Thermostat poll, 160 vs 180

[Mart]

I am really quite offended by Tanreals pic,

PLEASE REMOVE!!

 

[warren s]

Have you ever taken a physics course before?

If you have then you know in a perfect world (which doesn't exist) the best temp would be as hot as the metal could stand, due to the fact that the combustion gets more efficient the hotter the burn but in this imperfect world we live in we have to settle with what we can get which is around 180 I really don't feel like wasting my time to type the whole theory so look it up yourself and research a topic before you go posting on it.

So you cant prove it.

I guess all the real world data obtained by actuall experiance means nothing compared to the THEORY.

 

[Mart]

So, Tanreall suggests that the hotter things are the more efficient the burn...... Hmmmm.

Ever hear of too hot! if that was the case then lets stick with the stock 195 or even hotter. In short, when one thing gets hot the heat transfers to all the metal attched which ups the temp of everything (intake maifold, TB, everthing) and if too hot and the compression is high you will get early detonation, so then you will need to change your fuel....and on ... and on..

So I do not think this is one mans opinion it's more of a racing thing the Pro's try to keep those cars as cool as possible, granted NASCAR's run at 200-250 for hours, but then they rebuild the engine right after the race. But those 1/4 mile cars keep em cool.

 

[warren s]

So, Tanreall suggests that the hotter things are the more efficient the burn...... Hmmmm.

Ever hear of too hot! if that was the case then lets stick with the stock 195 or even hotter. In short, when one thing gets hot the heat transfers to all the metal attched which ups the temp of everything (intake maifold, TB, everthing) and if too hot and the compression is high you will get early detonation, so then you will need to change your fuel....and on ... and on..

So I do not think this is one mans opinion it's more of a racing thing the Pro's try to keep those cars as cool as possible, granted NASCAR's run at 200-250 for hours, but then they rebuild the engine right after the race. But those 1/4 mile cars keep em cool.

It’s almost funny how things are interpreted.

The 20 degree difference between the opening points of the two thermostats in question will most likely have zero affect on the combustion tempetures.

The perception that the car will actually run at the temperature of the thermostat is also incorrect but shared by many.

With the 160 therm, I can keep my car running at 190 almost all the time. (50 to 100 degrees ambient temperature) . Constant cycling between 195 and 230 in traffic cant be good for anything except emissions.

Another aspect is the tranny fluid, coolant temp has an effect on that too.

 

[DRTH VTR]

I think that the place where temperature makes a difference is in air temperature. Cooler air has more oxygen per unit volume, just because the air is slightly more dense. Getting oxygen into the combustion chamber is the major limitation on power production. After all, you can put all the fuel you want into the cylinder. I think that there are some who have made the leap to the position that a cooler thermostat means a cooler air charge, but I question how factual that is in the real world.

 

[unknown1]

First,this real world stuff. Where is it? Who is there? And do we really want it? Anyway mine runs at about 190 with the 195 stat at 65mph,ambiant temp aprox 60. In traffic,(yea,we have that) it gets up to 207. I guss this is normal. A good hard run on open road,clean air will drop the temp every time. So run faster if your concerned about temp.

 

[WhalePirot]

This is all so amusing. I'll hold the rest inside, but 'science and reason' can be mis-applied to any not-fully-understood system, sound reasonable, then yield faulty conclusions..
The 'stat is a water switch, which opens and closes, constantly, as I learned from the engineers at FlowTech.
I saw much more difference in operating temperature by switching to a Robert Shaw than changing degrees. See, my 'super duper cooling stuff gave me the same operating characteristics as the stock parts, for about a grand more green, until I asked, and took a SYTEM approach.

If your car runs hot in slow/stopped conditions, get the fans on by whatever means blows yer skirt up. Airflow, not cooling capacity is the problem. Another test is to open the heater valve and see if it cools better.

Mic, I luv ya man, but were the track conditions and all else identical to yield those 2 tenths?

BTW........ 180

 

[Mad-Mic]

Mic, I luv ya man, but were the track conditions and all else identical to yield those 2 tenths?

BTW........ 180

Mike,

i've done this several times. the car was cool and the water temp when staged was in the 140 range. made the run came back around and got waived back to the water box. didn't even have a chance to turn the car off. water temp at stage was in the 190+ range. first run was a 13.19 second was a 13.35. everything was the same. stall speed was 1300 rpm on both runs.

one thing that is forgotten in all of this is Radiation Heat. a perfect motor would be a hot block and cooled heads/intake to keep the charge cold but unfortunatly we can't do this.

what is Radiation Heat?
Radiation Heat is Heat that escapes it's main source and travels to a colder surface and infects it with heat. no matter if you do the TB Bypass the Intake still suffers from Radiation Heat after a good 20 mins of hard driving the plenum is very hot to the touch. Heat Kills HP. this is a no brainer but for some this seems to be an arguement between HP Vs Emmisions. you want more HP run a cooler T-Stat. want cleaner emmissions run it alot hotter and suffer HP loss.

in drag racing you will see Top Fuel and other classes start the motor for a min or 2. this isn't just to see if the motor is running right. they do it too add alittle heat to the motor. why don't they heat them up like what it would be after race conditions? too much heat hurts performance and they know this. in Prostock every HP counts. the reason they put heat in the motor is so the oil will be more thin and will get little or less blow by the rings as possible. what does this mean? it means with a 12.1 compression (which some of these cars run) and a 14.71 PSI blower at 40% overdrive won't shock the system on the initial hit. the tolerances are so close that the difference between cold oil and hot oil or i should say thick oil and thin oil can do alot of damage. usually they start the cars a good 30 mins prior to running and the motor cools in the staging lanes but the oil stays warm.

as i stated above the perfect motor would be a hot block and cold heads/intake but we can't have both worlds and need to find out what we want to do with the car. if you cruise it run a hotter stat. if you race it run a cooler one.

 

[Mart]

WOW I did'nt think this thread would be this informative, no matter which stat you prefer to use, I think we all got something out of each other here.

Thanks everybody for contributing some great info.

Keep it coming
Mart
:bar :bar

 

[NC-LT4]

Where to buy

Who is a good supplier of the 160 degree thermostat? I know Hypertech sells them but I hate to pay their prices.

 

[Moonunit 451]

http://www.stewartcomponents.com/html/products/thermostats.asp

 

[WhalePirot]

AutoZone sells Robert Shaws for about five bucks, in many heat ratings.

 

[regalniz]

Another test is to open the heater valve and see if it cools better.

where is this heater valve? i would like to check this out.

 

[WNH]

180 Is good enough.
If you have an overheating prob, the get your fans to turn on quicker,

 

[WNH]

Who is a good supplier of the 160 degree thermostat? I know Hypertech sells them but I hate to pay their prices.

Is any 160 degree thermotat any different from any other 160 degree thermostat???
If it opens at 160 degrees is works: I might be wrong.

 

[WhalePirot]

The heater valve is opened simply by turning up the heat in your car. The old ones were cable operated; the climate controlled ones are probably vacuum operated, electrically controlled, when you select a warmer temperature. All this will tell you is that your car needs, or doesn't need, more radiator capacity. Blockages to radiator airflow, as extensively discussed on other threads, should already be addressed (eliminated).

Is digital, digital? Every hear of jitter and other timing errors WRT 'perfect' audio?

Thermostats vary in oriface design, despite identical temperature ratings. My 406 ran too hot, despite all the 'right stuff', until the Robert Shaw found a home in my cooling system. Now, I wonder if the stock Z-51 radiator and the stock water pump would have been fine. I am glad I found the guy (at FlowCool?) who said the single fan is good for a 700 hp motor. Saved my wasting cash on a 'super' aftermarket fan, recommended by an 'expert'.

I am not collecting receipts, but trying to build a fast car to enjoy and upon which I can rely. I know I will be there very soon.

 

[redc4corvette]

160

I use a 160 in hawaii and the car at road speeds runs at 184 deg 210 in traffic
and wavers between 190 and 200 with steady driving have about a year on 160 driving .when driving above 65 car runs about 180 and never below.

Computer reprogramed with hyperpuke.

 

[oldace84]

I use a 160. Doesen't really help that much.

 

[ATL 84]

If you have a 4+3 you need to stick with the 180 cause it will cause your overdrive to kick in and out during hghway driving. I found this out cause I had the same thought. So I tried it to see if it made a difference. I found out the hard way it makes a difference, but in a BAD way.

 

[arascal]

Thermostat

I attended a Gordon Killibrew seminar at Corvettes in Carlisle this past weekend, and he said that a 180 thermostat should be used.