the only reason to put in a lower stat is to be able to lower your fan on temps.. and because they are electric driven.. they are designed to cycle on and off not run constantly.. They will fail prematurely if this is done, and your engine will never see 200K if you run constant oil temps below 200 F. Thats all folks
I run a 160 in the summer and a stock stat in the winter with appropriate fan settings.
Last edited by Evil-Twin; Aug 31, 2010 at 11:48 AM.
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