How are your cars in the winter with a 160* them? My car seems to not really run as strong till it warms up a bit. Should I just wait till summer?

 

I put the 180 back in for winter months. You'll appreciate it when it's freezing ***** outside and you aren't waiting 20 minutes for any kind of heat to come out of the vents.

 

I keep the 160 in year round. Drove it all last winter (except when snow was on roads) with no troubles.

 

Mine runs great with the 160* and programming, but heat output is minimal. I may be putting a 180* back in for the next few months......

 

I have a 160* stat in my thirdgen and drive it in the cold months and it seems to be ok. It actually still blows pretty warm heat, but does take a little longer to warm up. With gas prices the way they have been it kinda sucks to let it sit there and burn a bunch of fuel just to warm up. other then that i don't really notice any performance differences. I would change it in and out, but my manifold got a little messed up installing the 160* stat so we had to re-tap the threads and it worries me to change it in and out so much, so i just leave it in. But you should be ok!

-Lance

 

In the coldest months, I put the 180 back in. Better heat and I am assured that the engine does not run too cold.

 

This is my first winter actually driving the car. I have a 160 and I dont really notice it taking too long to warm up. I wouldnt bother changing mine out.

 

I have left my 160 in for the last 2 years, but previously switched to the 180 every winter. It has run fine, but like others have said , it takes a while to heat up. I wish I could post pics, but this is what ive done to help. I have two lower valances, or air dams. This is the big plastic piece under the front bumper that sounds horrible when you scrape the front end againt a low curb. It directs air up into the radiator. Ive cut 4 holes in my winter valance, about 3" in diameter. This allows a little air to pass through but enough to flow into the radiator. It's the same principle used on school buses in the winter. You'll see them with "tarps" covering up the entire grill in the winter months. My summer valance is stock, it takes a couple minutes to swap them out. My car still heats up SLOW in the winter, but when it does heat up, it STAYS heated with the "holed" valance. I usually put the summer one on in March, put the winter one on in January.

 

I can also provide a bit of proof that running the 160 isn't an excellent idea for winter.

I have a motorcycle that I ride to work and back, but that's about as far as it goes usually. My trip to work is short, and the bike doesn't get hot enough. I suspected that if I didn't ride it very far that all it's doing is building up moisture. One day I pulled the crankcase vent line and looked in it, and sure enough the line was clogged up like a fat man's artery with yellow snot lookin' stuff.

What this tells me is that indeed the engine isn't getting hot enough, and that moisture running through the crankcase vent line is mixing with a bit of oil/fuel and building up on the inside of the hose. It only gets worse if you don't get the engine up to a proper operating temperature and burn off the moisture inside.

On the coldest days when I had my 160 in, I could drive around all day, even down the highway and after getting off the highway I'd STILL have steam coming out of the pipes. This is why I now firmly believe that the 160 is not adequate for winter driving.

 

i leave mine in all year round. It definitely doesn't heat as well. I would wait until summer to put it in though.