Are low temp thermostats a good idea?

Are low temp thermostats a good idea?
The stock thermostat in my car is 180 degrees, would I see any benifits using a 170 degree thermostat or is that a bad idea? What pro's are there and what cons are there?

takes longer for your car to warm up..i wouldnt use it, for you i see no use in getting one..

You also have to have your fan come on at the lower temp are it will eventually get to 180 or to whatever temp the fan has been told to come on at. All you are really doing is slowing down the time takes to get there if the fan doesn't come on at the same temp that thermostat opens. You can run more timing sometimes if the car is running at a lower temp because there's less chance or predetonation. I know on my car 180* is about as low as you want to go.

180 is perfect. Do not change it.

okay thanks everyone.

I'm running a 160* witch keeps the actual engine temp at 175-180 in the summer. Runs around 160-165 in the winter.

Most ECUs start to give erratic closed loop fuel enrichment and timing advance if the engine temps drop below 180. The old Mustangs used to get by okay with a 160, but in my experience with a lot of experimentation, the best thermostat for most applications is 180. Even those old stangs run better with it.

I always ran a 180 in my 5.0, it came stock with a 190. I've always seen what Matt said about the 160's screwing with the ECT readings. Having said that, alot of cars are engineered to run at a different engine temps so I have no clue about the Tiburon. But I ran a 180 in my 5.0 for 150,000+ miles.

I always ran a 180 in my 5.0, it came stock with a 190. I've always seen what Matt said about the 160's screwing with the ECT readings. Having said that, alot of cars are engineered to run at a different engine temps so I have no clue about the Tiburon. But I ran a 180 in my 5.0 for 150,000+ miles. True. So I'd say go with the 180 that is already in there. You'll see the best cooling with it too. Speaking of what you said, I remember the mid 80s-early90s Chevy small-blocks running temps in the lower 200s stock. They boiled! It was done for emissions... Damn CAFE!!!!

It really depends on how your ECU works.... When I put in a 71c to replace my 80c it caused the car to run rich because the ECU thought the engine was cold.. Save your money.. it doesn't get that hot in WV anyways :P

I run the 180 too, stock was 190 I believe. I also have my fan coming on at 180 too. Wow, I'm late on this, lol.

The thermostat I have is 160. But I have no problems running 180 plus engine temperatures.

i've ran different ranges in my 5.0 from 160 to 190 and i stuck with the 180. car just seems to do better with it

Damn this is an old topic. :lol:

The thermostat I have is 160. But I have no problems running 180 plus engine temperatures. Is the fan told to switch on at a lower temp to match the thermo stat you run?

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