180 or 160 thermostat

id go with a 180...ive heard the 160 doesnt allow the engine to warm up all the way.

I run the 160 myself. I've heard people argue both ways, but since I'm running higher compression and generating more heat I wanted to be sure I had full flow after 160.

ya im going wiht 180 160 is to cool IMO.

180 or 185 would actually be better. Might want to look into getting your radiator cleaned out while you're going through all of the trouble of replacing the water pump. Just out of curiousity, why are you rebuilding the engine?

i ran all 3, 160/180/195... i have to say, 160 was allitle too cool, didnt let the car warm up, and it made it run rich... 180 was nice, but hardly any heat. 195 blew me out of the car with the heat, but too hot for summer use IMO

160, the car may not put out good heat in the winter.
Also the 160 doesn't always allow the coolant to stay in the radiator long enough to cool off, runs right through, causing a higher temperature in some vehicles.

I've had 160,180, and now i run a 190. That's exactly where it sits 100% of the time, 190.

The 160 fluxuated too much, not to mention i froze my ass off for the first 15 minutes of any trip in the winter.

i think it is hard to use a blanket statement. i am pretty into the t-stats and cooling systems, since i live a 1/4 mile from the sun (Tucson).

i think what people should ask is what temp is ideal to run at (measuring with an accurate gauge), as Nick was getting at.

one stang may run at 190 with a 180 stat, whereas someone else with a semi clogged rad, different water pump, etc, may run 210 with that same exact 180 stat.
from what i have read of late, the car can get into closed loop at 170.
i know of several that run a 160 stat, and report no trouble. one of them (Jerry Beach) gets very very good gas milage, so he must be in closed loop.

there are those that say if it is running too hot, fix it. that is not feasable for some. it is, in my opinion, wise to play with the stat to accomodate other cooling ailments. just me.

when i am in traffic idling in 110 degree ambient temps, i can keep it around 200-205. turn on the a/c and all bets are off. since the motor is being rebuilt, i would think you will run cooler than before.

i think it is really trial and error. i do know that i could not even get heat out of the 180 stat last week when it was ~50. i have contemplated using a 160. i could always put a piece of cardboard over part of the rad once or twice a year, if i needed to.

also i think the most important thing is to use a high quality stat. i used a parts store 180 for one week, and then used a Mr. Gasket 180. the latter, being fully balanced, opening fully sooner, and appearing to open a little more, keeps the car ~10-15 degrees cooler.
just my two cents worth. good luck.

I'll agree with using a mr.gaskets stat. I would never use a piece of crap pepboys, autozone, r+s straus auto, thermostat. That would be asking for trouble since like 25% are defective to begin with.

Hissing is right about different cars, running at different temps, most are unalike.

I use a full sweep autometer temp gauge also, the stock gauge IMO is worthless, mine used to go up when i turn the headlights on.

I have run 170F, 180F and 192F t'stats. Each situation is unique - you need to know all the facts before you can compare one situation to another. Example - for folks with electric fans, when in traffic with ambient temps high enough to open the t'stat, it's usually the fan temp. switch that will control the operating temp, not the t'stat. You can have a 160 t'stat - but if it's 90F outside, and you're sitting still in traffic, the temp's gonna climb until your fan controller cranks the fan on. With a mechanical fan, the t'stat should control the temp. If you're installing a lower temp stat to deal with a creeping temperature problem, you're just buying time. If the radiator/fan combo won't hold the temp at the t'stat level, then you've got a heat rejection problem that ultimately needs to be dealt with - either with more radiator, or more air moved across it, or both. Lowering the t'stat temp in that situation is not a viable long term solution. Harmonkeiser - If you're putting a new engine in, with the same radiator/fan that was allowing it to run in the 200-220 range - well, I'd invest in at least a cleaning/rodding of the radiator, and a look at how my fan is working if you want to preserve your investment in that engine.

What I've found is that during times when the ambient temps fall below 50F, the 170F t'stat is just too low (the 160 would be worse). It impacted my fuel mileage when winter showed up. I moved up to 192F and the engine seems much happier. I wouldn't go any lower than a 180F t'stat. And remember, your cooling system is more efficient with the higher temp t'stat because the delta across the coil is higher. Said another way - it takes less time to remove heat from the coolant when you're using 100F air blowing across 192F coolant (92 degree difference), than when you're using 100F air blowing across 180F coolant (80 degree difference). The bigger that delta, the more heat you'll remove.

Output doesn't vary tremendously with coolant temp - but it does vary a lot with intake air temp. Get the coolest intake air you can - power and fuel economy will be improved. But let the engine operate up where it was designed to - in the 180-195 range. Your oil will thank you for it. Don't forget, a lot of condensation finds it's way into the crankcase when the car cools off at night. It helps to get oil temps up over 200F to boil that water off and get it out of the crankcase. The higher temp t'stat will help that happen more quickly.

By the way, the notion that a 160F t'stat will stay open too much allowing water to circulate in a way where it can't get cool isn't an accurate description of what's happening. The 160 will cycle just like any other t'stat will. However, the temp delta across the coil gets so low (in August at Hissin's 110F in AZ) - only 50 or 60 degree difference, that the radiator simply doesn't have the capacity to cool it that low. It's not really the fault of the t'stat - it's that the core doesn't have enough heat transfer capacity at that low temp. delta. If you look at guys with the huge aluminum radiators, they can manage keeping it at 160 no problem - cause they've got the extra radiator capacity to actually do what the t'stat is telling the system to do.

hey guys i havent had a thermo stat on my car for a while i know it isnt healthy specifically in winter, but i dont know which one to get, which one should i get if i had a vortech s-trim supercharger, running about 11 psi and a new radiator, also i know that i dont have any interior heat so how hard is it replacing the heater core, i heard it was a pain
thanks

T stat

Historically ford has run 180 degree thermostats in 289's ans 302's until the early ninetys! They went to 195 for the smog crap that they put on the cars (cats smog pump etc) The conventional wisdom was to make a hotter exhaust so it was cleaner! I personally run 180 with a fms aluminum radiator and aluminum water pump and all new hoses. I have had no overheating problems for years! So I think that it is all about your setup and your maintenance of your cooling system! good luck!

180 get's my vote.

180 is what is going in my car thats for sure.... i only use 195 in winter for heat

"The conventional wisdom was to make a hotter exhaust so it was cleaner!" -- Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. 'Hotter' was better for CO and HC, but worse for NOx production; but the converters/air pumps helped clean that up. But you've hit on another reason to run what was designed for the efi cars - for those that have to pass emissions, the higher temp t'stats will work better.

zeusmoto said:

hey guys i havent had a thermo stat on my car for a while i know it isnt healthy specifically in winter, but i dont know which one to get, which one should i get if i had a vortech s-trim supercharger, running about 11 psi and a new radiator, also i know that i dont have any interior heat so how hard is it replacing the heater core, i heard it was a pain
thanks

Click to expand...

first off: Michael, awesome as always!

Zeusmoto, running a thermostat period would likely help your lack of heat, especially in winter. under about 50* ambient temp, i cant get any heat out of the stang or eclipse unless it let them warm up (idling in the garage) and drive off. then i have heat for a few miles until things cool off. i would think with nothing limiting flow (no restrictor plate?) you would not have heat.

normally heater cores leak when they are bad. otherwise they are a little radiator and work. other components can fail, but not the core itself (unless it leaks, etc).
did you get your window wires figured out?