A 195* t-stat would probably be fine, unless you live so far south that you could throw a rock and hit Mexico- but even then you don't need a 180* t-stat to keep from overheating, most people find just using a flex fan or the cop spec fan clutch will keep it in check QUOTE]
stangbear, good stuff, as usual, from you. however, i beg to differ a little bit, since you replied about not even needing a 180 in hot southern climates.
the previous owner of my stang replaced everything with stock stuff (too dumb to upgrade). even with a new rad, water pump, 180* t-stat, fresh coolant (about 40 coolant/60 distilled water), new rad cap, new fan blade and h.d clutch and water wetter, if one chooses to run the a/c, all bets are off. i do live a stone's throw from mexico (tucson). we see temps of 110* in summer. when sittin in traffic, id run at around 200-205* (no a/c). now turn on the a/c (im already dying), and it climbs to 220 before i kill it. it would continue to escalate. now were i to have even one upgrade (esp:3 core rad), i bet all would be much better. now once ambient temps even get down to 95, i can run at 190-195. when it is ~75* ambient temp, i run at 170-180 (i have aftermarket gauge, obviously). so cooling system is up to par. just extreme heat is killer. my eclipse runs hot as heck in summer, while not getting warm enough while driving to get decent heat when cold out.
not trying to nit pick, but i was afraid that people in really hot climates with totally stock cooling systems would freak out based on what you said, thinking something horrible is wrong. every 5.0 i know of here, runs a 180 or 160, have 3 cores and some have mark 8 fans just to cope with the heat.
some people do band aid things. a cooling system may not be up to par, but rather than replace a million things, it can be a good compromise to just run a cooler t-stat. not a perfect world.
theoretically (and otherwise), i agree with you. cool?
