Cooler Thermostat

[Nasty350LT1]

Would I gain any performance or just create a problem for myself ?
I would like to put a cooler thermostat in my "EX"... The stock
is a 192 and I can get a 180 or a 160. The 160 is out of the question.
But, would the 180 help my "EX" or hinder it ? I was told by a friend that
if I put a 180 in, the "EX" would then go into a "Cold Start Mode" and burn
more fuel, as it was not seeing the warmed up temperature of 192 degrees.
My friend also said I shouldn't put in a lower thermostat without a new "CHIP"

Any comments ?

Thanks in advance

 

[rookieshooter]

There are specific reasons ford put a 192 in there. And I'm sure one, among other reasons is proper combustion.

 

[Papa]

A colder thermostat will force the engine to run rich all the time and will also burn out your cats with the excessive fuel consumption.

 

[gijoecam]

Indeed, your engine was designed and engineered to run with a 192-195 stat in it. Anything else (with a stock setup) is a waste of money and will not gain you anything. Unless you know something that the engineers that designed your engine don't, just stick with stock.

-Joe

 

[410Fortune]

the thermostat controls the minimum temperature for the switch to closed loop (right? from open to closed? I get that backwards sometimes) So you see it could still rise and operate at 200-215 degrees like stock, but if your cooling system is up to par it likely will not.

running a cooler water temp on these modern engines is not a good idea.
before the days of sensors and computers it could help make more power and keep the underhood temps cooler, but run less efficient.
Car makers obviously are all about efficient these days....

 

[Cali' Explorer]

I agree with the majority of individuals here. While you may gain a small amount of power (1 hp if you're lucky?), you will surely lose a lot of gas mileage and put more stress on your engine.

As mentioned, the biggest reason is because the fancy computer that manages your whole engine doesn't do anything until your engine has reached a certain operating temperature (I believe its 190). Once it reaches that temperature, the engine starts using the sensors to adjust your driving for optimal efficiency and power based on how Ford designed it.

The reason your friend mentioned a new Chip is that a custom prorammed chip can be modified to have your car come out of open loop at a lower temperature. If this was done, you would probably see more of a performance gain as the charge of air coming into your engine would be slightly cooler due to less ambient engine temperature soaking into your intake and rising the temperature of the incoming air. But truthfully, you will gain much more from the Chip then anything else.

If this is your Daily Driver, you probably should stick with stock thermostat, if you're looking to do something crazy down the road (Supercharger, Twin Turbos, etc) and are looking for every possile pony you can squeeze out, it might be worth it then. But you would probably benefit more from something like an intake spacer or a better intake setup then a different Thermostat.

(Edited for spelling errors, oooops)

 

[RobW]

thermostat temp

hummmmmmmmm I think maybe I should have read this before I changed mine. hahaha
I had my truck in for the 100K service and I noticed that after the flush of the Rad, "other services" and new fluids, it seemed to run hotter. Now that it is summer, I wasn't too happy about the idea of over heating on any trips. So, I replaced my thermostat. The replacement was 90 C or 190 F , the old ( I find out when I removed it) was 88 stamped on it. I now see on my gauge, it is warmer.The dial now touches the thermometer decal in the gauge. Before, it only came up 1/4 of the way. Should I be concerned? Part of the reason I took it in to the dealer was it did get hot when climbing highway hills. And that's not even towing!
Any ideas?
Rob

 

[Papa]

Rob you may also have a sensor issue such as a poor electrical connection. Try to verify that your gauge is working properly. Also running an engine cold all the time leads to fuel dilution of the oil and that can lead to crankcase explosions and excessive bearing wear.

 

[Nasty350LT1]

hummmmmmmmm I think maybe I should have read this before I changed mine. hahaha
I had my truck in for the 100K service and I noticed that after the flush of the Rad, "other services" and new fluids, it seemed to run hotter. Now that it is summer, I wasn't too happy about the idea of over heating on any trips. So, I replaced my thermostat. The replacement was 90 C or 190 F , the old ( I find out when I removed it) was 88 stamped on it. I now see on my gauge, it is warmer.The dial now touches the thermometer decal in the gauge. Before, it only came up 1/4 of the way. Should I be concerned? Part of the reason I took it in to the dealer was it did get hot when climbing highway hills. And that's not even towing!
Any ideas?
Rob

Invest $16 in some "Royal Purple - Purple Ice"
It can make your system run up 40 degrees cooler.
I just added a "Pint" to my system and it made
quite a noticable difference... Yours will too.

 

[CDW6212R]

The colder thermostat subject is an old car issue now. Older vehicles had poorer cooling systems, and run about 15 degrees over the thermostat rating. Current vehicles have far better radiators, nice aluminum large units that allow the engine to run very close to the actual rating.

Older engines ran hotter, on purpose by the factory.They were learning how the engine operated best for efficiency, mileage and emissions. Since the mid 90's the real operating temperatures have come down, right to where we always wanted older cars to run for best power(195 or so).

So, newer vehicles should have 195's in them, for typical weather locations. For best cooling, minimize the anti-freeze, use as much water(distilled) as possible, with an additive. Water transfers heat much better than anti-freeze. Do not use straight water, corrosion is very bad. I like the Redline Water Weter(price), and about 20-30% anti-freeze. Good luck,

 

[aldive]

Sick with a 195 if you want maximum gas mileage.