LSXNV

iTrader: (1)

what is the deal with the 160* thermostats? i post this in the LT1 section because i am refering to my LT1 T/A. i come from the old school form of horsepower. my other car is a '65 Lemans that runs 11's. i'll be building a twin turbo system for it this next year in hope of high 9's on pump gas. anyway, why the cold t-stats? are the LT1 heads that prone to detonation? i mean they are aluminum, and from what i have heard, they have a good chamber to aid in efficient quench and burn. don't tell me the cold t-stat makes horsepower, thats bull. cold air makes horsepower, not cold engines. if you have a hot engine, you can burn more fuel. you burn more fuel you make more horsepower. you have hot oil, it lubes better (within the limits of viscosity breakdown). did GM bring the comp. ratio so high and so close to detonation that these are neccesary? i thought the LT1's were around 10-1. thats not alot on a modern aluminum head. so guys, what am i missing here? i mean everyone has these, why? sorry for the rant, but this is confusing me.

Ironxcross

iTrader: (8)

well, from what i understand, people use the 160* t-stat along with a tune to reduce the chance of preignition when the timing in the computer is advanced. and also, i think the optimum combustion temperature for an lt1 is around 195*, so with the fans adjusted from the new pcm, and the new t-stat, you can keep the engine closer to 195* then before. now this is just what i heard from people i asked, but its worked for me

and its not the thermostat that adds power, its the tune (so you were on the right track)

95_formula

Our compresion is 10.5 to 1 and my car traps like 3 mph higher when it is colder.

UnitZ28

engines make more power in that heat range

1SLO6

iTrader: (8)

i always thought it was a aftermarket prank myself... maybe thats y ricers put all those stickers on their cars, each sticker is .5 HP... I belive it helps to run the car at a better running temp so that it doesnt run hotter and run like crap. The ECM gets a signal from the IAT, MAF, o2's and coolant temp sensor which help it run it a certain perameter, in turn making more power but it all depends on ambient temp... so if it runs in a cooler temp rather than hotter like LT1's normally do, they create more power. I believe i am right i am not sure thou...

LSXNV

iTrader: (1)

does the LT1 have issues with heat soak in the intake? something i have seen with hydraulic cams is they will actually make the cam act bigger when the engine is cold due to the oil being thick. has anybody actually dyno'd a stock t-stat against a 160*? what makes the LT1 more efficient at 195? sorry for so many questions and thanks for all the answers.

jm93camaro

iTrader: (2)

yes it does. My car ran a 14.295 at about 195degrees. Let it sit for awhile to get it back to 0. Started it up, was at about 160 when i staged and ran a 14.2. The reason for the higher compression in the LT1 is due to the fact of the heads being cooled first. Like stated, this makes detonation less likely to happen, therefore, they were able to up the compression ratio. The 160 t-stat doesn't do much. The t-stat just opens at a cooler temperature. Otherwise, the motor is gonna run at the same temperature with a normal 180 t-stat. I wouldn't say that 195 is just an lt thing, I think most engines run around the same temps. The big thing about the lt1 is the fact of the heads being cooled first.

borninatransam

iTrader: (4)

impossible. if that were the case then i know hondas that would be making upwards on 1000 hp. even if it they did they would only make 100 ft-lbs of torque