Hey guys, my car has a stock thermo in there I guess since it stays around 185 all the time ( around 205 when I sit in a drive thru in the summer ). I heard the 160 thermo is for hot climates. I live in Missouri where the wind chill in the winter is negative!!! Will I have problems with the 160 in the winter being too cold on the motor?! THANKS-

 

WI winters are much coler with actual temps dipping to double digits below zero and I have run a 160 stat for years with the TB bypass and it is all good.

 

I think your lucky with the TB bypass (it would suck if your throttle plate froze open), but the 160 stat should be fine. Your heat just wont be as hot, thats all. It's not going to get cooler than 160 anyway, whether its -32 out or +100.

 

Thanks guys, thats what I was expecting to hear. What does the TB bypass actually do for performance gains on these cars....it just seems like coolant to keep things cool or warm in the TB , why wouldnt you want that on your car?! HMMMM, thanks again---

 

The TB Bypass actually adds like 4-7hp, some ppl have dyno sheets to prove it. But your actually disconnecting the coolant lines going in and out of the throttle body. In the summer time you are actually creating more heat for the air comming while the coolant is flowing through because the coolant temp would be like 160-200degrees etc.. when they are disconnected the throttle body is only absorbing the air temperature which is usually 100 degrees..so your making it like 80 dregees cooler. thats all. For the winter time the coolant keeps the blades from freezing up.

I run my 160 stat all year round...no problems

 

I run a 160 here in Canadian winters with no problem, I was considering a TB bypass is there like a kit or something you buy to do it or is it like a free mod?

 

I usually run a 160 thermostat, and when I moved back to South Dakota, I switched it out for a 180, and I couldn't tell the difference. I got some snow tires (Blizzak's), and they were awesome. I made it through some snow that trucks were spinning out in.

Z

 

Thanks Bow 94!!! Z- I need a set of those tires, all my buddies were laughing at me for selling my front wheel drive Acura for the z28....said I would regret it MAJORLY in the winter, lo. 1quickz, its a FREE mod. I am guessing you just block off the coolant lines after you disconnect them, right (would screws in the lines work or are they metal lines....if not how do you block them off?) ?!

 

depending on the year of the car, it is different. i see you have a 96 so here:
http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...le+body+bypass


http://shbox.com/1/tb_bypass.jpg

 

Awesome, thanks....how much coolant loss should I expect after disconnecting the hose from the radiator!!!??? I dont want to have to put all new antifreeze in it before I do my 160 thermo install ( or I should just do it all at the same time I guess )

 

I've run both the 160 'stat for 9 years and the TB bypass for 6 years, in weather with temps as low as 0degF here in NJ. Only difference I ever noticed was maybe a couple minutes extra before good heat levels started coming out of the heater vents. Once it reaches operating temp, more than enough heat.

In all the years of people doing the TB bypass, I have never heard of one intance of the blades "freezing open"..... maybe if you live north of the Arctic Circle????

 

As I said before I have run both the 160 and TB bypass in double digits below zero with no problems. Actually though if you look into the science of it all the blades would be most likely to freeze at times when it is like 33-4degrees and raining. The pressure drop through the TB would cause a temp drop and potentially condensation from the high humidity and freezing would then be most likely to occur. Fact of the matter though is you have several guys in this thread who have been on multiple LT1 boads for YEARS and yet to hear of it actually happening so it is almost a non-issue. If I were to drive in sustained temps well below zero(only a week or two here) I would maybe switch back to a 180 and reconnect the TB in winter just to help keep the engine warm as very cold temps are rough on them. Warming the incomming air a bit couldn't hurt then and it is not like you can use the power you have if it is that cold.

 

Mine doesn't get driven much in the winter...but with the 160 I never had a problem...MO sucks we should move to florida...

 

I was reading your thread, on that blue bulletin board. You can't take mafg horespower numbers and add them together. It doesn't work that way. It's a nice looking car.

Z

 

Thank you very much guys. I still dont know how much fluid I will lose disconnecting the hoses and reconnecting them......should I keep it off the garage floor and expect to loose alot?! ZMAN z28.....I JUST bought the car when I made that thread in the other forum....lol....the horsepower figure is WAY off and I sorta said that so MORE people would look, lol-----since I joined this forum I noticed the pulley adds 2hp and not 10-15 and the hypertech chip adds .7 and not 15-20 like it said, hahaha......car is probably around 330 but thanks for the compliment!!!