Quote:
Originally Posted by madmaxx
I do not support the 160F thermostat. After extensive testing I found most thermostats open at there stated value but do not close until 10F below their value. If you had a cooling system equivalent to a superformance then your engine would run at 152F which is horrible. You will wear your engine out, cylinder walls will be cold while piston is hot, there are numerous charts demonstrating this. Go with the 180F it seams to be the sweet spot between performance and longevity. In addition with the 160f you oil will take forever to get to temperature. EVERY SINGLE NEW CAR MANUFACTURE RUNS THEIR ENGINES AT 212F, THE OPTIMIUM TEMP FOR COMBUSTION, EMISSIONS, LONGEVITY. |
I agree, going to a lower temp thermostat is a bandaid for a heating issue, not the answer....more often than not, the problem lies with under drive pulleys or incorrect sized pulleys,or incorrect sized fans/radiator for the application,granted in a lot of Cobra's,you just can't fit the proper size radiator........A 180 thermostat should work fine in 99% of the applications and the hole/holes are mainly there to let excees air escape during filling the cooling system and a by-product is a little more water flow..
I've expiremented with 4 different size radiators and as many electric fans and 2 different water pumps and 3 or 4 different pulley combinations on my 65 Fastback for about a year so I could do 45 to 60 minutes of idling in mid july for parades till I got it down, the biggest single factor I found was pulley sizes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all the while using a "standard" 180 thermostat with 3 small holes in the flange.
David