160* thermostat good or bad

[zooguy]

i put one in today what can i expect to happen to the temp while running (i have the fans on at all times) the car used to run at 185-190 just above the first hash mark

will it run any colder now and what coolent cools the absolute best?

[ws6nighthawk]

it actually will, the 160* is the shit.lol for lack of better words. i had 1 in mines and it didnt see over 175* on a 95* day with 70% humidity. and in the winter it sat at 160 or lower which i dont know if its good or bad. idk what kind of strain of having the fans on all the time puts on on the battery but you can get it tuned to come on at a certain temp.

[jaysz2893]

i have heard some controversy over the 160 degree stat. Some people say it wont let the car come to the optimal operating temp. I run one (with no issues so far) and have my fans tuned to come on early and while sitting at idle (if above a certian temp). I run the "approved" GM coolant with Red Line's Water Wetter. I have use the Water Wetter in many of my cars and I have seen it work.

[Chris]

Bad. Wont let the oil get to temp car will run rich. No

[zooguy]

be more clear

[mrbadlt1]

i ran one in mine for ever, the car runs to hot with the aluminum heads to run the motor any higher than 180 degrees. Stopped you will notice the car will heat up a lil, but once your moving or up in the rpms, you will notice it runs at about 180 with 160 thermo, i ran a 160 thermo, ewp, condesor delete, and on the data log my car ran at 174 fully warmed up, stock they run about 190-210

[LOW MILE SS]

x2 on the water wetter and gm coolant. I run 160 and have in all my gm perf. cars for years. Only problem got 1 bad thermo in my 3rd gen. replaced it no other problems.

[96lt1m6]

160* stat for 5 years
winter time sucks, barely any heat but let the car sit and idle for a while.......

[zooguy]

Bad. Wont let the oil get to temp car will run rich. No

any one else have issues like this?

[jaysz2893]

any one else have issues like this?
This is the controversy I have heard. I have the opposite problem, my car runs lean.

[96lt1m6]

any one else have issues like this?

Absolutely not!


This is the controversy I have heard. I have the opposite problem, my car runs lean.

Jaysz2893
Did you have a chip burned for you with the 160*stat in mind? I had that problem many years ago with Speed Density and my chip tuner messed with the spark tables and i added a heated O2. it was spot on after that!

[CALL911]

Not sure what chris is talking about. The 160 thermostat is a great idea, and nothing but good things come from it. If you drive it in sub freezing (well below 0 F) and you have also done the throttle body bypass mod, your temps may not fully get up to normal running temps. But what does that do? It just means the car doesn't get hot enough to circulate the anti-freeze through it basically. Is it bad? I would say its not ideal, as ideally you want to be running at the lowest NORMAL running temps. But I really don't see too much harm, and again, this is for some extreme cold driving. I would think most guys don't drive these cars when the temperature outside gets that cold anyways.

The positives are simply that you will run cooler, and thus increase engine longevity. Guys like myself running forced induction (supercharger, or turbocharger) already see hotter temps than N/A guys, so doing this mod is a must. Even for N/A guys, I highly reccomend it.

[SexyTransAm]

got one in mine and love it!

[jaysz2893]

Did you have a chip burned for you with the 160*stat in mind? I had that problem many years ago with Speed Density and my chip tuner messed with the spark tables and i added a heated O2. it was spot on after that!

Yep , the chip was burned for 52mm tb, 160* stat, LT headers with no EGR/AIR.or Cats. I did have the infamous intake leak and a burned header gasket. I fixed both and was still lean. I have the heated O2 conversoin with new Delco sensors. So far the only real fix was a bigger Fuel Pump hot wired to the alt and cranking the idle Fuel Pressure up to 50 psi on stock injectors. I am gonna have to get with a tuner friend of mine and see what needs to be tweaked.

[96lt1m6]

yes sir i strongly suggest that....... wideband will be your best friend here!

[quicksilver]

Ive seen before and after dyno charts showing a 10hp gain with the 160*