180 vs 160 Thermostat
- Thread starter Stang2003GT
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triggz
Founding Member
Cool is not necessarily good..
For the BEST performance you want a HOT block and cold heads/intake.. of course thats not possible in the real world.. Neither would it good for internal wear. Your engine will wear best at 180*+.. it is designed for longevity at this operating temperature.
With that being said, get the 180*. It will bring the engine to around 188-190* during normal driving around town which I'd consider a healthy temperature.
For the BEST performance you want a HOT block and cold heads/intake.. of course thats not possible in the real world.. Neither would it good for internal wear. Your engine will wear best at 180*+.. it is designed for longevity at this operating temperature.
With that being said, get the 180*. It will bring the engine to around 188-190* during normal driving around town which I'd consider a healthy temperature.
the98stang
Active Member
As stated, the 160 is a bad idea. It's a piece of history that does not apply to these fuel injected engines. 160 is just a tad too cool.
If you get a 180, you may also wish to get your fan configured to turn on at 180 as well. With a lower temp thermostat, your car is going to start releasing coolant to the radiator earlier than stock, so you may as well start cooling it while it's there.
If you get a 180, you may also wish to get your fan configured to turn on at 180 as well. With a lower temp thermostat, your car is going to start releasing coolant to the radiator earlier than stock, so you may as well start cooling it while it's there.
jstreet0204
Active Member
4u2nv said:As stated, the 160 is a bad idea. It's a piece of history that does not apply to these fuel injected engines. 160 is just a tad too cool.
If you get a 180, you may also wish to get your fan configured to turn on at 180 as well. With a lower temp thermostat, your car is going to start releasing coolant to the radiator earlier than stock, so you may as well start cooling it while it's there.
+1
There are also temperature thresholds in the eec the depend on the engine being up to atleast 180. One being the change over from the richer startup fuel table to leaner stabilized fuel table. Unless these thresholds are changed you will lose power if the engine runs too cool. Unless you are having problems with detonation, you aren't going to gain anything by changing it from stock.
John Smith
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- Dec 3, 2005
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I just installed a temp gauge in my car (which has a 160º thermostat) and my car stays right at 180º driving around town. It starts to go up a little if I am sitting in traffic. On the stock gauge this seems to translate too a few ticks before the center of the gauge. Of course my tune has the fan coming on earlier and often.
TangerineGT96
New Member
i have a 180 in my car and i like it alot. it stays between the n and the o. i have also heard for some people that a 160 is to cold and will make the check engine light come on
03ghoststang
Well-Known Member
03stage2roush
New Member
if you lower the thremostat temp you need to make sure it's within the specs of the tune. you don't want to be in open loop all the time. a 160 degree thermostat would require the PCM to be retuned for it.
Mirrahasmycar
New Member
Stang2003GT said:
The cooler thermostat will make your fan kick on at 160 instead of 180, the benifits are a slightly cooler motor, a few more hp and with that I would assume a very slight increase in mpg, this is because the engine is more efficient at a little bit lower temp than stock.
the lowest i would consider going is also 180. my tuner told me to get a 180 thermo. i havent gotten it yet but he set my fan for it. he when you get it i can just pop it in.
my fan is now running constantly trying to bring the engine temp down i guess. i will probably wear out my fan if i dont get the thermo.
my fan is now running constantly trying to bring the engine temp down i guess. i will probably wear out my fan if i dont get the thermo.
jstreet0204
Active Member
Mirrahasmycar said:
This is incorrect. The thermostat doesn't have any control over what temp the fans come on. A cooler motor in not more efficient, and gas mileage will go down with a cooler thermostat.
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