i am going to order a t-stat in a few days i have a 98 gtp and i was wondering which is better to run the 180 degree or the 160 degree ?
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in winter...180* is perfect. if you use the 160...it takes FOREVER to get heat in the cabin.
but in summer I would go with the 160....
There are many studies showing the 180* tstat putting your engine in optimum operating temp for performance and yet not have the cylinder wash and thus excellerated engine wear associated with the 160*.
Back before we had the tuning options afforded by HPTuners and the Powrtuner, those more heavily modded that needed to find a way to knock had few choices to do so. The 160*tstat was one of those compromises which fortunately is no longer required.
*Edited* Here is a good write-up with a chart that reflects what a lot of the other articles comfirm. Cobra Valley's Balanced Thermostats
and something else: ROADandTRACK.com -- Technical Correspondence - Technical Correspondence — February 2005 (2/2005)
Last edited by IndeedSS; 03-08-2008 at 08:54 AM.
180 is fine. I have had an engine builder I trust tell me never run one colder than 180* as it will actually hurt performance (he is a pro that does racing engines, and many many wins) the only reason the 160* stats did anything was they made the computer dump fuel (I love when the guys have a wide band O2 sensor and a 160 stat as the pcm basically ignores the o2 sensors in warm up mode)
Agreed, 180* is a good T-stat to run and as IndeedSS pointed out there can be cylinder wash issues. Also, if you are getting cylinder wash, its getting into your oil and thinning it out and will do so in very short order. Fuel dilution of only 2% is considered dangerous to an engine. It will thin the oil out to dangerous levels and reduce your engine protection and will accelerate wear.
Additionally, if you would like even more protection and dont mind the added expense, get a MotorRad t-stat. Its designed to lock in the open state if it should fail.
My personal opinion is never run anything less than 180°. And it depends on where you live. If you drive your car around in the artic, 195° may be fine for you all the time. Me personally, I run a 180° in the summer, and switch to a 195° for the winter. The car warms up better, gets better gas mileage, and runs better in the winter with the 195°.
Running below 180° will damage your engine. The temps need to be high to evaporate the moisture out of the oil in a timely manner. Longevity > performance in my book...
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