160 Degree Thermostat
01-19-2004, 03:47 PM
#21
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Originally Posted by RPM WS6
LS1 is aluminum block, LT1 is an iron SBC motor.
***sorry about that my mistake, that is true.
An LS1 will not be on the edge of detonation at 200-210 degrees of coolant temp. Maybe with aggressive timing changes and/or raised compression, but not otherwise.
***it is on the edge of detonation,manufactures only run these engines at 200-210 for emessions (to get your cat.convorter hotter to burn more unbunt fuel),your knocksensor detects detonation/knock and retards timeing to reduce it
Hotter temps result in a more complete combustion, and will result in more power right up to the point that detonation begins. IMO, 165 regular running temp is unnecessarily cold unless super high compression is being used with pump gas. I have seen lots of LS1s with moderate timing increases do fine at anything under 215*.
***sorry about that my mistake, that is true.
An LS1 will not be on the edge of detonation at 200-210 degrees of coolant temp. Maybe with aggressive timing changes and/or raised compression, but not otherwise.
***it is on the edge of detonation,manufactures only run these engines at 200-210 for emessions (to get your cat.convorter hotter to burn more unbunt fuel),your knocksensor detects detonation/knock and retards timeing to reduce it
Hotter temps result in a more complete combustion, and will result in more power right up to the point that detonation begins. IMO, 165 regular running temp is unnecessarily cold unless super high compression is being used with pump gas. I have seen lots of LS1s with moderate timing increases do fine at anything under 215*.
to ignite the higher C/R cooler more dense air charge.which means more air less fuel.
the higher the C/R the faster the burn time of the air/fuel mix in the combustion chamber,so you dont need to advanced timing,maybe even retard the timing in high C/R
so if you have a strong spark it should burn most of the fuel
01-19-2004, 05:50 PM
#22
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I still disagree about the "edge of detonation" temp. My LS1 ran at about 220-230* stock, and I still didn't have any issues when running slightly more timing. Also, the colder I run my motor, the less gas mileage I have seen.
IMO, anything between 185 and 215 will do just about fine for most setups. Maybe your experiances have been different, but for my two LS1s I saw no power difference between 175* and 205*, nor any detonation. Only thing was less gas mileage at the colder temps.
Gotta do whatever works for your setup though.
IMO, anything between 185 and 215 will do just about fine for most setups. Maybe your experiances have been different, but for my two LS1s I saw no power difference between 175* and 205*, nor any detonation. Only thing was less gas mileage at the colder temps.
Gotta do whatever works for your setup though.
01-19-2004, 06:31 PM
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Originally Posted by WS6FirebirdTA00
thing is my friends ss is stock and doesnt detonate and my car stock did. each dar is different. our cars were built in the same month and year too.
01-19-2004, 08:22 PM
#26
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Originally Posted by RPM WS6
I still disagree about the "edge of detonation" temp. My LS1 ran at about 220-230* stock, and I still didn't have any issues when running slightly more timing. Also, the colder I run my motor, the less gas mileage I have seen.
IMO, anything between 185 and 215 will do just about fine for most setups. Maybe your experiances have been different, but for my two LS1s I saw no power difference between 175* and 205*, nor any detonation. Only thing was less gas mileage at the colder temps.
Gotta do whatever works for your setup though.
IMO, anything between 185 and 215 will do just about fine for most setups. Maybe your experiances have been different, but for my two LS1s I saw no power difference between 175* and 205*, nor any detonation. Only thing was less gas mileage at the colder temps.
Gotta do whatever works for your setup though.
it looks differant than said)
every engine is not the same
i would say if you do get detonation then go with the cooler t-stat,
and if you dont then stay stock
01-19-2004, 08:30 PM
#27
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Originally Posted by RPM WS6
I certainly agree that any two LS1s can be different, and that not every mod will apply/behave to all of them the same. It's just that for the average stock to lightly/moderately modded LS1, temps any lower than 180-185* will offer zero gains, and be unnecessary for the most part. And many LS1s can run even hotter than that without adverse side effects. Of course, there are always exceptions though.
The real question here is what's causing the detonation. Is the combustion chamber too hot due to carbon buildup on your valves and pistons, or do you have a lean condition?
I recommend using the GM Top Engine Cleaner first. Then check your A/F ratio using a scan tool to see if you have a lean condition. What is the octane rating of the fuel that you're using? One of the problems we have here in Ca. is the crappy fuel. The highest octane we can get is 91 unless you want to pay big bucks for racing fuel.
01-19-2004, 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by cueball
I AGREE,(i did not mean to come off that way, some times on screen
it looks differant than said)
every engine is not the same
i would say if you do get detonation then go with the cooler t-stat,
and if you dont then stay stock
it looks differant than said)
every engine is not the same
i would say if you do get detonation then go with the cooler t-stat,
and if you dont then stay stock
Looks like I misunderstood you, it seems that we do agree.
01-19-2004, 11:24 PM
#29
I wonder if getting a 160 stat would help my knock retard. A few weeks ago i autotapped my car and i saw 3.9 degrees of knock retard at WOT. Do you think a 160 stat would help this?
01-20-2004, 06:38 AM
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Originally Posted by redls1z28
I wonder if getting a 160 stat would help my knock retard. A few weeks ago i autotapped my car and i saw 3.9 degrees of knock retard at WOT. Do you think a 160 stat would help this?
05-24-2008, 09:06 PM
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well after installing my temp gauge, i am seeing 230 (sending unit in tb bypass hose) idling in 90 degree heat then it drops. seems to be the fan cutting on. after leaving a light with the gauge showing 230 it pulled great with no apparent performance losses. cutting the ac on will start the temps slowly downward. im looking for optimum fan settings for my 160 stat which is already installed. i think im gonna try the 180 to 190 range.
05-24-2008, 09:42 PM
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ok so right now i have thrown down 2k worth of performance mods and now i have come down to thermostats. I dont know which one to get after reading all of this, i am leaning more towards the 180 degree thermostat and do the setup rpm ws6 is doing. Do ou think ill be fine RPM?
