View Poll Results: How many run a thermostat in your LS1 cars?
My car is mostly street and I run a thermostat.
72
54.14%
My car is mostly race and I run a thermostat.
30
22.56%
My car is mostly street and I don't run a thermostat.
14
10.53%
My car is mostly race and I don't run a thermostat.
17
12.78%
Voters: 133. You may not vote on this poll
How many run a thermostat?
7 Second Club
iTrader: (5)
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,834
Likes: 1
From: Gainesville, Florida # of drag strips runs: ?!?!?
stock thermo here, but even in my Nova that has an electric water pump I have always run a resistrictor plate or currently a disabled 160 degree thermostat. Just rig it to where it stays open. Not running anything can sometimes lead the water to flow too quickly and not pull any heat off the motor or be cooled enough in the radiator.
Derek
Derek
Originally Posted by Magnus
I don't run a thermo in my race car..
My PCM controls my elec water pump and race fan. It does a good job of keeping the temp I want.
My PCM controls my elec water pump and race fan. It does a good job of keeping the temp I want.
I have been running a regular waterpump with the thromo removed since I started racing it.
I bracket race it and double enter 3 classes a night. The car runs down the track constently. with the thermo in it gets too hot. I took the thermo out now it sets about 190 in the winter and 200 in avg whether and 210 in the heat of the summer. it now keeps the temps about the same all day instead of going up and down. its easier to keep the temp the same and be more constisant doing so. I only sometime have a problem when it gets in later rounds and they are waiting on me at the starting line and the car doesn't even have a second to rest it will sometime get about 10 degrees warmer than it has been earlier in the day but it never gets hot. I have driven it on the road several times and had no problems.
I am getting an electric waterpump when I get it back togather, I am hoping that will help me a little in those tight rounds I can cut the car off and coast it to the starting line while the pump is working.
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
most engines will overheat without a T stat. The thermostat slows the flow of the liquid. Without one the coolant flows too fast and doesn't have time to absorb the heat to transfer it to the radiator. I don't know if anyone makes them for Ls1's but restrictors are made for other engines
Originally Posted by 1BADAIR
most engines will overheat without a T stat. The thermostat slows the flow of the liquid. Without one the coolant flows too fast and doesn't have time to absorb the heat to transfer it to the radiator. I don't know if anyone makes them for Ls1's but restrictors are made for other engines
If it was still in it would overheat when I hotlap it.
been running without for 3 years now.
TECH Resident
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 983
Likes: 0
From: 8000DA Land
Originally Posted by Villain281H
Not running anything can sometimes lead the water to flow too quickly and not pull any heat off the motor or be cooled enough in the radiator.
Derek
Derek
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 225
Likes: 0
From: Delaware, OH
In a purpose built race car it may be okay to run without a t-stat because it's not ran as much as a DD but if its a DD you'll get alot of build up because the engine doesn't get to hot enough temp to efficiently burn off build up deposits.
I have a 160 stat.
I have a 160 stat.
Originally Posted by chae
I have the stock thermostat but had the car tuned so the fan will come on sooner. Seems to be working fine.
I tryed it with a manual fan switch and ran the fan the whole time and read the temp from the computer. It still got up to the same temp but when the thermo stat opened it dropped the temp faster than normal. My car was track only and I bracket race so I want it the same temp all the time and with the stat in I had no control over the temp it just went up and down all the time by about 30-40 degrees. After taking it out it run much cooler and stopped going up and down.
Originally Posted by brandonppr
So you let the waterpump turn on and off with the fans?
PCM Fan 1 output controls water pump.
PCM Fan 2 output controls my fan.
I kick the water pump on at 160, it will cool down to like 145 then, and heat back up past 160 until the fan comes on.
Originally Posted by Magnus
No.
PCM Fan 1 output controls water pump.
PCM Fan 2 output controls my fan.
I kick the water pump on at 160, it will cool down to like 145 then, and heat back up past 160 until the fan comes on.
PCM Fan 1 output controls water pump.
PCM Fan 2 output controls my fan.
I kick the water pump on at 160, it will cool down to like 145 then, and heat back up past 160 until the fan comes on.
Originally Posted by Magnus
No.
PCM Fan 1 output controls water pump.
PCM Fan 2 output controls my fan.
I kick the water pump on at 160, it will cool down to like 145 then, and heat back up past 160 until the fan comes on.
PCM Fan 1 output controls water pump.
PCM Fan 2 output controls my fan.
I kick the water pump on at 160, it will cool down to like 145 then, and heat back up past 160 until the fan comes on.
I think what people are saying is if you do not regulate coolant flow, the coolant will not have time to soak up the heat from the block and heads before moving to the radiator to disipate this heat, therefore you will be getting a false engine temp reading by not having a t-stat since it is reading the coolant temp without removing much heat from the engine, leaving the coolant cooler.
Originally Posted by Magnus
lol oh man.. the coolant will have PLENTY of time to soak up the heat, trust me.
Originally Posted by BADSZ28
The second part of my post was not directed at you or your set-up. I like the set-up. I am saying that if the coolant just keeps flowing, it may not soak up all that heat. At least this is what I think these others are trying to say. We have an all iron motor in our boat without a t-stat and have not had any issues. Runs about 145* with lake water.
I don't think it has a tstat. not sure though.