# 160 Degree Thermostat????



## GTOMOE9 (Jun 14, 2010)

i wanna buy a 160 thermostat but idk if its bad for the cars cooling system like if it makes it work its self to death the stay around 160 

if anyone know any pros and cons about it that would be great thanks


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Nope, it's easier on the cooling system as the thermostat will open at 160 allowing coolant to flow. The heater will be crappy in the winter, and some say it needs to be hotter to burn off residue in the oil. But, for a warm climate driver a 160 will make more power than a 195 and overheat less. A 180 is a nice compromise stat.


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## GTOMOE9 (Jun 14, 2010)

thanks man really appreciate the advice


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

jetstang said:


> Nope, it's easier on the cooling system as the thermostat will open at 160 allowing coolant to flow. The heater will be crappy in the winter, and some say it needs to be hotter to burn off residue in the oil. But, for a warm climate driver a 160 will make more power than a 195 and overheat less. A 180 is a nice compromise stat.


Not true. I been running a 160 for two years with temps in the 20's. The heater works just fine, your talking normal operating temp in the 170's. A 180 is a waist of money because stock is 186. The 160's starts to open at 160, its not fully open at 160.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

GM4life said:


> Not true. I been running a 160 for two years with temps in the 20's. The heater works just fine, your talking normal operating temp in the 170's. A 180 is a waist of money because stock is 186. The 160's starts to open at 160, its not fully open at 160.


I'm not talking LS GTO's, I'm talking 30 years of owning/modifying cars. Most cars had 195s. 160 will make the heater less efficient than a 195 or 186. Less water temp will make the heater produce less heat, right?


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

jetstang said:


> I'm not talking LS GTO's, I'm talking 30 years of owning/modifying cars. Most cars had 195s. 160 will make the heater less efficient than a 195 or 186. Less water temp will make the heater produce less heat, right?


Right now we're talking about GTO's. And the LSx have 186 thermostats I know this for a fact. Back before the GenIII sbc/genVII bbc GM motors had 195's, thats not the point. You'll start to feel heat way before your thermostat starts to open. Many people don't realize that but you do. One hundred plus degree water is pretty hot. And like I said the thermostat starts to open at 160, all thermostats are not fully open by the advertized temp, thats when they start to open. Normal operating temp with a 160 is in the 170's low 180's. I've used my 160 in frezzing temps and the heater works very well just like the stock 186 stat.


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## Mike_V (Mar 10, 2006)

I have the 160 and heat is perfect. My temp is always 180-200sh. You have to change when the fans kick on too.


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

I threw a CEL with the SLP t-stat for not hitting operating temps. I went to Auto Zone and bought a stocker, CEL went away. I got fusterated and just returned the 160. It was probally just defective.

I've never really heard any issues with them though.


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

I'm not trying to disagree with anyone about t-stats but, according to the machinist who rebuilt my 66 389, replacing the t-stat with a 160 degree does not mean the water temp will be 160 degrees.

When the water temp reaches 160 the t-stat starts to open and soon will be wide open causing the water to speed thru the cooling system and not allow the radiator time to properly dissipate the heat.

The factory 185-190 t-stat slows the water and keeps the hot water in the radiator longer allowing the water to cool.

My 66 and 67 have the factory t-stats and neither have overheating issues.


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

I've got a SLP 160 in mine and never through a CEL. Runs great.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I use the factory T-stat, but have tuned my fans to come on at 203. Really there is no power benefit of a lower temp thermostat. Stay away from underdrive pulleys as well... they make your water pump spin slower, and do you really want that in an hour of stop & go traffic at a max of 5MPH on a hot day?


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

The point of it is is to reduce heat soak. The hotter the engine and the compartment the more the computer pulls timing. I had the stocker in there for sometime after I installed the cam. I had an experianced tuner advise me to install a 160 or 170 T-stat. Couldn't fine a 170. The big reason is it gets hot were I live and our engine compartments don't really breath all that well. No body says you have to run one its totaly up to the owner.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

If you're doing a lot of sitting/idling then it's probably a good idea. But if you're rolling most of the time, you're shedding that underhood heat. If you're looking to "add power" this is not the mod for you...

I've taken a somewhat different approach to underhood temps. I pulled the nostril plugs, removed the hood liner (discussed in another thread) and removed the radiator shroud. I've gotten a pretty good handle on IATs from just that (the intake helps too), but our summers aren't that ridiculously hot, and its unusual I get stuck in traffic. It still gets hot under there, and my intake will heatsoak a bit while I sit in parking lots flashing a tune, but the temps drop quickly once I get moving again.

It'll probably be something I look at again more in-depth when I'm in doing a cam.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

I don't think lower T-stats are viewed as power adders. Just like when people relocate the IAT. They just reduce the amount of heat soak. My engine runs cooler going down the street than the stocker did. And cools off a lot quicker when driving around in traffic. 

If your worried about engine effiency and emissions, no worries. I had no problems, my engine gets about the same gas mileage as it was stock. I passed my SMOG test with flying colors.


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## roy (Jun 1, 2010)

*160 vs stock*

I;ve been following along with this 160 vs stock thermo as the theory is,
GM runs the LS motors very hot, strickly for emissions reasons, the hotter they run the better they burn off pollutants, pulling the stock thermo (185's-190's) for a 160 supposidly allows the engine to run cooler, this means you have to adjust the fan on temp or willl the computer do this for you??
Anyway, will this mod. give you more HP? i'm not sure.
But, I;m told the 160 thermo will make for a cooler running motor, which is a good thing & will come into play if & when you do more engine mods.
Kinda makes sense, eh?


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Cooler air and fuel makes more horse power, both are denser. That's why you used to run cool cans with ice for fuel lines, and cool cars down between rounds at the drag strip. Cars are faster in dry 60 than humid 90's, right?
Have you ever seen anybody heat their car to 200 degrees before a run at the strip, hell no, they push them through the staging lanes, and only start them right before the run. Cold is good, nitrous supercools the cylinder allowing more fuel into the cylinder, nitrous does not burn. 160 degree stats open at 160 and if your cooling system is good enough, the gauge will stay at 160, as a 180, 195 does. A 160 stat will keep fluid in the radiator long enough to cool. Removing the thermostat and not putting a washer in there to restrict flow will not let the water stay in the radiator long enough to cool.
Cooling 101...


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## 87GN06GTO07IRL (Aug 10, 2009)

Poncho Dan said:


> Really there is no power benefit of a lower temp thermostat. Stay away from underdrive pulleys as well... they make your water pump spin slower, and do you really want that in an hour of stop & go traffic at a max of 5MPH on a hot day?


Heat=more friction and both=less power. If you make a dyno run with a hot and a cold engine the colder one will make more power. A few degrees will make a difference. Do a few other mods that shave off a few degrees and your set.

Underdrive pulleys designed for street use do not slow down the pump enough to make a difference. Race pulleys are a different story. I have a udp on mine and temps didn't change in rush hour from stock to underdrive. Even if it did this is what fans are for. I set mine to run once the engine is started. Fans are cheap.



As far as the heat feeling different i never noticed a difference in my winter car. To a human 160 and 186 will feel the same. HOT!

If you do get a cel for engine not reaching operating temp disable it with hpt if you have it or have your tuner do it.


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