This seems to be a somewhat popular point of argument amongst 3rd gen people.. I was originally running a 195, then went to 160 w/out heat, and now i'm up to a 180 w/ heat. I think i'll be content, but i'm interested to see what everyone else is running.

 

Oh no, not this topic ... AGAIN!

Last time this topic hit the board there was a TON of arguements.

I'm not commenting any further on this topic....

 

180°F with a stock ECM and no problems for four years.

 

Ah yes my friend from the city of Waynesstock but there is only one correct answer, a 195.

 

180* in winter , 160* in summer, non computer controlled too.

 

I'm running a 160* and have no problems at all, I still have the stock fan switch so around town it will still get to about 190* or so, but on the interstate it stays at 160* without the fan ever comming on. I don't know where you guys live that blowing air across a 160* heater core won't heat it up but " D A M N". ya'll must live in the arctic or something.

 

hehe.. it looks like no one wants to touch this topic. i dont' blame them, it has been beat to death so take a look around the previous post on this forum..

 

stock 195

 

AC Delco 170º t-stat.

 

195* winter use, heat at vents is 150* with 195*. 180* Summer use heat at vent in winter with 180* are 120* as tested two weeks ago.

 

160 year round

 

Ditto. This is the temp TPIS says that this is the optimal temp for Tuned Port engines.

 

me too...

 

180 year round.

 

TPIS :sillylol:

Those are a bunch of overpaid idiots that have too much time on their hands and make up a bunch of BS theories and charge outrageous prices.

The truth is that every car is different. You have to do your OWN testing to find out what is optimal for YOUR car.

170* "might" be optimal for a STOCK engine but I'm sure the majority of the people on this website aren't running STOCK engines.

Sorry for the ranting but I just really don't like TPIS.

 

After numorous overheating problems, I had my 160 installed and finally got an air dam!!!( unbelievable difference.thank *** for air dam) BUt during these cold winter dayd it seem to run at 150 in the highway so because of my history i'm happy as hell but some may say too cold but i have to go with 160 year round and a manual fan switch!!

 

With aluminum heads, I like the hotter 180deg stat to keep the chamber temps up. The car physically felt lazier w/ a 160deg stat and I lost .3sec in the 1/4 mile consistently. Might be even better w/ a 195deg stat, haven't tested it yet.

With iron heads I'd lean toward the 160deg stat but still test against a 180deg before making a decision. Iron retains chamber heat more effectively than aluminum.

 

When i originally started this thread, i was running a 160* with no heat. I've since then replaced the heater core and the thermostat with a 180* as it said in the post above.

Interestingly enough, the temperature is unchanged. The heater core is keeping it right down around 165 or so. I also changed the antifreeze, suppose that helped.

 

i've had a 180* in there for a while without any problems. mostly stock engine.

also, i recently swapped my 92 conv back to the 85-90 ground effects, and since it was winter and i have no garage, i could only paint small panels and went with the red/gold look until i can get a real paint job. but i saw yours that looked to be maroon/gold, checked out the pictures you posted, and saw you were in FL and had a crappy interior. if you want a place to take it for interior work, hit "Willison Gator Upholstery" in Williston, about 25 min south of Gainesville.

the guy does real good work, and very cheap. he did all 4 of my seats in a synthetic leather for $450, and same price for cloth i think. (btw, moving back up north, the synthetic feels real good when it's warm, but when it gets real cold it feels to vinyl-like, but still no regrets for that price)

 

180 with a 204 fan switch non cumputer controled of course.

 

The only way to properly tell is to hook your car to a diacom scanner or a laptop and make sure it doesn't run in open loop. Mine will run year round here in So. Calif. with a 180* in closed loop.

 

180 all the time or a 170 drilled for constant flow. heat in the winter and still stays cool in the staging lanes at the local drags during the summer. runs a little warm during the traffic in the summer with the ac on. in my opinion the best all around.

 

Normally they will go to closed loop after the temp hits around 105-110 degrees and the O2 sensor 550-600 deg. You can also ground the ALDL test point with the engine running and the SES light frequency and pulse duration will tell you whether its in open or closed loop as well as whether its running rich or lean.