Is a cooler thermostat worth it?
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
From: Monticello, MN
Is a cooler thermostat worth it? I'm thinking of going to a cooler thermostat. I was thinking of the Vinci 170 degree version. Currently, my fans are set such that the warmest the car ever gets is 207 degrees. That is with a stock thermostat, in stop-and-go traffic. Normal running temps are 192-194 degrees. Would a cooler running thermostat buy me anything at all? BTW, I have a heads and cam car. Experiences, and opinions, all welcome. thanks! :cheers
Ed
Ed
Originally Posted by camaro-man
I thought that if you get your engine running too cool it would cause problems, not help anything. Who knows though I could be wrong!
finally, the best HP is usually seen with water temps of about 160degrees and oil temps of about 210degrees.....
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,627
Likes: 2,542
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Lots of info on this, been discussed in depth and good points made on both sides. Try a search.
Personally, I see no point in running coolant temps any cooler than 185-190 on a stock compression, NA LS1. I've tried it and seen no gains, only a loss in MPG. To each his own......
Personally, I see no point in running coolant temps any cooler than 185-190 on a stock compression, NA LS1. I've tried it and seen no gains, only a loss in MPG. To each his own......
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All in all I'd say you'd do better with stock 'stat,
smart fan settings and a better radiator. Radiator
costs can be low, I snarfed a LT1 rad off eBay for
$25 never-wet (cost less than the shipping). The 160
thermostats demand a -way- better radiator if you
want to keep the temp there, under load with A/C
on. The goal is to minimize temp swing and at high
loads the thermostat is no part of the thermal-dump
limitation.
Better to have rock-solid 195F than a 175-225F
bouncing ball, for tuning it down to the bone.
smart fan settings and a better radiator. Radiator
costs can be low, I snarfed a LT1 rad off eBay for
$25 never-wet (cost less than the shipping). The 160
thermostats demand a -way- better radiator if you
want to keep the temp there, under load with A/C
on. The goal is to minimize temp swing and at high
loads the thermostat is no part of the thermal-dump
limitation.
Better to have rock-solid 195F than a 175-225F
bouncing ball, for tuning it down to the bone.
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Cavalier, ND
I had used a Hypertech (now stollen) to set my fans to come on at 180 with a 160-stat inside. I'm getting a Vinci handheld in a few days in the mail but I noticed the lowest temp for fan turn-on is 190 (!)
Will Vinci overwrite Hypertech's coding or will it stack?
Will Vinci overwrite Hypertech's coding or will it stack?
I have the Hypertech 160* thermostat and have had my fans programed to 180 for the low and 188 for the high speed. I live in Houston, Tx and it gets pretty damn hot here. If I would have lived up north, I probably would have went with a 180* thermostat.
