GTS Bruce
Enthusiast
Has anyone dynoed or dragged their car after switching to a cooler thermostat?A cooler t-stat should be worth some HP. but does anyone know how much?
HP increase with a cooler t-stat
- Thread starter GTS Bruce
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tzoid
Enthusiast
This must be a big night for t-stats...I just answered one other on the same topic. I think you'll find, unless you are fairly well modified or in a severely hot climate (spelled "not Buffalo"), your car will actually run better and quicker at the higher temps with the factory thermostat. In the older cars...'60's and '70's type vintage, changing thermostats and carburetors, recalibrating advance curves on distributors, etc., got you more HP. Todays on board computer controlled fuel systems and electronics, with Federal emissions regs, don't work the old way. That heat in the engine (controlled by the t-stat) was designed that way to maximize the BTU's generated by the fuel/ air mixture...it's actually quicker on a street, basically stock car (K&N's, smoothies, cat backs, etc....it's still stock)to run the standard t-stat.
red98GTS
Enthusiast
I agree. The increase in horsepower would come from a decrease in the temperature of the AIR coming in the intake, not from a decrease in water temp. in the engine. All the engines I have dynoe'd made more hp with a hotter thermostat and it's a common misconception that a "cold" water temp. in the engine is necessarily beneficial. To the contrary, it can actually be detrimental. I'm keeping my stock thermostat, thank you. pete the ex-glass guy and hot rodder 
Pete, You're back! Just what was the power to weight ratio on that T-bucket?? I think you qualify as a card carrying hot rodder. looks like you've been there and done that. nice cars.
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red98GTS
Enthusiast
Marv.....you're just bein' nice so that you will have a better chance of talking me out of my '98 HIGHLY POLISHED wheels! Ha! Let's see.....power to weight ratio.....hmmm.... well, you figure it out. 1,700 lb. vehicle, 700 horsepower. Ouch.
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