I know 160 thermostats were available for the LT1's, but I can't seem to find any for the LS1's. Do they exist? And if so, who's got the best prices on them?

 

there is but amoung many it is accepted that the stock stat with reprogrammed fans is the best bet. These engines are more efficent with some heat in them.

If you go with the 160 t-stat you will still need to reprogram the fans to make the most of it.

 

Yeah, I'd call it a waste of time unless you are
maybe running a lot of boost and then you would
want an oversized (or, non-stupid-undersized)
radiator & fans to back it up. I have a "160" 'stat
and with A/C on, the fans plus rolling airflow do
not maintain the setpoint in summertime on blacktop.

If you can't tune and support its cooling airflow
needs, going to "160" (177F or so) is only going to
increase the range of coolant temp swing ('stat is
what sets the bottom, fans / airflow / air temp /
radiator heat throw set the top, best case is
top = bottom + tiny bit when the radiator tank is
cooler than thermostat crackpoint.

 

So a 160 Tstat might not be worth it prior to a tune? I figured in FL, the lower temp might have the motor running a bit cooler. Do the fans turn on when the AC in engaged?

 

well the motor should run at a pretty stable temp no matter the climate, that's the whole point of a rad, t-stat and cooling fan in the first place.

So even in the snowy Canada down to Texas heat provided all is working ok the engine should run at a pretty similar temp.

Major mods can affect this however, but a cooler T-stat simply opens at a lower temp to allow a greater flow thru of coolant, but without the fans being synchronised to match it will have limmited affect.

Ls1's like to run hotter than older SBC's this makes for a more efficent burn.

The a/c has nothing to do with the cooling fans.

 

What the A/C does, is "pollute" the cooling air stream before
it gets to the rad.

With a lower temp 'stat, you need the tank to be that much
cooler (about 15-20 degrees' worth) and yet you are also
that much closer to pavement temps so the air you do get
is worse for extracting the heat.

Consistency is the key, for a tuning basis. Tuning to what a
175F water jacket temp can tolerate, may get you more power
on a good day. But the summer is filled with bad days and you
will ping like a bitch unless you spend a lot of time with the
ECT and IAT spark tables, and like that. Best to make the
cooling system more capable, but that's a low-glamor piece
of work.

 

And doth the goth man post

He's spot on though the only thing I did initally was to swap out later for a stocker 180* stat which performs better - even though it is an LT1 it wouldn't make a difference since you are still in the same road condtions.
No ping, no problems with hitting high temps before the fans hit at 200* which is perfectly acceptable.

 

In the LT1 world, a 160 thermostat and a fan switch (or tune to have the fans turn on earlier) will keep your engine temps lower, which is better for the motor not to run as hot. I didn't see any power gains from this, I just got the satisfaction never seeing the temp needle stick straight up any more keeping my engine temps nice and cool.

Now, I am pretty new to the LS1 world, and I know a fraction less about the motor compared to the LT1. Are you saying that the LS1 is better running at 190-200 rather than 160-180? Does it just perform better? Or is it actually better for the motor as well? All engine theories I have heard say that a cooler running engine is better for the engine, and will possibly even exten the motors life. Does the LS1 just go against this then?

(BTW, if I were to get the thermostat, I would eventually get the tune to go with it)

 

Hyperteck and SLP sells em!

 

$50+

 

Its the whole housing and all. Many people have them.

 

the SLP 160 stat actually runs in the 172-177 degree range in my car. It would set a p0128 code if it ran near 160...stock stat is 180 (which runs near 180), so yes it is a waste of money. I called SLP and asked about this before I even bought mine because I knew it would set the code if it ran near 160, and they just said they'd never heard of anyone with problems like this. I guess I was the sucker then. If your cooling system is working properly, fans will not come on while driving down the open road. They will only come on in stop & go traffic and low speed/idle situations anyway. I have the SLP manual fan control switch which is handy at the track or on the dyno.

 

hypertech, jet and slp all make one, around $50

 

For a stock to mild modded LS1, stick with the stock 186F (86C) stat and set the fans a bit earlier, something in the 190-205 range works well. Stock fan settings allow the temps to reach 230F idling in traffic.