Actually cools better... I was thinking about this earlier, it opens a few degrees cooler then the 180 and the 195. However, once its opened its opened right? or does it open wider as it gets warmer? Let me illustrate, my car right now has a 180* stat in it, well most of the time driving down the freeway I'm at 210 or so, the stat is already open. So what good is going to a 160 other then the fact it'll take it longer to heat up? What makes it able to cool so much better? My friends car with his 160 seemed to run about 195 to 200 about 10 degrees cooler then mine, but why?

 

They all heat up at the same rate because they are all closed till they reach their rating... either 160, 180 or 195. With my 160 it stays about 170 on the highway but still heats up in town like any thermostat. But in general it keeps my car cooler.. they all heat up the same.

 

170 on the highway? holy hell thats between 160 and the first hashmark I've never heard of an F body running that cold on the freeway, you using some dry ice ?

 

mine also runs 170 down the highway and in town as well. i usually dont get over 175 or so idling through town unless its super hot and/or i'm driving hard. and actually the highway is where the car cools the best. because if geared properly it isnt under much load and its also circulating the cooling better due to the slightly increased rpms not to mention the massive increase in airflow across the radiator.

 

Same here, around 170-175.

Brandon

 

Same here with 160 stat and tuning.
Even in the summer it never gets over the first hash mark, the fans are humming but I know if it goes over the first hash mark something is wrong and I can shut it down before something bad happens.

 

I always thought mine ran around 170-180 on the highway (what the stock gauge read) until I put an Autometer temp gauge in. It actually runs 210 all day long, both city and highway. The stock gauge was 30-40 degrees off BTW, I have a 180 degree t-stat and both my fans kick on by 175 degrees

 

I run a 160* thermostat. Autotap shows that the coolant temp reported to the PCM is 171-173 degrees while running on the interstate. I will reach as high as 185 in low-speed traffic because I have my fan temps set high for winter heat. When things warm up, I'll reduce the fan temps to keep it running cooler.

 

Do you guys have trouble getting your heaters to work? Or did you notice any difference in performance in regards to the heater?

- Z28WannaB

 

In the winter time with my 160* stat.....it takes FOREVER to get heat in the car. Might as well not have heat. But thats just my experiences with it. I think next winter i am going to throw a 180 in there.

Brandon

 

Here, 160*+ programmed fans + watter wetter = a hair above the first line ALL the time including traffic.

 

Does your thermostat ever open?

 

MadZ,

If i got my fans programmed to turn on later, would i still be able to run the 160* stat in the winter and have a better chance of getting some heat. I have a laptop so in the winter i could load the different program to turn on the fans later. Would this help or not?

Brandon

 

Yep, that should work fine. You can try them at 205/215 for winter or even a little higher.

 

I run my fans at the stock settings in the winter. It takes a while to heat up, but once warmed (above 160*) I get good heat. Not super hot, but certainly warm enough to warm you up.