160 T-stat installed
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,253
Likes: 50
From: Sandy Eggo Calif.
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12, '16
160 T-stat installed
I installed a LPE 160 today. It went fairly smoothly. I lost about 1 1/2 gallons of coolant. After it drained over the dusty/ dirty parts beneath it, I decided to buy some new coolant.
Temps: "Around" 181 moving on the streets and highway, at one point it got as low as 176. Sitting at a long light it would not go over 189. The only time it did, was when I jumped on it on an on ramp. Got up to 190. The outside temp was 73 deg. (It has a tune) Oil temp would not go over 208.
Are these temps normal? It felt much stronger after the tune, and I couldn't tell any difference with the stat. I do like that it's running cooler.
Temps: "Around" 181 moving on the streets and highway, at one point it got as low as 176. Sitting at a long light it would not go over 189. The only time it did, was when I jumped on it on an on ramp. Got up to 190. The outside temp was 73 deg. (It has a tune) Oil temp would not go over 208.
Are these temps normal? It felt much stronger after the tune, and I couldn't tell any difference with the stat. I do like that it's running cooler.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 27,252
Likes: 132
From: Short Hills, NJ
NOOOOO, take it out now! 
You can't run a 160, your motor will fill with water that didn't burn off, sludge up and sieze immediately after you install those crazy things, take it out now! 
Were the fans set before the t-stat install or is this without the fans done yet, and the car was tuned already you said?
You can't run a 160, your motor will fill with water that didn't burn off, sludge up and sieze immediately after you install those crazy things, take it out now! Were the fans set before the t-stat install or is this without the fans done yet, and the car was tuned already you said?
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,533
Likes: 0
From: az
Originally Posted by TommyV
I installed a LPE 160 today. It went fairly smoothly. I lost about 1 1/2 gallons of coolant. After it drained over the dusty/ dirty parts beneath it, I decided to buy some new coolant.
Temps: "Around" 181 moving on the streets and highway, at one point it got as low as 176. Sitting at a long light it would not go over 189. The only time it did, was when I jumped on it on an on ramp. Got up to 190. The outside temp was 73 deg. (It has a tune) Oil temp would not go over 208.
Are these temps normal? It felt much stronger after the tune, and I couldn't tell any difference with the stat. I do like that it's running cooler.
Temps: "Around" 181 moving on the streets and highway, at one point it got as low as 176. Sitting at a long light it would not go over 189. The only time it did, was when I jumped on it on an on ramp. Got up to 190. The outside temp was 73 deg. (It has a tune) Oil temp would not go over 208.
Are these temps normal? It felt much stronger after the tune, and I couldn't tell any difference with the stat. I do like that it's running cooler.
# seems about right.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,253
Likes: 50
From: Sandy Eggo Calif.
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12, '16
Speaking of sludge and water....I've moved about five minutes from work. Combined with the 160, will the computer realize that, or should I change my oil prior to the DIC?
..I've moved about five minutes from work. Combined with the 160, will the computer realize that, or should I change my oil prior to the DIC?
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,796
Likes: 1
From: Annandale VA
Your results are exactly the same as mine w/ the same LPE thermo, no fan adjustments. Even thought it's rated as a 160, it doesn't really start to open until 174 degrees. As is typical, operating temps tend to run 4-8 degrees higher than the opening point.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,759
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From: AZ
St. Jude Donor '06-'08-'10-'11-'12-'13 '14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19
Originally Posted by TommyV
Speaking of sludge and water....I've moved about five minutes from work. Combined with the 160, will the computer realize that, or should I change my oil prior to the DIC?
..I've moved about five minutes from work. Combined with the 160, will the computer realize that, or should I change my oil prior to the DIC?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 855
Likes: 11
A 160 degree thermostat will open around 178 degrees because it is mounted in the return side of the cooling system. If it were mounted in the upper hose, feed side of the cooling system, it would open a lot sooner. The feed side coolant is hotter from the engine heating the coolant, and the return side is cooler from the radiator. The car will run around 178 while driving on a cool day from the air blowing through the radiator. When you sit in traffic, the temperature the fan turns on will dictate the coolant temperature. When programming for the fans, the tables only allow the fans to be set at 192 or they will run all the time or you would have to run a fan controller that is set for a cooler temp if you want to run 180's. We have seen 3 tenths and 3 MPH improvement on a stock C6 when we staged at 180 versus 205 coolant temp. We have run 160 thermostats in the LS1 from 1997 and would set the fans at 184. We have customers that have over 100,000 miles with no issues. The cars perform better and have had no issues with moister or sludge. I hope I’ve been able to ease your mind about your decision.
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Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,253
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From: Sandy Eggo Calif.
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12, '16
Originally Posted by Dave_Busch
We have seen 3 tenths and 3 MPH improvement on a stock C6 when we staged at 180 versus 205 coolant temp.
Any time
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 27,252
Likes: 132
From: Short Hills, NJ
Originally Posted by Dave_Busch
We have run 160 thermostats in the LS1 from 1997 and would set the fans at 184. We have customers that have over 100,000 miles with no issues. The cars perform better and have had no issues with moister or sludge. I hope I’ve been able to ease your mind about your decision.
100% 
BTW, I hope everyone knows that I was clearly kidding about the not installing the thermostat part, I merely posted that in response to all the misinformed BS that's been flung around by those mega overly cautious types that are vehemently against doing this harmless yet totally effective mod.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,533
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From: az
Originally Posted by Dave_Busch
A 160 degree thermostat will open around 178 degrees because it is mounted in the return side of the cooling system. If it were mounted in the upper hose, feed side of the cooling system, it would open a lot sooner. The feed side coolant is hotter from the engine heating the coolant, and the return side is cooler from the radiator. The car will run around 178 while driving on a cool day from the air blowing through the radiator. When you sit in traffic, the temperature the fan turns on will dictate the coolant temperature. When programming for the fans, the tables only allow the fans to be set at 192 or they will run all the time or you would have to run a fan controller that is set for a cooler temp if you want to run 180's. We have seen 3 tenths and 3 MPH improvement on a stock C6 when we staged at 180 versus 205 coolant temp. We have run 160 thermostats in the LS1 from 1997 and would set the fans at 184. We have customers that have over 100,000 miles with no issues. The cars perform better and have had no issues with moister or sludge. I hope I’ve been able to ease your mind about your decision.
Last edited by cbrf4i1; Oct 25, 2006 at 05:57 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 855
Likes: 11
Originally Posted by cbrf4i1
i just started my stone cold car and let it idle until dic showing 150*, top radiator hose feel warn/a little hot, bottom radiator hose which leads to stat is stone cold...this really explain why a 160 stat open at 178 ish on dic. thanks dave.
Your welcome.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: merritt island fl
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Originally Posted by Dave_Busch
A 160 degree thermostat will open around 178 degrees because it is mounted in the return side of the cooling system. If it were mounted in the upper hose, feed side of the cooling system, it would open a lot sooner. The feed side coolant is hotter from the engine heating the coolant, and the return side is cooler from the radiator. The car will run around 178 while driving on a cool day from the air blowing through the radiator. When you sit in traffic, the temperature the fan turns on will dictate the coolant temperature. When programming for the fans, the tables only allow the fans to be set at 192 or they will run all the time or you would have to run a fan controller that is set for a cooler temp if you want to run 180's. We have seen 3 tenths and 3 MPH improvement on a stock C6 when we staged at 180 versus 205 coolant temp. We have run 160 thermostats in the LS1 from 1997 and would set the fans at 184. We have customers that have over 100,000 miles with no issues. The cars perform better and have had no issues with moister or sludge. I hope I’ve been able to ease your mind about your decision.
Isn't the thermostat located on the outlet side of the engine? Therefore, the coolant would be hotter there than on the engine inlet side.
When you say feed side and return side do you mean the feed to the radiator and return from the radiator?
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,533
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From: az
Originally Posted by dave pawlowski
I don't understand this at all.
Isn't the thermostat located on the outlet side of the engine? Therefore, the coolant would be hotter there than on the engine inlet side.
When you say feed side and return side do you mean the feed to the radiator and return from the radiator?
Isn't the thermostat located on the outlet side of the engine? Therefore, the coolant would be hotter there than on the engine inlet side.
When you say feed side and return side do you mean the feed to the radiator and return from the radiator?
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11,907
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From: Between a rock and a hard place, S.E. PA
So how do I get the most consistant temp with this LS2 for bracket racing? 176-190 seems too big a difference to me when I'm trying to hit my dial. When I had my LS1 and 180 stat, my temp was almost always nailed at 194 degrees whether moving or still. I'm sure the fan program had a lot to do with it and now I can't remember where I had them tuned to.
So what's the secret to pegging a temp consistantly with a 160? Sometimes (when I'm lucky) I'm hot lapping and other times I'm sitting for 2 hours and then 1st car to the tree with no time for warm up. Seems to me a 170 would be perfect for this engine, yet none seem to be available for the C6.
So what's the secret to pegging a temp consistantly with a 160? Sometimes (when I'm lucky) I'm hot lapping and other times I'm sitting for 2 hours and then 1st car to the tree with no time for warm up. Seems to me a 170 would be perfect for this engine, yet none seem to be available for the C6.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: az
Originally Posted by HITMAN99
When I tested my LPE 160 thermo in a pan of hot water, it started to open at 174 degrees. A pan of water does not have an inlet or an outlet hose.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,796
Likes: 1
From: Annandale VA
No, we're talking about two different things. He posted about the temps that are shown on the DIC, I posted about the temps at which the thermo actually opens. I can see his point that there could be a discrepancy between what the DIC shows and the actual thermo opening temp because of where the sensor is.
I suspect there are some wide variances between different thermos from the same manufacturer, and also possibly some differences in how quickly the thermo opens all the way. I measured mine several times with a digital cooking thermometer, and it measured the boiling temp at just under 212F, so I think it's accurate. I watched the thermo with a bright flashlight, and recorded the temp when I could see the first glimmer of a gap. Perhaps if I had looked at it from a different angle I would have seen that it started to open sooner, but I doubt it. What I do know was that at 174 it was just open a hair, and even at 180 it was not fully open.
I suspect there are some wide variances between different thermos from the same manufacturer, and also possibly some differences in how quickly the thermo opens all the way. I measured mine several times with a digital cooking thermometer, and it measured the boiling temp at just under 212F, so I think it's accurate. I watched the thermo with a bright flashlight, and recorded the temp when I could see the first glimmer of a gap. Perhaps if I had looked at it from a different angle I would have seen that it started to open sooner, but I doubt it. What I do know was that at 174 it was just open a hair, and even at 180 it was not fully open.