usetaboost
SAY CAR RAMROD!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2005
Last time I took my car out I never saw over 170 and that was just putting around town. Sitting parked it stays about the same.
Running 180 instead of 160 t-stat.
- Thread starter usetaboost
- Start date
How's it do on a nice, long interstate drive?
I think I'm going back 180. Thought about 195 but not that brave. With my aluminum rad., my car often stays at or just below 160 unless it's damn hot and I'm running a/c.
My car runs hot so I use a 160 stat. I even drove it when it was 0 out and it still put out plenty of heat. When I get a really good rad, I'll go to a 180 stat, but like Nick stated, the overall operating conditions of the vehicle need to be known to make that call. Do what works for you and your car.
MonstrNrgy
Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2011
I run a 160 year round because I live in south TX. With the ac on in traffic it gets up to about 190. With the ac off it stays right around 167-170 all the time.
EDIT: FWIW I'm still running the stock fan/radiator.
EDIT: FWIW I'm still running the stock fan/radiator.
williamsGN
'Horse sneeze' addict
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2007
But would you agree that pushing the car hard, sitting in traffic or running the air will most likely bring temperatures significantly above the stat's rating ?
Not if the cooling system is working correctly and sized correctly.
The only way the temp can get higher than the thermostats rated temp is if you dissipate less heat than the engine is producing. (or the outside temperature get's higher than 180F )
I.E. a heat rejection problem.
The only way the temp can get higher than the thermostats rated temp is if you dissipate less heat than the engine is producing. (or the outside temperature get's higher than 180F
)I.E. a heat rejection problem.
I would agree my truck runs 215 all day with a 195 stat.
I run a 160 in the GN, it's humid and hot here in TX. I run the dual fans and the bigger radiator (Thanks Red C5) and with the AC on in 100+ degree heat I only hit 178-181 on the temp gauge. I never see 200.
usetaboost
SAY CAR RAMROD!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2005
How's it do on a nice, long interstate drive?
I think I'm going back 180. Thought about 195 but not that brave. With my aluminum rad., my car often stays at or just below 160 unless it's damn hot and I'm running a/c.
Well bob, last year at rock n rods when it was ball soup saturday, my car didn't get past 175 on the interstate. As soon as I got in all the stop and go traffic it went up to 200. I may hold off on switching thermostats til we get a good hot day and see what it does. In all reality, if you car doesn't stay within 10-15* of what your thermostat is rated for, I say there's a problem. The grand am rarely got over 210 with the ac on durring the summer. Not too bad with a 195 tstat
dr_frankenstein
Mad Scientist
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2008
sounds like everything is up to snuff, But it does sound like your having an airflow issue if traffic comes and it starts to heat up.... might need a low speed fan controller to help with traffic situations.
hello; So what stat are you using? I don't care what stat people run in our cars it's not going to be the same all the time. Funny I have a 94 van with a lot of miles on it and that thing stays at 200 degrees every day. Summer or winter. It might be our carsNot if the cooling system is working correctly and sized correctly.
The only way the temp can get higher than the thermostats rated temp is if you dissipate less heat than the engine is producing. (or the outside temperature get's higher than 180F
I.E. a heat rejection problem.
on a whole could be a problem. I do believe my car came with a 195 stat and if stayed at 200 most of the time.
IBBY
usetaboost
SAY CAR RAMROD!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2005
I ended up swapping the radiator last fall with a fbody. The original one was corroded and full of crap. I'm sure the original is a good radiator but it isn't going to be worth a crap if it's all plugged up. It's sitting on a shelf until I decide to get a quote for a new core. The new tech brass stuff is said to be better than aluminum.
I've got a super trick cooling system. My heater core is from Vatozone, a plastic end tanked F body radiator from Advanced Auto Parts and a plain jane water pump from AAV. I'm not using the transmission cooler in the radiator. I've probably got almost $200 in my complete cooling system!
The thermostat is a 160 SBC parts house unit that I hacked up with tin snips (back in '98) and drilled a 3/32 steam hole in the top. Coolant temp reads rock solid on my scan master when warmed up. I did do a few flow mods to the timing cover, block entrance and intake transfer ports but the temp was stable before I did that. Those mods were mainly to decrease parasitic drag.
This shot was taken a few days ago when I was road testing my new precision temp probe harness I built. The IAC is on the filter in the engine compartment and you can see it go up with the radiator has to start rejecting more heat (full throttle). I've got a 4" hose blowing cold air on it but it goes up with underhood temps. The coolant temp is reported from the ECM too. The oil and trans temps are from my custom temp probe harness and more accurate than the factory sensors.
Back when I had my stock radiator it would run hot in the interstate as it was 3/4 clogged up. That was a heat rejection problem from having a flow problem (and a square inches problem). Around town and at the track it was fine.
usetaboost
SAY CAR RAMROD!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2005
do you have an oil cooler earl?
The Stat only controls how COLD the engine gets. Has nothing to do with how HOT it gets. It sets the minimum temp and stabilizes around that temp. Once open, its all up to the capacity of the cooling system, NOT the stat. It might give you a slight detonation advantange in the first few feet of track, but if you are in line and do a burnout the stats are wide open either way and you are into the capacity of the cooling system to exchange heat anyway. For street I think it's too cold for emissions, which relates to keeping engine clean and water free, which relates to wear and fit and economy. GM cars of the era were mostly running 195s and they snuck the performance minded TR in at 180, allready at the low edge of the envelope. Having the fan come on sooner than stock would lower the opperating temp in some conditions before it reached system capacity where it in either case would be on anyway. They didn't want it coming on any sooner than need be as that would lower CAFE as you can't run the fan without getting the energy from MPG loss. In fact, in mild weather when the AC comes on it runs at slow speed until hi-side pressures or coolant temps warrant Hi fan. You can see they were going for every bit of economy they could squeek out and keep fan noise down as well. Regals were still Buicks.
northerngn
Master Monkeywrench
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
One would be amazed on how much difference (on a hotter running car) a new radiator cap makes...pressure has a lot do do with cooling/heat exchange as well...try it for 12 bucks if you run hotter than you like....might be surprised!!!
Has worked for many of the club members in the GN car club I am in and recommended this to...
Has worked for many of the club members in the GN car club I am in and recommended this to...
I think the thermostat controls how HOT the engine gets. Here is my logic-coolant enters engine from lower radiator hose, into water pump and is pumped into the motor. The coolant stays in the motor until the stat opens. So if it is a 180 stat, then the stat opens at 180 and coolant flows into the radiator via the upper hose. Like Earl said, unless your under hood temps and outside temps are greater than 180, the motor will never get over 180 if everything is working right (good radiator and fans). If you have a 190 stat, then stat opens at 190. If stat sticks closed then temp will go into 200 range I would think. When my radiator fan temperature switch broke, the fans did not come on and temps went to about 215 when car was sitting at idle.
