What difference does it make if you change to a 160 thermometer from stock?

 

The thermostat opens at 160* letting coolant flow and cool the engine earlier than the stock 180* thermostat. The engine runs cooler but the fans need to be reprogrammed to come on earlier than the stock setting to take full advantage of the 160* thermostat.

 

Its Thermostat.

Car will run cooler on the highway. Change fan settings to have the car run cooler intown. Car will take longer to warm up.. If your fans ever go it'll buy you more time to get to higher speeds to let the wind cool your car down. You'll gain a few hp.
1-3 while on the highway.
I wouldnt change it unless changing the fans at the same time.
Some say it wont let the car run hot enough to burn up carbon deposits in the engine...

I like my 160 thermostat.

 

Thank you for the correction on thermometer, you know what i meant i had a brain lapse, they are cheap, i just didn't want to screw up anything in my car by changing it

 

Actually, if you get the correct 160degF t'stat for the "reverse cooled" LT1, they are not cheap. Where you would normally pay $3-4 for "normal" t'stat, the "reversed cooling" type will set you back $15-20. The HP gains come mainly from turning the fans on sooner to keep the heads a little cooler, and plugging in a couple degrees more timing advance based on the cooler head temps.

 

I dont see 15-20 bucks being expensive