Over heating questions

Essentially, if you run a 160* thermostat, you might as well throw the thermostat in the ditch and run without one. A 160* thermostat will be open almost the entire time your engine is running.

1968FormulaS340 is right. Running an engine well below its intended operating range does shorten its life span. I cannot explain it in depth but I know slantsixdan is really sharp at it as I have seen him explain it before. It makes perfect sense.

I know the factories routinely cut the electric fans on at around 230-240 degrees. Engines MUST run hot enough to keep contaminants and moisture boiled out of the oil. If you run an engine below about 180 for long periods, it is more prone to sludge buildup, as the moisture and contaminants are never gotten rid of, so they continually build up.

Keep in mind, for every one pound the cooling system is under, the boiling point is raised 3 degrees. That means with a 15 pound cap, your boiling point is now 257* and that is with water, not coolant. Coolant boils at even a higher point than water. This is why most aftermarket gauges read 260* on the hot side.

An internal combustion engine by definition runs on FIRE. The hotter it gets to a point, the better it runs and the longer it lasts. Keeping it too cool does it no good and can be detrimental in the long run. Like I said, I'm not smart enough to know all the hows and whys, but I know that it is a fact.

Oh and lastly, the thermostat has ZERO to do with how hot an engine gets. It does however control the minimum operating temperature.