What temp ya'll shootin' for w/ your cars?

Well more specifically. aluminum headed 5 liters. I've always shot for 180 degrees but my life would be a lot easier if i settled for 210 degrees but i always thought that was just a lil too hot on aluminum headed cars.
 
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210* shouldn't be too bad for alum heads. You don't wanna start creeping up from there however. I find that when it's over 100*F, it's hard for me to keep temps under 100* over ambient. I.e., if it's 110* outside, I run at 210*F. The air coming off the hot asphalt is probably 130-150* and there's not much temperature differential there between ambient and operating temps (with regard to exchange across the coil).

If you're at about 90* right now, I'd shoot for just above your t-stat rating. This little BS tech note might bring up a few reminders of things to check over and consider.

Good luck.
 
I'm waiting with bated breath to see how high my coolant temps. will go when it gets up to 115- 120*F this summer. Right now my gauge stays on O driving on the highway at 80-85mph (~3000rpm) at an ambient temp. of 95*F.
 
and are ya'll running the stock fan set up or do you have the fan ran to a switch?

I have the stock fan set-up and control but I noticed that the low speed fan comes on about 10*F earlier after I installed an external Hayden tranny fluid cooler and bypassed the heat exchanger in the radiator. Removing the heater tube assembly from the intake manifold and installing a Breeze Automotive ECT elbow kit also helped further.
The fan used to come on when the gauge was on M but now it comes on when the gauge is between O and R. It goes off again when the gauge is between N and O.
 
i had a 160* when i got my car and that just didn't work for anything. put a 180* in there and have been happy ever since. if your worried, get an aluminum radiator and put the fan on a manual switch. and get an actual temp guage so you know whats going on. i just don't trust those stock ones.