What Degree thermostat ??

I think I had a 180 or 185.

FarBeyondDriven said:

Yours ever get hot or anything? im just concerned about these heads.. i dont want them to warp or anything.

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No it never ran hot.

I have a 160* as works GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

gtxracing said:

I have a 160* as works GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I was thinking of going that route with the new build.

Sometimes you gotta let op. temps decide what stat is used. If a 160 is what allows someone to stay at 190*F in the summer, that's alright for the time being. For someone with a mega cooling system, a 180 can keep a car at 185*F. In other words, I'd shoot for a target op temp and work on system efficiency if needed. A colder stat will help crutch lackluster efficiency until parts can be renewed.

MHO. Good luck.

As far as mileage and general wear goes, between 195-205* is where you wanna be. Going 215* or higher can give you some performance issues, but so can going below 185*.

I have to switch back and forth on mine and run a 195* T-stat in the cooler months and a 180* unit in the hotter months; when I run too hot, I get pinging problems, and if I leave the 180* in when ambient temps cool down, my gas mileage takes a dump. Of course, this is on an EFI setup, but on a carb'ed setup, it's going to be relatively the same. A cold motor is not going to run as efficiently as a motor at proper operating temp, but running too hot will hurt your performance, as well, no matter what fuel system you're running - that's more a matter of the properties of metal and friction than fuel delivery.

As stated, take into account the rest of your cooling setup and go from there. Even with a 3-core radiator and a big honkin' electric fan, I still need to run a 180* in mine to keep it cool in summer ... but then, I live in a desert climate where temps regularly go above 100* daily (ACTUAL air temp, not heat index, since motors don't know the difference between 100* in AZ and 100* in the Midwest). If your setup tends to run a bit hot in the summer months, I'd say shoot for a 180* failsafe t-stat. Otherwise, stick with a free-flowing or failsafe 195* t-stat.

And hey ... swapping T-stats on a 302 takes less than 30 minutes and a $2 gasket, anyways, so it's not like it's an expensive experiment.

FarBeyondDriven said:

Ok, in that case, what temperature do i want to stay under?? that will give me a good starting point.

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Here is the answer...

Darkwriter77 said:

As far as mileage and general wear goes, between 195-205* is where you wanna be. Going 215* or higher can give you some performance issues, but so can going below 185*.

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As you get below 170-180F coolant temps, the wear on the cylinder bores gets pretty sketchy.

Best power and efficiency will probably be up around 190-200F, maybe a touch higher

That is what I have seen in my reading anyway...

jason

HISSIN50 said:

Sometimes you gotta let op. temps decide what stat is used. If a 160 is what allows someone to stay at 190*F in the summer, that's alright for the time being. For someone with a mega cooling system, a 180 can keep a car at 185*F. In other words, I'd shoot for a target op temp and work on system efficiency if needed. A colder stat will help crutch lackluster efficiency until parts can be renewed.

MHO. Good luck.

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170* summer --- 170* winter using the 160degree.... Now I didn't get a cheapy 5 buck crap from autozone either so watch what you buy, where you buy.

180* is my vote.
Kevin

Now at the same time, don't go around believe what everyone else thinks, you wanna go with what works best. 160* keeps my engine a 170 constant but if you are in an upper atmosphere, then you may want something a tad hotter like Sicarius.... what kinda name is that anywas??? LOL