180 or 190 thermostat?

-
fnaramore

fnaramore

POWEEERRRRRR
Joined
May 30, 2013
Messages
331
Reaction score
11
Location
Fairfax, VA
Hey guys, just wanted to hear which you all prefer to get the most out of your engines in the summer. Not having over heating issues at all, car sits at 190 will cruising and 205-210 at a light, just wanted to know if I could get a bit more power running a bit cooler.
 
Engines make more power the hotter they run, not cooler.
 
Question answered then! Lol knew I could count on you to give an answer.... Or a snarky remark haha
 
That doesn't necessarily mean to get the hotter thermostat. All the thermostat does is regulate how quickly the engine warms up and the minimum operating temperature. It doesn't do anything as far as maximum temperature. All of that is controlled by the radiator, fan and the rest of the cooling system.
 
Oh, I already have a 190 in there, I was just considering moving down ten degrees. I already have the biggest monster of a radiator that will fit in my car, high volume pump and all so I'm not really concerned about over-heating, it was just a power thing
 
i cant see how 10 deg.is going to matter.i would leave it alone if your not overheating
 
In the old days, like when these cars were less than 10 years old, it was 180* winter, 190* summer. Reason given above, heat quicker for winter.
 
The max hot idling temp will depend on the rad, fan, shrouds, etc. Changing the stat will not change that, but it should buy you more time from when you first come to a stop 'til the temp gets high. More or less power depends somewhat where the air for your engine is coming from. If you have a cool air kit where the outside air dominates the air entering the carb, then hotter may help power. But if all the air entering the engine is coming through the radiator, and the air temp is heated by the rad, then lowering the stat temp at cruise MAY cool the air down a bit (depends a LOT on the radiator design), make it a bit denser, and perhaps give better power. There is no sure answer....you just gotta look at your set up and try it.
 
Louie70Dart said:
In the old days, like when these cars were less than 10 years old, it was 180* winter, 190* summer. Reason given above, heat quicker for winter.
Click to expand...
Dead wrong.
190* opens later & closes sooner= hotter heat. Not exactly what you want in summer driving sitting in traffic. Even a 190* t-stat won't give you heat any quicker, just more consistant hotter heat on cold days.

As other have posted the thermostat temp rating has little effect on maximum(peak running) temperature. However running the engine without one can cause higher temps because the water flows through the engine too quickly & doesn't allow for the necessary heat transfer from the engine into the water.

180* t-stat should be fine.
 
That's what was called for in my car, a 1970 Dart Swinger. So........what is 108 difference going to make? The cars always run hotter anyway. The lower temp gave you heat quicker, that's the only reason for it.
 
Lonewolf3165 said:
Dead wrong.
190* opens later & closes sooner= hotter heat. Not exactly what you want in summer driving sitting in traffic. Even a 190* t-stat won't give you heat any quicker, just more consistant hotter heat on cold days.

As other have posted the thermostat temp rating has little effect on maximum(peak running) temperature. However running the engine without one can cause higher temps because the water flows throught the engine too quickly & doesn't allow for the necessary heat transfer from the engine into the water.

180* t-stat should be fine.
Click to expand...
The 180 (or even a 165/160) can be used in winter to open the flow sooner and get heat to the heater core and the passengers. It can take a loooong time to get a 190 t-stat open on a very cold winter day with the car zipping down the road in all that cold air, and with a low HP, large surface engine like a 170 or 225.
 
Just food for thought, Be Cool uses a 180 stat in all their systems.

My builder uses 180 deg on his dyno as well.
 
For what it is worth, I don't run a thermostat on mine. I have different pulley's to slow the water down and a big cross flow aluminum radiator with an 8 blade PRW mechanical water pump, Fiscous fan & NO Shroud along with a 29PSI Cap. Mine runs 175* most all of the time no matter how hard I beat on it. I did see it Creep to about 195*-200* last summer in stop and go traffic. Mine works well as is and I run it hard. As said if it works the way you have it...... leave it alone. Mine is a 410 Stroker, Solid Cam, Iron Heads & on a 180 NOS hit to boot.
 
Does anybody happen to know the 318s normal operating temperature range and it's max temperature
 
nm9stheham said:
The 180 (or even a 165/160) can be used in winter to open the flow sooner and get heat to the heater core and the passengers. It can take a loooong time to get a 190 t-stat open on a very cold winter day with the car zipping down the road in all that cold air, and with a low HP, large surface engine like a 170 or 225.
Click to expand...
The misconception being used here is the thermostat opens to provide the heat. It doesn't. It opens to allow the water to flow throught the radiator to cool the engine down. Even when the engine is ice cold it's circulating coolant through the heater core(as regulated by the heater control valve). The thermostat does NOT close off the flow through the heater hoses. By installing a lower temp rated therostat you actually are reducing the heat process by allowing the heated coolant to flow through the radiator sooner. A higher temp thermostat(like a 190*) would keep the coolant from flowing into the radiator until it reached the higher temp so that the coolant flowing into the heater core would be allowed to reach a higher temperature. However it doesn't make the coolant heat up any faster(from cold until say 180*). It just causes it to be heated longer before it's allowed to be cooled by the radiator after the t-stat opens up.

Think about it, a car with a t-stat that's stuck closed will still produce heat but will cause the engine to overheat. While a car with a t-stat that's stuck open takes a lot longer to produce heat & may never get very warm on a cold day.

For most of our classic A-bodies running on the steet a 180* t-stat is just fine. If in the cold winter you feel you don't have adequeate heat then maybe try the 190*.

I hope this helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top