What do you guys think. I am about to do headers, x pipe and cats on my car. I am thinking about the thermostat. I'm not a big fan of running a car cooler or warmer than the manufacturer wanted me to but I have seen so many cars including mine suffer on the dyno after just one pull. So I thought maybe the car does need to run cooler. What say you?
355Spider
Unless you reprogram your fans to come on sooner, changing your thermostat won't do much good if any at all. It will just take longer to reach operating temperature. :cheers:
I'm really starting to think this car needs better cooling. My car felt down on power a good bit when I was plodding in traffic last night. My oil temp was up near 205 degrees. I couldn't help bu think that if it loses power from 1 dyno to the next it has to lose tons of er when it gets real hot like that. Sure felt like it.
Anyone know the optimal oil temp for this car? Not coolant temp but oil temp. I wonder if a 160 degree stat or a new radiator would keep it around 160-170.
Anyone know the optimal oil temp for this car? Not coolant temp but oil temp. I wonder if a 160 degree stat or a new radiator would keep it around 160-170.
Unless you do some tuning to turn fan (one variable speed) on sooner and at a higher speed I think you are wasting your time. Stock theremostat opens at 187*F, but the fan doesn't turn on until 204*F per the manuel or 195.8F per Jim Hall based on the computer. But in either case the fan starts at 10-15% of duty cycle and doesn't turn on to high until 235*F per manuel, or 221*F per Jim Hall.
Minimum effect. Less than one mile per gallon if that. The only reason I even say that because it will take a little longer to warm up. On a trip IMO there will be no effect. Adjusting the fans to come sooner and even with a 160 or 180 thermostat the car will still operate in the 185 to 195 degree range. :cheers:TJason25 said:
Water temp355Spider said:
Oil temp needs to operate at 200 or more to insure that all moisture gets removed from the oil. :cheers:
About T'stats running low temps:
T'stats limit low temp,
Radiators limit high temp.
The engine establishes a certain temperature equipibrium which has more to do with the radiator than the T'stat.
The T'stat just helps it warm up faster.
T'stats do not establish operating temperature, unless the ambient temp is suffeciently COLD.
T'stats start to open at their rated temp.
They open FULLY 10-20 above that.
Next to belts and hoses, T'stats have a high failure rate.
Most T'stats are cheaply made.
T'stats fail in the "closed" position. (bad bad!)
T'stats also do not close at the same rate they open. (Boil one with a thermometer on the kitchen stove and check it out.)
Water soluble products start to boil off oil at 180 and this is vital. For effeciency the motor should run right at 180-190. Look at a fuel map. This is not just water temp, but oil temp. HOWEVER, if there is GOOD synthetic oil used, and the engine is in good shape, and the oil IS changed frequently, there is little water product from the blow-by, and collecting in the oil to worry about. Thus running a 160 T'stat, which is where the thermostat OPENS at, and is fully open from 10-20 degrees above that, places you closer to an ideal operating temp - but only in warm ambient weather (!!!). In the winter, you may hold temps right down at 160 at worst. And don't forget, you are also battling the large oil cooler. Personally? I run from 160-190. In my cars that do not have a thermostat, they find their "operating equilibrium" usually above 160 anyway. Lastly, I have never seen water damage resulting from a low temp T'stat.
All the above assumes operating equilibrium of the engine / radiator combination is close to the T'stat temp opening area. It is usually higher. Different conditions for stressful conditions, other modifications, engine condition, etc etc. Adjusting fans is a different matter, but just as important.
T'stats limit low temp,
Radiators limit high temp.
The engine establishes a certain temperature equipibrium which has more to do with the radiator than the T'stat.
The T'stat just helps it warm up faster.
T'stats do not establish operating temperature, unless the ambient temp is suffeciently COLD.
T'stats start to open at their rated temp.
They open FULLY 10-20 above that.
Next to belts and hoses, T'stats have a high failure rate.
Most T'stats are cheaply made.
T'stats fail in the "closed" position. (bad bad!)
T'stats also do not close at the same rate they open. (Boil one with a thermometer on the kitchen stove and check it out.)
Water soluble products start to boil off oil at 180 and this is vital. For effeciency the motor should run right at 180-190. Look at a fuel map. This is not just water temp, but oil temp. HOWEVER, if there is GOOD synthetic oil used, and the engine is in good shape, and the oil IS changed frequently, there is little water product from the blow-by, and collecting in the oil to worry about. Thus running a 160 T'stat, which is where the thermostat OPENS at, and is fully open from 10-20 degrees above that, places you closer to an ideal operating temp - but only in warm ambient weather (!!!). In the winter, you may hold temps right down at 160 at worst. And don't forget, you are also battling the large oil cooler. Personally? I run from 160-190. In my cars that do not have a thermostat, they find their "operating equilibrium" usually above 160 anyway. Lastly, I have never seen water damage resulting from a low temp T'stat.
All the above assumes operating equilibrium of the engine / radiator combination is close to the T'stat temp opening area. It is usually higher. Different conditions for stressful conditions, other modifications, engine condition, etc etc. Adjusting fans is a different matter, but just as important.
It confounds me that many C6Z owners are willing to spend $1800 on headers and endlessly debate the minutia of dyno graphs, while they fail to recognise that one of the weakest aspects of the LS7 in the C6Z is cooling. This isn't something a 160 degree thermostat or Redline Water Wetter or diddling with the fan control is going to fix.
The only way to resolve it is to replace the radiator/trans cooler with a more efficient one from Dewitt or Ron Davis. This is a lot cheaper than headers and will keep the LS7 at the correct operating temperature under almost any condition. Your LS7 will thank you for it.
I guess radiators are just not sexy enough (but there does seem to be something pretty cute about those 160 degree stats) ...
The only way to resolve it is to replace the radiator/trans cooler with a more efficient one from Dewitt or Ron Davis. This is a lot cheaper than headers and will keep the LS7 at the correct operating temperature under almost any condition. Your LS7 will thank you for it.
I guess radiators are just not sexy enough (but there does seem to be something pretty cute about those 160 degree stats) ...
Yeah hapnermw is right. I had mine done and it doesn't run any cooler. I had the fans come on earlier as well and it doesn't seem to make any difference in oil temps while driving. I think my next mod is going to be a radiator.
What would be the optimal operating temp of the oil for the LS7? Anyone know?
What would be the optimal operating temp of the oil for the LS7? Anyone know?
My car does not run hot at all. While I drive it around in 80+ degree weather, the coolant temperature stays at 195 degrees consistantly, and about 163 degrees for the oil. If I go run it hard, then sit at a few stoplights for a while, it MAY get up near 220 degrees coolant, and about 185 degrees oil temp. The hottest I ever saw my oil, was when I took my car to the track for the first time a couple of days ago. Since it was 97 degrees out, we were trying not to do many hot runs. But, since there was literally no line, we couldn't help ourselves ;-)
I ran 5 times in a row, and my oil temperature got up to 210 degrees, and my coolant was still below 220 degrees.
Are other's cars running hotter than this?
I am thinking about getting the Stage 1 performance package at MTI Atlanta very soon, which includes a 160 degree thermostat. I wasn't sure if I wanted to swap the thermostat or not, considering my car is usually running at good temperatures.
I ran 5 times in a row, and my oil temperature got up to 210 degrees, and my coolant was still below 220 degrees.
Are other's cars running hotter than this?
I am thinking about getting the Stage 1 performance package at MTI Atlanta very soon, which includes a 160 degree thermostat. I wasn't sure if I wanted to swap the thermostat or not, considering my car is usually running at good temperatures.
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