I have been thinking about getting a 160F thermostat for my 02 Z28 and was curious if there are any problems you may have with a 160F thermostat?

If the 160F thermostat is better than the factory that runs over 200F how come all LS1s didnt come with the 160F thermostat from the factory?

So if anyone cold tell me how well the 160F thermostat is working for them please leave a post.



Joel

 

you have to answer ME, one question first.

WHY do YOU feel THE need TO write THERMOSTAT in CAPS every FREAKING time?

 

What caps? I don't see any caps? Whats wrong with caps anyway? Now if I typed the whole thing in caps that would be different.


Anyways back on subject.

 

160 degree thermostats suck in the winter if you live in canada. The coolant does not warm up enough for the inside of the car to heat up.

The theory is that cooler coolant allows for a cooler block which means cooler /denser air going into the combustion chambers (more HP), and allowance for more aggressive timing before engine knock becomes a problem.

Some people claim that 160 is too low, doesnt let the oil heat up enough, and that too cool a combustion chamber = less efficient combustion. Only way to know for sure woudl be to dyno a car before and after a thermostant change. I didnt feel a difference at all when i changed mine, and I now run the stock unit year round so i dont have to change it twice a year (I live in Canada).

 

IF an aftermarket lid works better than stock, then why didn't they make it better? Hay, if our cars run better w/ a supercharger, shouldn't the factory make them then?

 

The reason they didnt put it on at the factory is:

The hotter an engine runs the less emissions it puts out...

Plus, like someone said, the heater doesnt work as good...

I might do a 180* on ine but no lower...and I live in Texas lol

Heck, I might now change it at all...

 

I have a 160 and the heater works fine for the winter, and we've had some really cold sub 0 weather this year. You won't get any hp increases. People do it so they can run more spark advance and not ping and or get knock retard if you're stuck with the 91 crap gas from California.

Jason

 

When its -20 the car does not heat up enough on the inside. When its -45 (without windchill), the 160 thermostat leaves a lot to be desired. Im sure you can get away with it in most parts of the U.S.

 

The main reason for the lower thermostat is that lower engine temp equals cooler heads and intake, and cooler intake and heads equals cooler air more dense air and beetr combustion.

Without reprogramming the fans though, the 160 stat won't buy you much. I went with a 180 stat and reporgrammed the fans to come on at 200 instead of 210 or 220 - I forget what the stock setting is.


As stated above, the factory uses the higher temp to heat the manifolds and cats for emissons purposes.

 

"Without reprogramming the fans though, the 160 stat won't buy you much"

that is partial

unless you are trying to drag race in rush hour traffic, a lower stat WILL maintain a lower engine temperature when driving around.

when i had my 96z with a functioning temp guage (damn non-responsive 99+ temp guages ) i could drive around in florida summers, with light traffic and still maintain 170-180deg engine temps without a different fan setting.

now granted, during heavy traffic and stop and go driving the stat won't help much, but that is because there is no air moving over the radiator...not the thermostats fault.
this is also true of the drag strip, where you are sitting idling for prolong periods. in that situation a fan switch is more useful than a fan reprogram, since you can keep it on even while the engine is off and it will help cool the engine bay and draw air over the radiator.

this is a highly argured topic...but some people think the 160 stat does absolutely nothing without lower fan settings. i just don't get it...i want those extra 3-4hp from a cooler engine while driving around and on the highway...who cares what it does in heavy traffic (long as it doesn't overheat).