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What Temp of T-stat do you run?

  • OEM/Mopar

    Votes: 4 5.8%
  • 195°

    Votes: 13 18.8%
  • 180°

    Votes: 43 62.3%
  • 160°

    Votes: 6 8.7%
  • Dunno

    Votes: 3 4.3%

195°~180°~160° Thermostat? I dunno.

72K views 59 replies 27 participants last post by  Dee 
#1 · (Edited)
OK.. I have been digging through the forums and see that the 180 stat is what everyone is using. Today I was looking through Autozone.com, and I find 3 temps of thermostats for my vehicle: 195°, 180°, and 160° all available from several manufacturers..and very CHEAP too! I figure 195° is OEM, the 180° is what everyone uses to prevent/reduce knocking and pinging with SuperChips/Custom Flash/SCT.... So what applications would the 160° be used for? Is there such a thing as running too cool? What would the pros and cons be? I can only assume the 160° is used for some real intensive applications. I am intrigued to see if it would be any benefit for towing, since I inherited a HUGE camper. But as the Title says: I dunno. Anyone care to explain? I was going to buy the 180°, but I wanted this question answered first. Thanks a million.
 
#5 ·
As the son of an engine builder I consider myself knowing of what makes engines run right and run long. I have a 195 degree thermostat in my truck for a reason. A huge misconception about engines is that heat is bad, wrong, dead wrong, heat is a really good thing when it comes to engines, they're supposed to run hot, just not too hot. Plus in normal weather thermostats pretty much just affects how long it takes an engine to warm up. You want it to warm up as quick as possible and a 160 or 180 just increses the time that it takes for an engine to warm up causeing more damage to the engine in the long run. Not a ton, but it's better for the engine to run at proper operating temp.
 
#10 ·
remind me to never ask you for any advice on anything my friend..lol..just because your the son of an engine builder, dont mean your right. think ill take my chances on building my own engine....

that comment you made is by far.......................................WRONG!

the 195* thermo takes the engine longer to reach temperature. not the 160 or 180* a cooler running engine (all be it not too cool), makes parts wear longer. oil wont break down as fast with the duration of excessive heat buildup over time I.E.: 195* or more.

now my rule f thumb when it consists of the thermo is its all relative to where you live (in relation to climate change) and how well you dont mind having the heater not blow as hot with a 195* thermo in as compared to a 180*. the difference to many might be minimal, but for some, it may be the deciding factor of it.

i have a 180 i believe in mine, it was liek that when i got it, so needless to say, i wont be changing it unless i take my intake off to modify it or toss on either the 4bbl intake or the m1.
 
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#12 ·
Well, now that all depends realdeal. A lot of it has to do with the tune of the motor and any mods that are done. Stock our trucks run a little rich, even with the 195 t-stat. You throw a colder t-stat on there and it will run even more rich than stock. Then you run the risk of washing down the cylinder walls each time the injector fires because it's not burning off all the fuel. Not only does this affect the lubrication of the cylinder, but the extra fuel in the oil also shortens the life of the oil. For the average person driving their truck, who isn't running it hard, a 195 is the ideal temp to run since that is what the stock computer is tuned for. Not only will you get better gas mileage, but also better longevity. Once you start modding the motor, then it's a completely different story. And most performance tunes for our PCMs actually require a 180 t-stat because that's what they are tuned for to help with detonation.

Regardless, a 160 t-stat is way too cold for most people. I see blown guys running them for the extra cooling, but that's about it. 180 is pretty much the gold standard for performance builds.
 
#27 ·
thanks for pointing out the obvious....guess now im a master engine builder too..
 
#16 ·
i use a 475, helps the truck heat up faster. yeah, she heats up super quick with this bad boy. and performance??!! pssshhh, who needs a blower/turbo/n20/400+ c.i. when you have a high performance t-stat that produces enough heat to run on near afterburner like performance levels!!!
 
#23 ·
475 tstat just makes you beat a mustang with three people in it. You're going to want a lower tstat... :funny:

Just the general rules...180 tstat for warm weather 60+ degrees, 195 in winter/cold weather. You won't have heat if you run 180 tstat in the winter/cold!
 
#17 ·
The stock higher temp thermostat is for emissions only. Same with an enclosed engine compartment like the flap by the radiator, seals between the hood and engine bay, hood insulation etc. It is to keep a certian temp. Just like a cat is for emissions only, hottor the engine and exhaust, the more fuel it burns.
 
#19 ·
emissions are for 96 or less vechiles. Other than that you plug it into the OBD port. If you are worried about emissions, have them run an ASM test. They can run a test for a 25 year older vechile which requires NO emissions:) It's simply brakes/lights etc. Also known as a safety. Or else, get a blow dryer, heat up your sticker really hot, and peel it off with no issue, print a perfect new year number, and stick it back on. It isn't rocket science.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Aren't emissions for all vehicles? I mean isn't that why there are different emissions for different regions of the country? Or am I wrong? :huh:



I mean unless you have one of these vehicles.............
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-emissions_vehicle
 
#26 ·
I ran a 180 t-stat all winter in my truck. Sure the heat isn't as good as it would be with a 195, but it was adequate. Normally I would have switched over, but didn't have the time or a warm enough day for me to want to do it.

As far as the whole emissions talk, it's true to a point. Yes the 195 is for better emissions, but on an otherwise stock motor that isn't getting raced, or used hard, the 195 is the better option for gas mileage as well.

And as far as the rubber flap beside the radiator, that helps with the efficiency of your radiator. You get back to the whole path of least resistance thing there, and with the flap removed, the air will want to flow through the hole beside the radiator before it will want to flow through the radiator. It has little to do with emissions. It also helps keep water and road grime from getting into the engine bay as much. But it also tends to keep under hood temps down, which helps with engine cooling, since it is letting fresh air, that hasn't been heated by the radiator, into the engine compartment.
 
#29 ·
i run a 170 thermo in my 4x4 with an efan and no clutch.... works just fine....
 
#31 ·
My Durango has a 180 thermo....I drove it in weather where the windchill was close to zero and after starting it and letting it warm up, then driving four blocks to the highway, then my 25 miles ride on the highway, it never passed 140 degrees, and there was NO heat. I got sick after that....so, time to ditch the 180 tstat in the winter.
 
#43 ·
no time to move south for the winter :mullet:

guess im gettin a 180 tomorrow!
 
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#32 · (Edited)
Then something was wrong with the thermostat or else where. A 180 thermostat will not cause the engine to run at 140. The thermostat will begin to open at the temperature rating and be fully open at a few degrees higher. The ultimate temperature it get to is dependent on the amount of heat the motor generates, the ambient temperature and the ability of the cooling system to exchange the heat. You may not run any cooler with a 180 than a 195. It will not go below 180 as the thermostat will begin to close. A cooler thermostat will not cause it to take longer to warm up. A 180 and a 195 will get up to 180 at the same rate. The 180 will begin to open at 180 and the 195 will open at 195.

Also, the 195 is for emissions. The engine an cats will burn more efficiently at the warmer temperature but changing will not cause you to fail emissions testing. The difference is minimal to none. The same goes for mileage.
 
#34 ·
Also, the 195 is for emissions. The engine an cats will burn more efficiently at the warmer temperature but changing will cause you to fail emissions testing. The difference is minimal to none. The same goes for mileage.
explain why most if not all of us pass emission with the 180? or did i misread your quote
 
#37 ·
(In NJ anyway), they don't do an actual 'emissions' sniffer test if the vehicle is '96+. They take a mirror and look to see if you have a catalytic converter installed, they check it with an infrared thermometer to make sure it is functional and not just a shell, and then they plug the diagnostic computer into the OBD port. If the vehicle scans clean and the Check Engine light comes on when they test it (yes, they verify that there is a bulb in it by turning it on), they consider it passed for emissions.


Considering that I wasn't talking about testing and just that all vehicles do have emission standards from factory/DOT then, my point is proven. Thanks.
 
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#41 ·
Wooooooooooooops. Thank you for pointing that out. Typo. I meant to have a NOT in there.
 
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