Random Question about the thermostat
 

Anyone run without a thermostat in the summer? Cuz Obviously, the cooler the engine the better performance. No thermostat=less heat. Is it bad for the engine, and/or am I making any sense?

as i know it the late injected cars need to be hot for both emissions correctness and fuel mileage -- years back it was a regular thing spring and fall but not so anymore - jz

Yeah, I remember when I was younger my dad had a 66 nova, and he used to take the thermostat out when the weather got warmer, that's where I got the idea from.

He's right, modern cars tend to run hotter for better combustion and improve emissions, but there is a limit. If you run no tstat, your car might not be able to heat up to teh right levels to perform a complete burn, and you sure as hell wont have any heat to keep you warm on a cold summer night.

better off with a 160 'stat?

with the factorys 195 thermo it will be at its best - with a 180 you might loose as much as 2 / 5 MPG in fuel mileage and a 160 will end up hurting the motor - the oil will not have the stuff thats designed to burn off in the newvo oil the cars use -- leave it alone buy a 50 chevy if you want to change stuff all the time -- jz

If you do, you need to reprogram so the ECM knows what operating temps are. Else you'll run rich (thus JZJs answer).

Running no thermostat can actually make you run hotter. Something to do with the speed of the coolant moving through the system.

I run a drilled 180 in my GTP. Works fine, not too cold in the winter.

ive run a 160 stat from SLP for a few years, havent had a problem yet. alot of people run them, even in daily drivers. if something was that bad about it, woudlnt something have come up by now?

in the 60* v6 160 thermostats are actually increasing wear on the pistons and rings from what ive heard! this is due to the drastic difference in expansion rate of the cylinder walls and the piston. and i know that in a diesel you dont dare take the thermostat out for the same reason. but yeah Jz is right you are gonan get the best milage and power if you jsut run the stock thermostat!

drilling a thermo only affects the water flow at slow engine speed ------

in drag race cars we use electric w pumps for the most part the flow of the water is slowed so it has time in the rad to cool off the systems pump runs the water flow at a constant speed all the time - some guys put i disc in the thermo housing with a hole in it their is a kit from moroso and it has 3 different size holes for diff apps but i think you already know this -- jz

You really should use one. its better all the way around. You could run a 180 stat with no problem but i would not run a 160 stat without reprogramming the computer.

Thanks alot for your help guys. I apreciate it. I'm still new to this whole mechanic/performance stuff, so I like to learn.

Thats what I was always told, no stat on a street car = overheat. Strip cars use an electric pump forcing the water through the motor and electric fans. plus the motor is only on for 10 minutes max.

how can having a 160 stat hurt so much....like i said before, guys have run them for years without problems. just having a 160 stat doesnt mean its going to run at 160. my fans are set to come on at 192, and they will come on while sitting at idle. i hardly think thats so cold itll do damage to the motor.

LS1's are all aluiminum and the snyth oil needs to reach a higher temp to boil off moisture inside the block. I think the stock fan settings are 210.

160 stat in a LS1 would mean lower block temps. I run one and my engine never goes over 185 ffan settings are 175 2.)195

I change the oil alot and sort of old school lower block temps better running.

I ran a 160 t-stat on my old supercharged 93 Z28 for almost 5 years with no problems. No loss of gas mileage, no abnormal engine wear. The biggest issue was in the winter it would not get as warm but that was really a problem with the heater lines getting blocked up and I had to backflush them every year. I passed emission's on the roller test with the 160 t-stat, SLP off the shelf chip(which knew nothing about the supercharger), SVO 24 lb injectors(really put out around 26 lbs/hr on the LT1), Jacobs ignition box and Borla y-pipe. I wouldn't hesitate to run the 160 or 180 t-stat for cooler temps. I checked my 93 one day when it was 96 degrees out, 90% humidity and under full boost there was no knocking or knock retard. No thermostat will allow the coolant to flow too fast and won't disipate the heat the way it's supposed to.

actually ls1's have a stock fan temp turn on of 226*F for fan 1...I think fan number 2 is set to come on at around 232*F...with the stock thermo I usually set the number 1 to come on at 205 & number two to come on at 210.

Personally I run a 180 in my car & its a good compromise between not warming up at all(160) and stock.

As for the pro's & con's there has always been talk that the 160 doesnt allow as good of a burn as a higher temp tstat but under most driving conditions even with a 160tstat you'll be running at around 175-180 anyways.

ive run all different temps in my 84..now i just have a disc to restrict the flow.

in any case drilling 2 or 3 small holes will elminate hot air pockets in the cooling system...