Should I Get a 180 Degree Thermostat?

SRT Handz · May 27, 2008

So what is the Big deal with 180 Degree thermostats? Is the whole point just to lower cooling temps? I thought the Engine needed to be Hot to Run at its best....

Question I have is....

I live in So Cal... its ALWAYS hot, or at least warm and never gets anywhere considered "Cold". So since summer is almost here should i install a 180 Degree thermostat? Will i benefit any from the t-stat swap?

Feed me some info!!!

Fastwrx15 · May 27, 2008

Yes,since it gets quite warm in Califorina in the summer months.

CobraRed_96_GT · May 27, 2008

I running one with the swap, i'd recommend it at this point.

SRT Handz · May 27, 2008

CobraRed_96_GT said:
I running one with the swap, i'd recommend it at this point.

i have heard things about the 4.6 needing a higher running temp to run at its peak.....

Mustang5L5 · May 27, 2008

leave the stock one in

tank_567 · May 27, 2008

Mustang5L5 said:
leave the stock one in

+1 iron block loves the heat. stay with the stock.

CobraRed_96_GT · May 27, 2008

I think it's dependent on your driving habits and climate. Although there are more situations where the stock one is better suited than a 180 i think

eliteJAE · May 27, 2008

You're right the engine needs to be hot enough to run efficiently, but a 180 t-stat is OK to use if you're seeing that the temps around you are hot as hell. I did the 180 t-stat cuz i live in arizona, and I had overheating problems a while back. The engine does a diagnostic when you turn it on and calculates that the engine should be at a certain temp. within a certain amount of time, and if the temp. falls short of its projected goal, then it will throw codes and CEL (SES) lights. This will and can happen when you go with the 160 t-stat, and your car doesn't produce enough heat to get it to that point during the diagnostic. I've seen heavily, heavily modified cars with 160 t-stats and they run fine. For our mostly stock cars, 180 is cool too especially for hot, hot weather (like in so-cal and southern arizona )

Cliff notes: 180 t-stat ok for hot environments; i've been using one for a year and it's worked fine in the arizona desert. 160 t-stat is too low of a temp for a mostly-stock car, and it will cause codes and CEL lights. Stock is cool too, but so-cal is hot as hell, so it'd be worth, IMO, to go to a 180. Iron blocks love the heat, but aluminum heads sure don't

Tim2002GT · May 27, 2008

For what its worth, after I put mine in it did read a little cooler on the gauge. It didn't affect performance + or -. More for peace of mind that the engine is running slightly cooler.

HISSIN50 · May 27, 2008

Also being in So. AZ and in trying to draw weather-related comparisons, I agree with the above thoughts.

It's not so much about what stat is best but which stat works best with one's own car. One car with a 160* t-stat will run at 165*F and another car with a 160* stat might run at 205*F because of mechanical differences or disrepair. The final operating temp is what matters, not the stat's rating.

Generally speaking, 190-210*F is optimal with regard to engine wear. I tend to stick to the low end of that spectrum to leave some fudge factor. When it's over 110*F outside, things can go to crap fast. In my experience, there's a magic number around 100*F (ambient temps) where it seems like a cooling system's ability to reject heat is hindered exponentially compared with lower temps. Most of the country never deals with that.

Since you're in SoCal, you probably spend a lot of time idling. Getting your fan on sooner (to better relate t-stat and fan-temp thresholds) would be very helpful, especially if you have issues rejecting heat in the middle of summer.

MHO.
Good luck.

AntiRice98 · May 27, 2008

my builder along with other friends that know alot more than me say that 200 degrees is the optimum temp for performance. I'm running the stock one and I have a swap. I also live in South Florida, it's hot as hell here right now and I took my car out to the track last Sunday and my engine temp only went a little over 200 after a few passes. I let it sit for 5 min and it was back below 200. I would leave it stock. I've had no problems

SRT Handz · May 27, 2008

I have a diablo predator tuner..... where should i have my fans come on?

HISSIN50 · May 27, 2008

If it's a balanced 180, have the fan shut off no lower than 187*F or so.

If it's not balanced, I'd not shut the fan off lower than 192-195*F. Otherwise you risk hysteresis issues.

The latter scenario is less predictable so you could 'fine tune' it as needed.

FWIW, balanced stats are my preference in hot climates. They tend to begin to open sooner than their rated temp and are near fully open by their rated temp, which is why you can have the fan shut off closer to the rated temp.

Roblu98 · May 27, 2008

I was going to put a 160 in mine because i am installing a supercharger. I thought that runnning a cooler would keep it from pinging?

SaleenGT2001 · May 27, 2008

i'm still on the stock thermostat with 18 PSI and no "pinging"

02nightmaregt · May 27, 2008

What temp is the stock thermo, 190*? I have a 180 and noticed really no diff. I live in Louisville KY (actually right outside in IN) and i guess its not as hot as SoCal or AZ so i guess i'll just throw in a stocker. Just want to make sure i get the right temp.

SRT Handz · May 28, 2008

my auto meter gauge reads at 210 degrees when running normal... i REALLY wanna get that temp down

Fastwrx15 · May 28, 2008

SRT Handz said:
my auto meter gauge reads at 210 degrees when running normal... i REALLY wanna get that temp down

Buy a 180* thermostat and install it you will not regret it
especially with the hot extreme temps of your climate it will effect
your cooling system.Reset your fans to come on between 185-190*
since you have a Diablo Predator tuner.

hotmustang331 · May 28, 2008

All I did was buy a Lightning T stat for my old GT. Worked great and running down the highway it would run 179-180 or so. If it was cold it would run a bit cooler.

The hotter your engine runs, the more likely you are to run into detonation.

Tim2002GT · May 28, 2008

hotmustang331 said:
All I did was buy a Lightning T stat for my old GT. Worked great and running down the highway it would run 179-180 or so. If it was cold it would run a bit cooler.

The hotter your engine runs, the more likely you are to run into detonation.

Same here!

Should I Get a 180 Degree Thermostat?

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