I flushed it when I changed the water pump...When was the last time your system was flushed?
The myth about a 160 stat running better was dispelled many years ago. Sorry, but a 160 stat does not cool better than a 192 or 180. It opens too soon and does not let the heat dissipate enough into the coolant that is either in the engine or radiator. The coolant actually goes to fast. In addition, the stat will constantly be opening and closing.
Likewise it is a myth that the coolant can flow too fast through the radiator. It has no effect whatsoever on the energy transferred from the engine to the coolant to the radiator to the air in a given amount of time. What it does do is lower the temperature difference between the hottest and coldest parts of the cooling system.
Besides, if the thermostat was constantly cycling, then doesn't that suggest a surplus of cooling capacity?
I respectfully disagree with your statements regarding coolant heat absorption and thermal dynamics as it pertains to dispersing of heat in an engine.. A constantly cycling or wide open thermostat at too low a temperature is not conducive to an efficiently running engine for a host of reasons. I don't have the time to elaborate on the facts supporting my posts, but it is readily available with a simple search.
I'm not doing the legwork to find your sources. Proposing that coolant can have insufficient time to transfer heat in the radiator or engine due to velocity suggests that the laws of thermodynamics themselves do not apply to automotive cooling systems anyway.
http://www.stewartcomponents.com/tech_tips/Tech_Tips_3.htm
Look under "coolant flow rate" about half way down:
http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/14...apability_in_high-performance_automobiles.htm