Thermostat question.

[grnmachine02]

Ran the TOTD two times last summer, NC to TN both times with my 2016 W/Mountune 215 and stock cooling, A/C on, temp gauge went to 4 bars toward the end once but still in the normal range. Spent many hours in bumper to bumper traffic in Atlanta last summer with anger issues but not cooling issues.

Wonder what changes were made to the '16? Are you running a front plate? I'm not but it seems to me the way it was placed would affect air flow. Also did 3 trips to New Orleans in July/August with no issues. Hope it stays that way.

Thankfully my car has never actually overheated. Seems bumper to bumper traffic in the summer is what it doesn't like. I see higher temps there than I do running the dragon. Weird.

Anyhow, I am running a front plate (thanks Virginia!) I think I'm gonna get the DHM crashbar and shave the grill. Might even do the mishimoto radiator then as well, seeing as I'm already halfway there doing the crash bar.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^That's where a manual over-ride fan switch (like I had on my last car) comes in handy.

 

[grnmachine02]

^^^That's where a manual over-ride fan switch (like I had on my last car) comes in handy.

Yes, but the fan is already on kill mode when sitting in traffic. I think there are two issues at play here. 1) a woefully small radiator. 2) A thermostat that is a higher temp than it should be, so the car can meet emissions standards.

Now obviously I'm just spitballing with that last one, as I can't actually prove that. That's my arm chair engineer opinion.

 

[AntTrain]

Fuck it, I just ended up doing the radiator AND oil cooler yesterday. Only took us about 11 hours. With breaks of course

 

[Intuit]

Manual says the thermostat begins to open around a specific temp and completely opens by another temp.

 

[AntTrain]

Makes sense...

 

[Sekred]

The difference between when the thermostat first begins to open and fully open is usually around 20F.

 

[AntTrain]

Now that I have both the oil cooler and radiator I notice that my charge temps are about 10 degrees hotter. I guess they dissipate that much heat and it's getting absorbed by the intercooler.

 

[goldygopher]

Same boat and interested in how well that combo cools things down. Ambient temps over 100F plus any grade just causes the temps to climb for me.

 

[chicagoslick]

The difference between when the thermostat first begins to open and fully open is usually around 20F.

Can you feel the difference in performance? In the 80's, specific to my GN, the idea behind using a 160 t-stat was to lower charge temps. This increased power output provided you had a chip that could take advantage of the upgrade.

Note:
This does have an impact on emissions as previously stated.

 

[M-Sport fan]

In the 80's, specific to my GN, the idea behind using a 160 t-stat was to lower charge temps. This increased power output provided you had a chip that could take advantage of the upgrade.

Was/Isn't the factory intercooler (IF you had one of the latter ones that even had an IC) on those mounted to the side of the radiator, and not blocking it at all? (I forget now, it's been so long since I've seen a factory stock version.)

 

[Sekred]

Can you feel the difference in performance? In the 80's, specific to my GN, the idea behind using a 160 t-stat was to lower charge temps. This increased power output provided you had a chip that could take advantage of the upgrade.

Note:
This does have an impact on emissions as previously stated.

I really have no idea if using a thermostat with a lower opening temp will affect power (aka the Mishimoto) but there are a number of manufactures using electronic thermostats that have an operating range of approximately 80-110c. The idea is to run hot (around 110C) during low load cruising conditions where the highest benefit to fuel economy can be achieved and also reduce emissions, then run cooler (around 80C) under high load to reduce the likelihood of detonation. This is what I have been told anyway.

 

[chicagoslick]

Was/Isn't the factory intercooler (IF you had one of the latter ones that even had an IC) on those mounted to the side of the radiator, and not blocking it at all? (I forget now, it's so long since I've seen a factory stock version.)

86 and 87 had ic and they were mounted behind the radiator. 160 t-stat, high speed fan relay kit and custom chip were some of the first upgrades most made. 150 to 180 is the ideal engine temp for power with the ic as cold as you can get it.

 

[chicagoslick]

I really have no idea if using a thermostat with a lower opening temp will affect power (aka the Mishimoto) but there are a number of manufactures using electronic thermostats that have an operating range of approximately 80-110c. The idea is to run hot (around 110C) during low load cruising conditions where the highest benefit to fuel economy can be achieved and also reduce emissions, then run cooler (around 80C) under high load to reduce the likelihood of detonation. This is what I have been told anyway.

If heat is bleeding over to the ic then you are probably hurting performance. You want the ic as cold as you can get it. It may not be something you can feel that is why I was asking. Also if you updated your ic it may be compensating for those losses.