But carries some negatives.
lower temp t-stat
Former Vendor
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
Well in these cars your actually not going to gain anything. The factory thermostat is 187° which is perfect for these cars. The LS motors run most efficiently between 190 and 210 making the most hp and getting the best gas mileage in that range.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Lower oil temps and higher oil condensation. The stock thermostat can be altered to open lower, which I did to mine. I plan on moving the opening temp back up this spring as the oil temp is not getting to where I feel comfortable when it is cool outside.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 235
From: Rockledge FL
Is that really a problem in a car where the vast overwhelming majority of the owners change their oil too early anyway? For what its worth, I did a 160 (which must have altered fan points to be effective) and didnt notice more than a 10 degree drops in oil temp in S Florida. Once the T stat is open it flows the same regardless of what it is rated at. Only a UOA will tell if the lower temps are actually doing anything to the oil. The last one I sent in of Mobil 1 at 4K miles came back fine.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,375
Likes: 328
From: CA.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15
Isn't the STOCK thermo 195* ???? I think so---
There ARE advantages to running colder themos beyond just a cooler engine---
1. it lowers the underhood temp--The IAT sensor in these cars are supposed to read "incoming air" and adjusts timing( subtracting some) as the temp goes up -BUT it actually ends up getting heat soaked and reads underhood temps--EVEN if the outside air was 70* if you are idling or driving in town the IAT can spike up to 150* !!!! And then it takes a long time to cool it down --The whole time it's removing timing--At 150* as much as 5-10 * that's huge !!! especially when these LS engine only run maybe 19-27* at WOT
2. Same for the coolant temp sensor--only not as severe--at 210* it can remove 2-3*
3. All the underhood parts last longer when the underhood temps are cooler--belts--hoses-gaskets--wires--connections--( I still have all the original beslts and hosed on my '98)
4. If you have an A4--it will cool the tranny 10-30* colder---
There ARE advantages to running colder themos beyond just a cooler engine---
1. it lowers the underhood temp--The IAT sensor in these cars are supposed to read "incoming air" and adjusts timing( subtracting some) as the temp goes up -BUT it actually ends up getting heat soaked and reads underhood temps--EVEN if the outside air was 70* if you are idling or driving in town the IAT can spike up to 150* !!!! And then it takes a long time to cool it down --The whole time it's removing timing--At 150* as much as 5-10 * that's huge !!! especially when these LS engine only run maybe 19-27* at WOT
2. Same for the coolant temp sensor--only not as severe--at 210* it can remove 2-3*
3. All the underhood parts last longer when the underhood temps are cooler--belts--hoses-gaskets--wires--connections--( I still have all the original beslts and hosed on my '98)
4. If you have an A4--it will cool the tranny 10-30* colder---
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,100
Likes: 17
From: Somers, CT and Clermont, FL
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: western NY
My tuner set the fans to turn on a little sooner, but I thought if I went to maybe a 180* t-stat I might be able to keep the temp around 190* or so to hopefully not lose to much timing. Thanks again for all your input.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,100
Likes: 17
From: Somers, CT and Clermont, FL
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16