160 degree thermostat

9646gt · Apr 21, 2005

On the other Stangs I have owned the temp hand never went past half way (I know the stock had isn't the best in the world tho) but my 96 it spends ALOT of time a quater past half way ..I pulled the thermo out and it was a 195 degree..I tested it in a pot and even in boiling water it was VERY slow to open..only opened about a quater of an inch ..so I think I will go with a 160 degree to keep things running nice and cool....What are your guys opinions? What do you run and how does it work for you? Am I able to get these at any parts store or is it something they will have to order with the temp difference? Any opinions are welcome as always...

chevyboy_z28 · Apr 21, 2005

you can get a 160 t-stat at your local auto parts, the only downside to them is that you will not get good heat in the winter (thats if you drive your car in the winter) due to the lower coolant temp.

9646gt · Apr 21, 2005

chevyboy_z28 said:
you can get a 160 t-stat at your local auto parts, the only downside to them is that you will not get good heat in the winter (thats if you drive your car in the winter) due to the lower coolant temp.

Yeah I was thinking about that carefully...would just a 10 degree jump to a 170 help the motor from getting so hot while still giving good heat in the winter? I may jsut have to swap out during the winter...

bdcardinal · Apr 21, 2005

i think a 180 would be better.

9646gt · Apr 21, 2005

bdcardinal said:
i think a 180 would be better.

would be a 15 degree difference from what I have now..is 195 the factory or has someone changed it to this? I am thinking I will go with a 160 or 170..these should be any higher than 10 bucks I am guessing?

CanadaStang · Apr 22, 2005

9646gt said:
would be a 15 degree difference from what I have now..is 195 the factory or has someone changed it to this? I am thinking I will go with a 160 or 170..these should be any higher than 10 bucks I am guessing?

I don't think I'd go any lower than a 180. But unless you reset your EEC to have your fan come on at 180, your engine temp will be the same as it is now, unless your driving on the highway.

Gearbanger 101 · Apr 22, 2005

Never go below a 180 on a stock engine. Going to a 160 is going to increase the time needed for the engine to come up to operating temperature considerably, Doing this makes your car harder on gas and emissions, pollutes your oil that much quicker and will actually hurt your performance. Going with the 160 in the old carbureted cars was the trick back in the day, but today’s EFI’s require the heat in order to run properly.

9646gt · Apr 22, 2005

Cool I will pick up a 180 this weekend...I have never heard of resetting the ecu to chenge any thing about the fan...learn soething new every day

YardSpecial · Apr 22, 2005

Get the fan to come on sooner and a 180 thermo will help.
Or just always listen to gearbanger....... (the guy knows stuff)

Erskine · Apr 22, 2005

i put a 180 in my 96gt and it made a big difference on the temp gauge

Gearbanger 101 · Apr 22, 2005

Cavallo said:
Or just always listen to gearbanger....... (the guy knows stuff)

Yeah, but I wish half of the stuff I knew was useful and not all the ‘80’s TV and Movie Trivia crap stuck in my head.

CanadaStang · Apr 22, 2005

9646gt said:
Cool I will pick up a 180 this weekend...I have never heard of resetting the ecu to chenge any thing about the fan...learn soething new every day

Sorry, bad choice of words. The EEC should be set to have the temp that the fans come on by using a chip or programer.

Morales · May 5, 2005

will autozone or discoutn carry 180's for stangs?

Gearbanger 101 · May 5, 2005

Morales said:
will autozone or discoutn carry 180's for stangs?

Most definitely

95CobraStang · May 5, 2005

Morales said:
will autozone or discoutn carry 180's for stangs?

They won't have it for a Stang... It will be listed under a Ford lightning or Thunderbird... I forget which year though. I'm pretty sure it's a '99 lightning though. Someone here will know

Back2Mustangs · May 5, 2005

Wish I was home I could tell you... I have a 180 ordered from Steeda that I haven't put in the car yet.

BTW I still order from Steeda, but don't buy the stat from there...$11.00+ shipping

Morales · May 5, 2005

I just picked up a 180, when i took the prior-thermo out it was a 160. The temps actually went down. I run between A and M now. When i took it for a test drive the highest it went to was M. Which is midway... Im going to keep an eye on it for a few days.

Thanks guys.

va01gtstang · May 5, 2005

Where is the thermostat located on 99 and up GT's?

Darkhorse845 · May 6, 2005

Agreed don't get a thermostat cooler than
180 degrees or you will be hurting your
performance.The Stant 180 degree thermostat is a excellent stat.

160 degree thermostat

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