160 thermo stat

[93-3928]

3928 came from AZ and is running a 160 t-stat. A 180 t-stat ws part of the sale and has yet to be installed. The car will not be driven in cold weather months. My question(s) are: Should I leave the 160 in or replace with the 180? I live in MD and it gets hot (however not AZ out)? Will the 160 effect performance? Should I be worried about not getting temps to the right levels when driving? Is anyone else running a 160?

Never had this issue. Looking for some feedback.

Thank You,
Tom
3928

[WillyB93]

3928 came from AZ and is running a 160 t-stat. A 180 t-stat ws part of the sale and has yet to be installed. The car will not be driven in cold weather months. My question(s) are: Should I leave the 160 in or replace with the 180? I live in MD and it gets hot (however not AZ out)? Will the 160 effect performance? Should I be worried about not getting temps to the right levels when driving? Is anyone else running a 160?

Never had this issue. Looking for some feedback.

Thank You,
Tom
3928

I would swap it out to the 180* if not the factory 195*, the overall running is self adjusting to the temperature of the motor and what the sensors are telling the computer. Obviously this isn't a 2015 model, but IMO it will affect some driveability, may even affect MPG if you are looking for that LOL.

[93Cobra#2771]

180 at a bare minimum...

[BrentE]

180 at a bare minimum...

Agreed, the 160 will not let the engine get into the normal operating mode and as a result you will run too rich, maybe even fail the tailpipe smog test. 180 is cool enough. I know it seems like lower temp = less stress & wear, but the computer thinks it is still in warm-up mode at 160. At 180 you are running a bit cool but should not have issues with the fuel/air ratio being too rich. At 160 you will, and the power actually suffers as a result. The 160 thermostat is for racing only, where you generate crazy amounts of heat and are running WOT a good percentage of the time - and you dont care about getting a pass on a smog test.

I would spend some bucks on a good oil cooler setup like that Mishimoto direct-fit job if you are just looking to protect the engine from heat damage. The thermostatic unit is best unless you live in a really hot area with warm winters (So Cal, lower elevations in AZ, etc). It keeps oil breakdown at a minimum, even though that is not much of a problem anymore with high quality synthetic oil, but they help a bit and they look nice with the AN fittings & nice hoses.

[BrettT]

I'm running a 160 and just passed the smog test here in MD with ease today!!!



However, my car has under drive pulleys on it witch doesn't cool the car off efficiently. That may play a roll in why the 160 works in my car. Also, I make sure I get the engine real hot before arriving at the emission station. I can actually get the temp up to close to 200 Right before pulling up for the test. The car doesn't even get a chance to cool down before hand...

I don't notice any performance issues, if anything a little better pull in the low end.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BrentE]

I'm running a 160 and just passed the smog test here in MD with ease today!!!



However, my car has under drive pulleys on it witch doesn't cool the car off efficiently. That may play a roll in why the 160 works in my car. Also, I make sure I get the engine real hot before arriving at the emission station. I can actually get the temp up to close to 200 Right before pulling up for the test. The car doesn't even get a chance to cool down before hand...

I don't notice any performance issues, if anything a little better pull in the low end.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cool news, and thanks for the post. I was basing what I said on info from the guy where I get my car smogged every other year. Maybe he is full of it, but it made sense to me. He told me that a lot of people pull the thermostat completely here in So Cal and that they run too roch as a result, and sometimes that will make them fail the tailpipe sniffer test. Who knows? I keep mine at 180 after hearing that, but I have an Edelbrock Victor pump and a Fluidyne 3 rown radiator, and that car rarely budges from the 180 mark even when running hard up a long hill like the Cajon pass. That seems cool enough for me. I run an oil cooler too, that seems to help a bit as well.

[93Cobra#2771]

With a 160tstat and a properly functioning cooling system, the EEC tries to raise the engine temp by:

• Richening the a/f mixture
• Adjusting the timing

That's assuming the cooling system is up to task. If your engine temp is getting to 200, then it isn't up to task.