no, its not a huge difference for mileage, but it will stay in open loop for longer, in open loop it runs full rich, once its warmed up in closed loop it makes no real difference. here in MN it takes a while sometimes to get it warmed up during the winter

Your car is running its best when its hot, they were designed to run that hot. are you saying the air in the engine bay which is now maybe 5-10* cooler will make your car last much longer? hmmmm.

fact is, most damage is done to your engine when its cold, no way around it. no, running a 180tstat wont kill your engine, but it will stay cold for longer. the object of the game is to get your car up to operating temps as soon as possible, and keep the temp there.


not really sure what the buick or 350 has to do with anything

all im saying is, a 180tstat is NOT a performance mod, nor is it necessary. unless you have a supercharged engine with increased boost. your car was designed to run at a certain temp, there are MANY reasons why gm decided to put that 195 tstat in there, why mess with it? you don't have knock retard problems, so there'* no reason

i thought that once a car is in closed loop, the optimal temp was 202*, to get its 14.7 a/f ratio?

Back and forth about the T-stat, again? Will it never end? Well I guess not, so here'* my 2 shiny cents: I have no engine mods to speak of exept the 180 t-stat. I don't even think I'll do anymore. But if a lazy non-expert bonnie owner like me takes time to put in a t-stat its probably worth it.

Besides why not put one in; they give you like 50 hp at least!

BBoat is on the right track here. When the coolant is 180, and the thermostat opens, the ECT is actually reading HIGHER. It'* located in a little bit hotter location. The 180 can prevent the intitial 'heat saturation'. That saturation is damn hard to get rid of if you do alot of city driving.

And I'll tell you that 15° can make a HUGE difference on the lifetime of a plastic upper intake. Long-term stress, bud.

As far as the SSEi is concerned.......why does Jet REQUIRE a 180° thermostat for either the Stage one or Stage two chip in an SSEi? I too run a 180 in my SSEi, and I'm even slightly beating Don'* freeway mileage listed above. Not city, but Highway for sure. Every 10 or so degrees you can cool that intake (which has coolant running through it) the better. Cool down the SC and TB. Who WOULDN'T want to buy 15 degrees for 5 bucks? Oh, don't forget. My 180 is drilled, too.

your running a SUPERCHARGED car with increased boost. of course you NEED a 180tstat, to combat knock. i was talking for a NA car,

maybe jet requires it because they're advancing the timing to the point of detonation? if they're advancing it so it sets the KR sensors off more, it would also be needed to slow down knock.

all im saying, is a 88 3.8 w/ exhaust -- no point

88? Not as critical. You don't have the plastic intakes, but it can extend your engine life. Heat is the enemy. Actually, the worst thing is the engine heat helping to heat up the trans.