I have noticed that alot of people on here state they have a 180 degree thermostat although OEM calls for a 195 degree. Is there a reason to run the 180, and will that be hot enough for our Canadian winters as far as defrost/heat?

Thanks

Martin
P.*. Loving the Bonneville. Just turned 265,000 kms and looking forward to driving it to Orlando Florida at the end of October. Should be a 3,200 mile round trip. (5150 Kms)

For the most part the 180* is used on engines that have some mods. A stock engine has no real need for a 180*

As for will it be hot enough for winter. I'm in Wisconsin and we have real cold winters here as well. I've been running a 180* for over 4 years with no problems. however. Dropping the temp will cause small problems with the fans turning on.

You need to use the manufacturer recommended thermostat.

Like Dan said, some of us with modded engines run 180* thermostats. Keep in mind though that this needs to be done in conjunction with tuning of the PCM to run correctly with the new thermostat, otherwise the car will still be trying to cool itself down like it has a 195*.

"need" is a strong word my friend


Bill, as they mentioned above, its good once modded and tuned, useless when running stock, it wouldnt hurt anything but your pocket for few bucks

I live in Fort McMurray Alberta Canada, we get really cold winters here, somewhere around -60 C*, i had an 03 grand prix with 180 tstat and warming wasnt an issue at all
my brother is also running a 180 tstat in his 06 intercooled 06 gp, and again no problems

Yeah I run a 180 on my car, due to my mods. It helps to keep the engine a bit cooler. I also live in Wisconsin, and have never had a problem. Only time it starts getting annoying in winter is when you drop to a 160* or so. At that point, it takes longer than usual for you heat to kick in, which isn't exactly a good thing in winter lol.

While I see mentioning of it'* best to be able to tune around things the PCM will do to overcome the colder thermostat. Whats more important IMO is that doing so doesn't give you an iota of extra HP. It can help a modded engine overcome some KR, but it wont really do squat for an unmodded car.

Right John... and I think Dan said it well, in that he didn't say it'* best for modded etc etc.

Doing a 180F costs a little efficiency as our motors are designed around 195F and being stock. The tuning being mentioned is a summer tune to lower the fan temps down from 216F/228F (low/high speed turn on points) to keep the overall temp around 180F-190F. In the winter, there'* little need for the fans and the tuning has no ill effect.

At a point I (Connecticut/New England) used a drilled 180F and had trouble getting the engine up to temp in 20 miles. This was not ideal and found myself using a non-drilled 180F without heating issues. The difference of one little drilled hole was enough to change things.

A 195F is the right stat for a stock car as it'll give you the best fuel mileage and overall performance. A 180F can help a modded car stay more consistent.

prompt me, what and where to change tuning for including of cooling ventilator. that he was included on 195F .
or at what temperature he desirably must be included at a thermostat 180F, after the change of tuning

Fan settings.
Low speed stock is 216F
High speed stock is 228F
Those are very high compared to thermostat of 195F
Make them Low and high speed both 205F-210F and they would be better with a 195F thermostat.