Today I walked into a local Autozone to check on a low temp stat for my 89 rs.The clerk did his usual routine (what car, engine size, etc...) and I said I wanted a 170 or 180 degree stat.He looks at me like I'm from space and says "You wanna go lower?!?!"I'm like Yeah, a cooler engines a happier engine"I got what I wanted (a 180 stat) but the dude got me thinking, so I call my dad who works at a Autozone in a neighboring town.I explain it to my dad and he said that they are told to recommend higher degree stats to costumers!apparently it helps cars run better! I tried to explain cooler is better but arguing with your pop sux.Does anyone know wuzzup with their ideology?Is it that they dont understand "performance" since a majority of their costomers are Joe Schmoe just trying to get the car to run or what?Any thoughts appreciated.

 

Warmer stats is more for emissions, and burns the fuel better. A 180* stat is good for computer cars, but won't help much at all without a lower fan temp switch.

 

Oh yeah, cooler stats= cooler under hood temp= more hp

 

I'm lucky, the enviromental ***** are really rare here so we dont have emission testing.We require a cat but thats it. Any recommendations on a fan switch(how low can I safly go?).I just bought the camaro this week.It was a sweet deal.It was a chicks car (really babied) and only 83000 miles.I figured I'd start with cooling since its pretty easy. The only other problem is getting the code 32 but after reading the article on this sight I dont know if I sweat it or not.

 

A 190* or close to that fan temp switch perhaps, or wire it to whenever you want.

 

So far I've put 3 lower temp fan switches in. I wired all three of them into the same circuit (just splice into the fan wire coming off the temp switch on the passenger side of the engine) as the factory switch. I did this so I've got a backup. If/when (one of the aftermarket switches has failed so far) the add on switch fails, you've still got the factory switch as a back up. The fan coming on at a higher temp than you want is better than no fan coming on at all till you get a new add on switch installed.

 

first thing to understand about cars, autozone employee's are not mechanics. another thing to understand is not all mechanics understand anything outside of what was in the training they learned how to fix cars from. as for the thermostat, just sticking a cooler theremostat in isn't all that's needed to get the performance out.

 

mark,zr best or anyone else who has an opinion:I was just talking to a guy last night about all ao this.He works at the Ford plant but I'll forgive that If you guys will.He thinks I should install a fan switch that runs as long as the engine does(ie not coming on at a certain temp.It coes on when I start the car and goes off when I turn it off).Any opinions? Zippy :I know a stat isnt gonna do much squat by itself.I went to autozone to get stuff to install a cd player and happened to go down the stat isle and I decided to get one on a whim.I would of got a fanswitch at the same time but I wasnt sure the temp setting to match the 180 stat I got.I was trippin over his reaction to my wanting a lower stat.I know they aint mechanics by trade.Im new at this and I knew better I figured someone at a parts place would at least of heard of it.The zone I went to is spitting distance from an army base and G.I.s are in there all the time with their cars.

 

I don't see anything wrong with the fan running all the time, cept if you live in frigid weather, might take longer for the heat to help out.

 

oh i'm not saying a thermostat isn't going to do squat, i know for a fact it will make a difference, i'm saying do part swaps by what you know or have learned elsewhere, but not by advise of someone who got the job because they can operate a phone or computer. i use a 160 thermostat in everything i own, i'm not knocking your theremostat idea. one thing to remember, with a colder t stat, your not getting much advantage unless your advancing your timing to burn the extra fuel it's going to spray. (that's keeping it short)....

 

Hey, on all the time is okay. That's the way my son has his set up in his 83Z (he's like my wife, he can't adjust it to the best spot, its got to be all the way on, or all the way off, anywhere in between is too much work). His stays right at the thermostat temp of 180 all the time. The only complaint he has is how long it takes the volt meter to start showing +13 on winter mornings when he's running the lights, the heater, etc.