Should You Run A Colder Thermostat? Why a Colder Thermostat Most Likely Is Not For You

[@wkndbikeshop]

The reason why manufacturers use 180° thermostat is because the vehicles they sell needs to be able to operate in ANY climates, if they use 170° thermostat which is amazing for summer performance, in cold climate, it’s going to take longer time to warm up the vehicle, it’s why in Canada, you can order 190° or even 200° thermostat because they are designed for extreme cold weather. 180° it’s a perfect medium for all types of weather. if you live in hot climates like AZ, NV, CA… low temp thermostat is the best..

[@randomuser6306]

I run a 5th gen 4runner in Dubai, on the sand, in the heat. Talking 110f ambient. In 4 low, full throttle 4th gear, downshifting to 3rd and sometimes second to maintain momentum. Got a 160 thermostat. Runs cooler minimum temps, but highs seen to be unaffected. Also have a Tru-cool tranny with an electric fan but no hormone blockers. Seems to work well.

[@NolanMotorsports]

That sounds about right!

[@Pwnulolumad]

Try interchiller

[@randomuser6306]

@@Pwnulolumad intercooler are for turbo

[@charlieryan1736]

Thanks for breaking down this much debated topic with a actual explanation 👍

[@NolanMotorsports]

100% I'm trying to put out quality content that could be used as a reference or to inform others! My goal get to 1,000,000 subscribers!

[@mayk3lll]

Best explanation ever!!! Thank you !!! 🙏

[@NolanMotorsports]

No problem! Hope it helped 👍

[@mayk3lll]

@Nolan Motorsports it definitely did. I purchased a lower temp thermo stat to minimise engine temps during track days or so I thought. I never did install but I did come across forums saying it was no good but never explained to this detail. Also I never thought of a thermo stat being minimum temperature and fans etc being max. That was brilliant 👏

[@GTE465]

Good points, makes absolute sense. Bigger Fan and radiator are the only two that will give you lower operating temps.

[@NolanMotorsports]

Yup! The only ways to actually run cooler!

[@stevenjosephs9]

Exactly , I had a worked Boss 302 engine ( 30 over bore ) Mercury Cougar XR 7 . Could not get it to run at normal 180°F . Had a custom radiator made & frex fan with more fins ... DONE

[@ThomasShelby-uq8cz]

I put a 172° from a 195° in my 09 Mustang with a Ram Air + Vented Hood and my Temps on any day under 70° here in Texas will keep my coolant Temp at only 1/3 from C - H especially driving 🚗 down the highway. I don't think it's os that bad going from a 195 to a 185 and I will always put the next temp under oem. Heat is bad for your engine to a point. Plus most transmission coolers run off of your coolant Temp and heat is the #1 killer of transmissions. You are completely right about 95% of this but lowering your thermostat by 10°-12° will not damage your engine or make a big enough difference to hurt anything imo

[@madwestboy]

@@NolanMotorsports i installed a 180 tstat. even in stop and go traffic my engine stays at around 180 because i used a handheld tuner to set what temp i want my engine to stay at

[@simonlinser8286]

this is top notch stuff. thank you. with the graphs and your explanation, this was the best logical explanation that I haven't seen yet. great stuff, it's always refreshing to get that system wide explanation with some cold hard data (or at least a visualization) to drive it home. thank you. :)

[@NolanMotorsports]

No problem, it’s a common misconception especially in the Viper community. Just trying to clarify how to ACTUALLY get you cooking system to perform better

[@FZERO20]

I blew up an engine that I put a colder thermostat in. Every time I drove, after about 8 minutes after reaching operating temperature the coolant gauge would drop. I drove it hard it and spun a bearing

[@michaelwright1602]

Fantastic video, and my case proves everything you have stated in this video. You know what you are talking about, thank you sir. My tale, I think you will appreciate it. I bought a 2003 Buick Park Avenue, sick of car payments and ridiculous insurance rates, I'm in Michigan. I simply need to get from point A to point B. This thermostat issue, I am just discovering this idea of putting lower operating temp thermostats in these particular GM 3800 motors. Well, I discovered I had a 180* unit installed vs the OEM recommended 195* thermostat. The car was only getting up to 140* driving down the highway according to the live data on my scanner. It is winter, and there was heat, but not enough. Then the codes, P0128, P0446, P0440, P0102 and the dreaded transmission code, P1811, along with erratic shifting associated with this transmission code. I could not figure all of these codes out, as all systems were operating and passed the electrical and vacuum tests I physically did. Well, I knew the thermostat was a real issue, so I started there. I figured the thermostat was stuck, which pissed me off, as I recently had the coolant system flushed and serviced. Well, I called the local mom and pop that did this work, and they told me they did not replace the thermostat? WTF? I wanted the entire cooling system serviced, which was suppose to include a new thermostat, as the car had been sitting for quite awhile. I hate coolant, and I hate the mess. Off to the Pontiac dealer, as the mom and pop wanted $200 to fix the issue they were supposed to fix in the first place. F'n mechanics. Well, I installed the correct thermostat for this vehicle, an ACDelco 195* unit, with the proper gasket, and guess what? All of those codes disappeared, and the transmission is now shifting normally! These cars, or motors have to get up to proper operating temp, if they do not, it drives the ECM, ECU, PCU, pick your flavor, the computer does not know what to do! It starts second guessing and throwing codes all over the place. Unless you have a legit reason for doing this, racing on a real course or something like that, leave these systems alone and save yourself some headaches. Along with possibly damaging the motor or transmission, and or giving you fits chasing codes when there is absolutely nothing wrong, other than that thermostat that is supposed to create some sort of "magic". Just my .02

[@heavyprogressive76]

Interesting read there my friend. Thanks for that!

[@charliemckelvey9282]

Great video. Timely for me too since I was considering at 180 thermostat on my 97 Viper.

[@NolanMotorsports]

Yeah I hope it helped. It’s one of those things where you have to accept you’ll be running hot in the summer time. Unless you’re tracking your 97’ I’m not sure I would recommend diving into the cooling system and trying to upgrade your radiator/fan setup.

[@maker7901]

also this depends if you get the car tuned. and get the fans readjusted to take advantage.

[@slick408]

On the BMW M5 with the v10 we swap in hotter Viper thermostats to help with warming up the oil and help reduce startup wear on tight clearance rod bearings.. We also step down from 10w60 to 5w50.

[@GokuTheHusky]

Would tuning the ecu to those specific temperature work though? Like say for every part you add you need to tune the ecu for that part to work in sync

[@UsmanEhsan]

What if i have a standalone ecu and i can control the fan kick in temp and on top of that i get 65c thermostat rather than the stock 82c thermostat ??

[@NolanMotorsports]

Sounds like you've upgraded the heat rejection capabilities of your cooling system via the (probably) variable speed fan control. This alone should be able to get your cooling system capable of handling some extensive abuse. As for knocking down your 180F thermostat to 150F, what kind of engine work have you done? Why did you decide to bring the target temp down 30 degrees? Do you have significantly tighter clearances than factory?

[@UsmanEhsan]

@@NolanMotorsports i have a 2zzge toyota 1.8 which i have procharged and it was 192 hp stock and now its 330 hp and still running on stock fan thats why i am using 65c thermostat and fan kick in at 75c

[@NolanMotorsports]

What fan speed is used at 75c? 100% full? 50%? Sounds like I’d your target operating temp is 75c then you should get a 75c thermostat.

[@newedgegt1947]

But if you got supporting mods like a aluminum radiator real hood vents and a high flow water pump. And good racing oil there is some benefits.

[@abdulhassan1107]

Great info about thermostats but will an oil cooler bring the engine below the normal operating temperature? That said, I meant an oil cooler that is not controlled by an oil thermo. Thanks

[@31terikennedy]

I have a 2000 RT10. My concern with a cooler thermostat is that the computer will see a cold engine and run it rich until it sees 195 degrees. The way to go is an upgraded radiator and lose the condenser.

[@NolanMotorsports]

If I didn’t enjoy a bit of air conditioning here in Texas removing the condenser is definitely a viable option.

[@31terikennedy]

@@NolanMotorsports Did you upgrade radiator?

[@NolanMotorsports]

@@31terikennedy I in fact have done 0 cooling modifications. My car seems to be able to cool down well once those high speed fans kick on. I have done a cat delete which help keep the cabin cooler though.

[@31terikennedy]

@@NolanMotorsports That's good news. I'm concerned about getting caught in heavy traffic and (blown head gasket city!)

[@NolanMotorsports]

Yeah that’s the only time I get high temps. Do you have the oem fans? They should do well enough especially if you’re running no condenser.

[@tonygomez3224]

How about no thermostat on a 235 6cyl. Chevy engine?

[@m.scottmunger4685]

THANK YOU

[@1991tommygun]

A cooler thermostat wont hurt tho. Regardless the rad and fan regulate temperature. The thermostat will start slightly cooling the coolant quicker is all. I cant see that being an issue. Heat soak is a thing

[@TheTechnoaddict]

Heat soak is mostly caused by high intake temps. The engine will take longer to reach optimal temperature so u are increasing wear on all friction parts.

[@leatherneck1754]

Facts

[@NolanMotorsports]

I really tried to take it step by step in order to walk the people through who disagree! I'm happy a lot of people already agreed with me

[@bandargts]

💯💯💯

[@NolanMotorsports]

Thank you!

[@davidclough3951]

In colder weather, a lower temp thermostat should actually help with warming up faster.

[@NolanMotorsports]

If you have had two identical motors except one had a 160F thermostat and the other had a 180F thermostat. Both engines would reach 160F at the same time. However, the 180F thermostat would hit 180F quicker than the 160F.