Sappy, 160, need one...

[SappySE107]

I run my DOHC at 3500-4000 in town since I dont feel like doing 2-3 3-2 2-3 3-2 between the millions of stop lights

[Anonymous]

Hmm.. well thats fine but hows that gonna make a difference with the stat? Especially city driving isn't it gonna heat up and open up anyways?

[geoffinbc]

Yea it will open. But if a 160 stat opens at 160 and coolant starts to flow it will keep the temperature down at 160. Maybe a little higher. But if your cooling system works right the operating temperature will stay where the thermostat is designed to operate at.

[Z2_4cams]

It was planned that my beretta was going to be used for testing.will still be, but I gotta see how much it's gonna cost me to put insurance on it for a week to do the testing. Also, I don't goto www.v6z2muchmisinformation.com anymore. might be tough to set up.

[Anonymous]

I run my Lumina around 3000 rpm, but I only use 1st 3rd and 5th on a regular basis. Since I fried my 2nd gear synchro, I can't downshift, so I rarely use the gear. With the rebuild, the car has enough torque to do a 1-3 shift.

I am using a stock T-stat btw.

[Fierofiend]

Do your cars have a fan switch or is it computer controlled?

It seems keeping the stock fan turn on (215, 225????) and switchin to a 160 stat will allow for a 55º window of 'normal' operating temp.

In the fiero, there is the stat for the lowside, and the fan switch for the highside. When dropping the stat most people go with a lower fan Sw as well. The smaller the range between the two, the less heat cycling the engine will go thru when driving.

The thermostat sets the low end of the engine's operating temperature, and the fan switch sets the high end. What you want is a relatively narrow range. The factory is 195°-226°F, that's a 31° range. (Fiero) All of the bearing and piston ring clearances are based on that range, as well as the ECM's programming and fuel delivery maps.
If you put in a 160° thermostat and leave the stock fan switch in, you've increased the range to 66°, which means that parts will experience much more thermal shrinkage and expansion as the engine operates. You could put in a 180 fan switch, thus bringing your range back down to 20°, but the ECM will be running richer than optimal because it thinks it's still warming up at those temperatures. You will suffer a slight reduction in gas mileage, and a slight reduction in power since the mixture is slightly richer than optimum. Also, the bearing and ring tolerances will be slightly looser, but that probably won't significantly reduce engine life.

All of the seals in the engine, like valve stem seals and bearing seals, are designed to operate at the higher temperatures, so it's unlikely that running the engine cooler will affect their durability one way or the other.

Just one mans opinion however, take it as a grain of salt...