shortcut96

If I put a 160 stat in my stock 96 lt 1 will it effect anything else besides the water temp.Seems to run around 200?I think I know the answer to this but someone out there can give me there 1st hand knowledge!Also which rear corvette decals work the best acrylic or vinyl?Thank's for any help this is my 1st Vette recently converted from the blue oval after 8 mustangs I'll never go back!!

Wayne88

Whats wrong with 200. I'll bet allot of C4 owners wished they ran that cool.

JackDidley

I tried a 160*. We have cold winters. Not enough heat. Went back to 180*.

shortcut96

Just thought cooler temps meant more horsepower?

1stC3Vette

My experience is that you don't want to slow down the engine from getting to operating temperature as soon as possible. If you are running 200 degrees, your running good.

Good luck,
Dino

newbecorvetteguy

Me too.

bacardioil

i use a 160 in mine, but i dont use my car in the winter. in summer when temp in 90s. i run in city 185 to 190 and highways 175.

Cozmo

Don't change the thermostat. It's not worth the money.

C4Crazy787

200* is not really a problem, but having said that I run a 160* stat. Runs 170* to 180* no matter what the outside temp is on the hwy(yes at 20*f outside).
Heavy traffic its been as high as 210* but that's when my fans are programed to come on (200* and 205*) so I haven't seen anything north of 210* for a while.

vader86

read my website

GREGGPENN

I think Vader86's write-up on his webpage covers the topic pretty well.

Here is the link to the topic.

AZC4Guy

Whatever you do, you need to have the oil get around 200F. There are byproducts of ignition that get into the oil and need to be burned off or the oil will not function as well and these byproducts will cause undo wear on your motor. There is no added horsepower bonus except for those few minutes longer the intake takes to heat up due to your thermostat opening sooner.

CentralCoaster

I'd be worried if you're running 200* with a 160 stat.

The car should run 170ish with that stat, except for at idle. Your radiator isn't in the best of shape.



Keep in mind a 160 stat and a 180 stat are both the same at 200 degrees. Most cars run at certain temp, 200* for example, because they're bouncing off a 195 t-stat.

Red Tornado

i agree, thats a rather excellent write up.

i live in PA, and i went with a 180* stat, coupled with fans reprogrammed
to come on at 185. i drive it year round. L98 engine (sorta).

coolant temps 175-190* while cruising anytime of year.........oil temps approx. 15* higher. after a few mins. idling at a stop light in 95* ambient summer weather, everything shifts up about 20-30* upward, and settles back again after cruising 2-3 mins.

SJW

I'm running a 160* 'stat in my '94, and I intend to keep it that way. I'm very pleased with it. I've had it out on the road when ambient temps were around the freezing mark, and it's run at 170*F.

It almost always runs a lot cooler in the summertime than it did with the stock 'stat in it (I also reflashed my ECM to kick the cooling fans on at lower-than-stock temps). In the summertime, my car usually runs around 180*F on the open road, and tends to hover around 195*F if it idles in traffic. Worst case, it sometimes touches 220*F when idling for extended periods (parades, etc) on the hottest days (ambient near 100*F).

Installing a 160* 'stat will not slow down the warm-up of your engine. It just won't get as hot as it will with a 180* 'stat in it.

With respect to horsepower, you'll lose some thermal efficiency with the lower temp 'stat, which will cause at least some minimal reduction in power generated per pound of fuel consumed (although it's probably so slight that it would be difficult to measure).

However, you'll also be able to get more air/fuel into the engine, as the lower temps will allow a denser charge into the cylinders, which will increase the power generated. So there should be some offset between these two effects.

What I like about the lower operating temps that I realized with the 160* 'stat and reprogrammed fan-on settings are:

1. I have a lot more headroom in the cooling system's operation before Really Bad Things begin to happen. ECTs of 230*F are no longer normal in my car, so if I see that, I'll know it's time to get off the road and shut down before I have a meltdown, because something's obviously begun to go south in the system.

2. Underhood components -- soft parts, in particular, such as belts/hoses/seals/gaskets, etc -- should last longer without being subjected to such high temps.

There's been a lot of debate on this forum about this subject, and you'll hear strong opinions on either side.

One recent thread contained references to tests which purport to conclude that the ideal operating temp, as far as cylinder wall wear is concerned, is somewhere in the 170*F to 175*F range. My 160* 'stat puts me very near this supposed ideal in cool weather, and keeps me much more at ease in hot weather.

I don't believe my car suffers any harm with this arrangement, and I believe there are some benefits. I like it much better this way. Others don't agree, but I'll never go back.

One final note: Whatever temp you decide to use, make damned sure the 'stat is for an LT1/LT4 engine. The 'stat used in these second-generation small-block Chevy engines is NOT the same as the 'stat that was used in the first-generation SBCs, and it is VERY important that you install one that's designed for the engine. If you install a first-gen SBC 'stat in a second-gen SBC engine, much of the coolant will recirculate within the engine block, rather than circulating through the radiator, and cooling system performance will suffer badly. The engine will run MUCH hotter. Many parts store counter salespeople are not aware of the difference, so it's important that you are.

Be well,

SJW

kopbet89c4

My Vette hasn't seen 200 degrees in a LLLLONNNNNNGGGG time. My cooling fan turns on at 195 and off at 175. I am using a 180 degree failsafe t-stat which is guaranteed to fail in the open position instead of closed thus ruining your motor.

A t-stat won't necessarily fix your cooling problem. A t-stat will only limit your engine on how coolit can get. If you ran your car with no t-stat, you'll be seeing 130 degree coolant temps on the highway and gas mileage will suffer. When idling, you car will warm up very slowly to whatever the temp the fans come on. If your fans don't come on, of course you'll still probably overheat with a 160 degree t-stat or no t-stat.

DocSpeed

Canam

Agree with SJW totally

shortcut96

Thank's for all the great reply's seem's there are a lot of different opinons on this issue.But I agree with SJW I'm going with the 160 and reprogramed fans!!!

jfb

Look at the posts here where a 160 stat is used. Not one claims their engine coolant runs 160 ! For the temps claimed, the 160 stat is wide open and the coolant temp is no longer under control by the thermostat, it is running open loop and is at the mercy of the cooling capacity of the radiator. For the life of me I cannot understand why you would put a 160 stat in a car whose cooling system does not have the heat ridding capacity to maintain 160 F and whose cooling system was designed for 195 (early C4's) to 180 (later C4's) AND the system runs much higher than 160 with a 160 stat in place. It is a total waste of money and effort! Tell me why you would install a 160 stat when the coolant runs well over 160 degrees which keeps the 160 stat WIDE open? If you want your C4 to run at a lower temperature, then put a higher capacity radiator in it, not a lower opening temp thermostat!