I set out with a goal to reduce cylinder head temp (CHT) by 10*, mainly as additional protection against detonation, similar to installing colder spark plugs when increasing boost. My secondary motive was to reduce engine coolant temp (ECT) in an attempt to reduce downstream air temperature to avoid timing being pulled during occasional 1st-4th gear WOT runs down the strip. I purchased a 180* thermostat from Evolution Performance for $35. Turns out they are Motorad brand, made in Germany.
The install is fairly straight forward. I drained the coolant tank using a drill pump attachment purchased from Home Depot, then moved the coolant tank out of the way for better access to the thermostat housing. Next I removed the two thermostat housing bolts and gently pryed it away from the engine. Surprisingly, very little coolant dripped out of the upper radiator hose (literally just drips that I captured with a shop towel). I replaced the OEM 192* thermostat with the new 180* piece and new o-ring I purchased from my local dealer, then reassembled everything and refilled the coolant tank with fresh MC Gold 50/50 pre-mix. Using my SCT X4, I adjusted the radiator fan low speed setting to 196* and high speed setting to 202*.
I data logged during highway cruising at 65mph under the same environmental conditions before and after the installation. Here are the results with the stock radiator:
OEM 192* thermostat - ECT constant 194*, CHT 208-210*
180* thermostat - ECT constant 186*, CHT 198-200*
Mission accomplished :coolman:. I did not data log downstream air temp before the install, so I cannot accurately report the results, but it may be as much as 5* cooler if my memory is correct.
If your application requires any more heat reduction, I would recommend using the Reische 170* thermostat, which most seem to have good results with.
OEM t-stat on left / 180* on right
OEM t-stat on left / 180* on right
The install is fairly straight forward. I drained the coolant tank using a drill pump attachment purchased from Home Depot, then moved the coolant tank out of the way for better access to the thermostat housing. Next I removed the two thermostat housing bolts and gently pryed it away from the engine. Surprisingly, very little coolant dripped out of the upper radiator hose (literally just drips that I captured with a shop towel). I replaced the OEM 192* thermostat with the new 180* piece and new o-ring I purchased from my local dealer, then reassembled everything and refilled the coolant tank with fresh MC Gold 50/50 pre-mix. Using my SCT X4, I adjusted the radiator fan low speed setting to 196* and high speed setting to 202*.
I data logged during highway cruising at 65mph under the same environmental conditions before and after the installation. Here are the results with the stock radiator:
OEM 192* thermostat - ECT constant 194*, CHT 208-210*
180* thermostat - ECT constant 186*, CHT 198-200*
Mission accomplished :coolman:. I did not data log downstream air temp before the install, so I cannot accurately report the results, but it may be as much as 5* cooler if my memory is correct.
If your application requires any more heat reduction, I would recommend using the Reische 170* thermostat, which most seem to have good results with.
OEM t-stat on left / 180* on right
OEM t-stat on left / 180* on right
