teke184

iTrader: (5)

is that while sitting still or in traffic?
or when the car is on the road moving?

my 160 stat kept the temps in the mid 170s even on the hottest florida days.

although now with the EWP and the 160stat with the bypass holes...i'm running cooler in the cool weather. gonna be swapping to a 180 with holes i think.

DamianN.

iTrader: (11)

a lot of good info, I'm glad to see people made the mistakes before I do them.

teke184

iTrader: (5)

i don't consider mine a mistake. i was VERY happy to see my temps hover in the mid 170s when driving.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I would never want temps that cold unless it was an FI setup.

Ls1N20

iTrader: (6)

It's all about personal preference, i had a 160 in my first 2000 and if i had another one i would put it in aswell

teke184

iTrader: (5)

never had any trouble with it. and that temp is while driving on normal temp days.
always ran great for me, and gives good peace of mind when the hot florida sun has the road temps well into the triple digits.

jimmyblue

iTrader: (11)

The thermostat has nothing to do with max temp.
Nothing at all. So forget it.

At least until you get a better radiator and fans
that push more air, and can hold 190F on a hot
day with the A/C on.

If you can't then the 'stat is a total waste of time,
effort and gas.

getcha 01

iTrader: (4)

Yea the cooler and denser the air charge the more power. Some people think since nitrous is cold air, that they can put ice packs on their intake and the air going in will give it 50hp but thats not the case. Its been proven time and time again though that even on a 1st gen 350 that a 160 thermostat and high flow water pump can give you up to 30hp. With an LS1 the thermostat being lowered helps just the same actually better. LS1 can actually retain temps around 185 all day long without a fan kicking on at all with a 160 thermo installed. Also with cool engine, it cause %30 less stress on parts, and dont forget that the coolant runs through the throttle bofy and heads, so it does effect intake air temp enough to make a difference on a dyno. I seen my buddys SS that made 305rwhp with LT's and an air lid(270 stock). Then he took his MAF screen out, bypassed coolant in T/B, and put in 160 thermo and it then pulled almost 325rwhp. 35hp from full exhaust and lid. 20hp from just 2 pretty much free mods and a 160 thermo! The air fuel mixture was easier to tune, and 02 sensors were responding quicker along with injectors and numerous things. Just driving in 60 degree weather opposed to 90 degree is a 20hp difference in certain RPM's.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Gen I SBC is a different animal, since they use iron or aluminum intakes that will heat soak. Avoiding excessive heat soak is where the extra power comes from, not having a cold combustion chamber. Having said that, my Gen I SBC Nova runs it's best with coolant temps right at 190°F. There is some sluggish-ness below 180°.

I disagree. The LS1 intake is not prone to heat soak, so a 160 stat won't do much to help on NA applications.

That will be very dependant on outside temps.

I don't know of any conversion chart that shows coolant temp vs wear rates, nor is that something that can be easily averaged. Every setup has an ideal temp I'm sure, but what the range is (cold-to-midrange-to-hot) for significant variation in power or longevity can't be summed up in a single percentage like that.

20rwhp from TB bypass and 160 t-stat is not something that anyone should expect. My guess is, regardless of what the dyno said he would have run nearly the same trap speeds with or without those two mods.

O2 sensors and injectors should be responding the same with a 160 stat or a stock 187 stat. If the car was on the dyno for a while with the stock fan settings, then it would be very easy for coolant temps to reach 230°. If the motor was running in the ~190° range on the next pass, this may account for the gains. But that temp could be achieved with even the stock t-stat.

Many people have found that their LS1s will run their best times when hot lapping. Many of us have also found that our best times are run in with coolant temps north of 190°F....sometimes even north of 200°F. There is no real data that supports a 160 stat showing any significant power gains, or that running coolant temps in the 17x-18x range will show improved performance or longevity over the 190-200 range on most applications (forced induction excluded).