Choosing a Thermostat

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franknitticutlass

Greasemonkey
Aug 17, 2009
189
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How do I know what degree thermostat to choose when building an engine? While at my local auto parts store purchasing some intake gaskets I needed. A sales rep told me I needed to replace my 180 degree thermostat with a 160 degree thermostat. I just said ok and left. How would a 160 thermostat perform and what are the advantages/ disadvantages of a 180 thermostat? SBC 350 mild build
 

patmckinneyracing

Royal Smart Person
Jan 18, 2009
2,021
3
36
San Antonio, TX
Hey Frank,
I'm using a 160 degree stant from NAPA with 2 1/8 drilled holes on the sides. They are one of the best to get. DO NOT, and I can't stress this enough, buy a mr. gasket thermostat or any of those out of advance or autozone's performance section. My father and I both tried them and I barely had 10k miles and my temp climbed to 225 at one point.

Now you gotta figure what part of the country your in. I'm using a 160 with a flex fan and s-blade electric fan on a switch because I'm in south texas where we get decent winters and hot summers. My motor stays at 170 on a nice day cruising on the highway. Since your in Michigan, and I don't know if you drive yours everyday during all seasons, I would suggest sticking with a 180 which helps your motor heat up faster during cold starts and giving you warmer air. Are you still running the heater in your car?
 

franknitticutlass

Greasemonkey
Aug 17, 2009
189
0
0
I don't drive my car in the winter season, only spring and summer. I have not done any highway driving in this car at all and don't plan to. I have removed all of my ac/heater components recently.
 

patmckinneyracing

Royal Smart Person
Jan 18, 2009
2,021
3
36
San Antonio, TX
Damn dude, I sware everytime I do something your right on my heels lol. Then go ahead with the 160 degree thermostat. Some guys will disagree and say that it doesn't keep your engine hot enough, but It will put your engine right in the perfect temp range for good cruising and performance.
 

DRIVEN

Geezer
Apr 25, 2009
8,062
14,479
113
*CENSORED*
A 160 or 180 will be fine. In my past experiences on non-Gbodys, I found that even with a 160 it will probably actually run closer to 180 unless you have a really efficient cooling system. It's not likely that you will notice any performance gains either way.
 

79cuttycholo

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Oct 21, 2009
14
0
0
if u live in a sumwhat hot climate a 160 will do cuz ur motor will probably still be running at arouund 190 anyways but if u live in a colder climate ur heater will always be luke warm and believe it or not but if u keep over cooling your engine youll damage it because when the motor is not in its heat range the pistons and rings and etc dnt expand to there tolerances so your creating drag when the motor is at around 190-220 its in its perfect tolerances and ive found usin 160 thermostat my engine runs a alittle rich and when i did switch to 180 thermostat i started to burn all my fuel again
 
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