160 degree T-stat?? Worth it??

[skeeters65]

Is a 160 degree thermostat worth the $60.00 from SLP..
Will it give any extra power or make the car run better?

2002 LS1 with CAM..

Thanks

[jaybee]

No. These engines are designed to run much warmer than that and are more thermodynamically efficient at higher temps...short of inducing detonation or melting something, of course. Most of the time when people resort to very low temp thermostats on any engine it's a cheat to try to get a car to cool when cooling is marginal.

[SatisTraction]

my tuner said go 180 and Not 160.

[1969CamaroRS]

180 would be the best. Jaybee is correct. You want the engine to come up to temp quickly. Until that point stuff isn't sealing correctly and you are experiencing more wear until it does. The thermostat really shouldn't be kludged to fix what is a cooling issue.

[skeeters65]

What is stock?? 195??
Is there any HP gain??
Thanks

[WS6]

There are no power gains to be had a with a thermo change. Run a 180* stat and have the fans turn on full high by 190. If you're planning a very efficient radiator that happens to keep the engine below 190*, retune the fans and have them come on later. You need the engine in the 190's. Look around because a 180* stat shouldn't cost $60

[skeeters65]

In Summit the SLP T-stat is $59.95
Where are they cheaper??
What should I pay??

Thanks

[cdoggy81]

Exactly what Trey said!

[CarlC]

The local auto parts store.

[Vegas69]

I agree that it should run in the 190's. I run a 180 stat and 195 fan switch on my carb application. Works pretty well.

[brigzee]

I have been told when you run a 160 stat it will not allow the coolent to stay in the radiator long enough to cool down and it can cause the motor to run hotter. It basically lets the coolent move to fast.

[Twentyover]

I have been told when you run a 160 stat it will not allow the coolent to stay in the radiator long enough to cool down and it can cause the motor to run hotter. It basically lets the coolent move to fast.

Brig-

This is pretty much a load of crap, whoever is telling you this is wrong. The coolant may have shorter residence in the radiator to shed heat, it also has shorter residence in the engine to absorb heat.

Thermodynamically (ok, it's really fluids), faster coolant flow in a long small tube will move from laminar flow to a more prefered turbulent flow. The turbulant flow breaks up the boundary layer adjacent to the tube wall, exposing hot coolant to the tube wall, increasing heat exchange rate. Most heat exchanger have either a spring (for round tube) or depressions (in stamped /oval tube) to create turbulence (a turbulator).

OK, now onto thermodynamics- faster flow through the core will give you a higher log mean temperature difference (an equation relating the inlet and outlet temperatures of the two media- in this case engine coolant and air), resulting in better heat transfer.

Don't know how these stories get started

Trust me on this- do you believe I could make this stuff up?

[cdoggy81]

Thermodynamics was a real bieotch in college wasn't it...???... My roommate was always studying while I was out getting bombed

[MastMotorsports]

Depending on the controller that you are running, there may be some ignition timing to be gained that COULD possibly make more power. We have a spark offset strategy integrated into our controller that does exactly that. Conversely, when the engine gets too hot for whatever reason we pull timing out in order to prevent detonation.

Hope this helps!

[1969CamaroRS]

All a 160 Thermostat will do is cause the car to take longer to come up to temp as you are allowing the coolant to flow through the radiator before the engine reaches operating temp.