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**Rich Z** · 04-24-2006, 03:21 AM

Sometimes I feel old and maybe technology is advancing faster then I can keep up with it. But other times I wonder if maybe things are really just the same but marketing has just improved tremendously.

I'm sure you all get as many Corvette catalogs as I do, and nearly all of them have these lower temp thermostats either singly or with some sort of "performance package", claiming that using this thermostat will lower your engine running temps and subsequently increase the power of your engine.

Well, you know, I went through this same thing with my '66 GTO many moons ago, and what I discovered was a bit different then what they are telling us. What the temperature ratings of the thermostats indicate is the temperature at which the thermostat opens in order to allow coolant to start circulating in the engine. It's use is to allow the engine to reach proper operating temperature as quickly as possible, which is a pretty good thing in colder climates during the colder periods of the year.

However, no matter what temp thermostat you have, 160, 180, 200, etc., once it opens up completely, then the engine will reach it's operating temperature regardless of when that thermostats opened up. It's just that the 160 degree thermostat will open up sooner then the 200 degree one will. But in ALL instances the operating temperature of the engine will be the same in a very short time, regardless of at what temp the thermostat actually began to open. The ONLY way I found to help decrease the running temperature of an engine that has anything at all to do with a thermostat is by removing it completely. That's because all thermostats will cause a restriction in coolant flow. However, since modern engines may be designed to operate at the temperature that we get them from the factory, in fact, this may not be a real good thing to do.

So is this thermostat hype just snake oil, or have things changed dramatically since my earlier high performance days? Seems a lot of companies are touting the virtures of these lower temp thermostats, so either they are all really off base, or perhaps I am.

04-24-2006, 03:21 AM	#1
Rich Z Internet Sanitation Engineer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Crawfordville, FL Posts: 15,125 Name : Rich Zuchowski	Thermostat snake oil? Sometimes I feel old and maybe technology is advancing faster then I can keep up with it. But other times I wonder if maybe things are really just the same but marketing has just improved tremendously. I'm sure you all get as many Corvette catalogs as I do, and nearly all of them have these lower temp thermostats either singly or with some sort of "performance package", claiming that using this thermostat will lower your engine running temps and subsequently increase the power of your engine. Well, you know, I went through this same thing with my '66 GTO many moons ago, and what I discovered was a bit different then what they are telling us. What the temperature ratings of the thermostats indicate is the temperature at which the thermostat opens in order to allow coolant to start circulating in the engine. It's use is to allow the engine to reach proper operating temperature as quickly as possible, which is a pretty good thing in colder climates during the colder periods of the year. However, no matter what temp thermostat you have, 160, 180, 200, etc., once it opens up completely, then the engine will reach it's operating temperature regardless of when that thermostats opened up. It's just that the 160 degree thermostat will open up sooner then the 200 degree one will. But in ALL instances the operating temperature of the engine will be the same in a very short time, regardless of at what temp the thermostat actually began to open. The ONLY way I found to help decrease the running temperature of an engine that has anything at all to do with a thermostat is by removing it completely. That's because all thermostats will cause a restriction in coolant flow. However, since modern engines may be designed to operate at the temperature that we get them from the factory, in fact, this may not be a real good thing to do. So is this thermostat hype just snake oil, or have things changed dramatically since my earlier high performance days? Seems a lot of companies are touting the virtures of these lower temp thermostats, so either they are all really off base, or perhaps I am.