[nickd907]

what kind of benefits do you get with running a 180 t-stat. i have a 2004 1500 qc sb with 5.7. only mods are exhaust and K&N CAI. would i gain much with a lower t-stat. also i live in alaska and it gets a little cold in the winter, with a lower t-stat will i lose heat in the winter time.

thanks for your help

 

[KB112]

Personally, I'd leave shit alone in Alaska.

KB

 

[sawcut64]

Personally, I'd leave shit alone in Alaska.

KB

Good point!! I had 180 degree t-stat's in MI when I lived there and it definitely wasn't enough to keep up with the cold winter...much less Alaska.

 

[mafosa]

o.k. same question but in las vegas nv.

 

[nickd907]

i can live with out it pushin out 300 degree air, i have heated seats and auto start. what kind of benefits would i see with a 180 t-stat. and what would be a good inexpensive mod that would help my fuel economy put gain some performance.

P.S. why would you leave shit alone in alaska (kB).

 

[hemi1569]

With a 180 stat, it would be to cold of a thermostat for your climate. You would very rarely hit operating temperature unless you had a long long drive to work. It would be more INEFFICIENT to lower your tstat from the 203 to a 180 in this cold weather. You would run the risk of oil sludging due to lower oil temperatures and condesation as well. You my friend, could benefit from a COLD AIR INTAKE. Where we are it is known as a Ambient air intake with a open filter

 

[Dskirtech]

In your particular case I may do a little more research before moving to a 180 T-Stat.

the main reason (as I understand it) for running a 180 stat is to lower the internal engine temp by 20 or so degrees. a cooler engine will perform better obviously. many times us in the deep south where we see temps soaring well above 100 degrees will bennefit from the slightly cooler engine temps, AND in allot of cases is necessary when using nitrous or other forced induction

For you I would worry about the exact opposite. I have never been to anchorage so I cant speak to summer time temps, but you bring an interesting question to the table... Is there such a thing as your engine being too cool? I dont know. Lets hear some others chime in...

 

[chefred112]

o.k. same question but in las vegas nv.

in your case the 180 would benefit you...as hot as it gets in Vegas!!!....I live in the mild s.f. bay area and the 180 does make a difference...btw, thanks again for the air assist setup, it works beautifully bro...

fred

 

[bansheetw]

Does the 180 affect fuel economy or just performance?

 

[sawcut64]

A 180 t-stat will also add slightly more fuel which will help if you may be running lean. Some say that LT headers and Superchips creates a lean condition. I recently installed a wideband O2 to monitor my air fuel ratio, and with LT headers/Superchips/180 t-stat I'm right where I should be.

 

[hemi1569]

An engine can run too cold. Some people install 160 thermos in cars and that is just not hot enough imo. condensation will form in the oil from not burning off, not getting hot enough, and can form sludge

 

[mheideman]

Personally, I'd leave shit alone in Alaska.

KB

I second that.

Your stock stat is a 203*. The way I understand it is, basically, your PCM/OBC knows when it hits 203* that the egine is at operating temperature. Until it reaches that point, your egine will run a little richer/advance timing to achieve that temp faster. By putting a 180* stat in, basically your engine doesnt "know" its at operating temp, so youll run a little richer with advanced timing all the time. You might notice how first thing in the morning you have more pep to the engine than after say 15 minutes or so. We want that pep all the time. Some will run a lower stat and colder plugs, due to nitrous heating up the engine more.

 

[PatriotBlueHemi]

So does anyone who has done the 180 T-Stat change on a Hemi have any part numbers? It seems most parts stores I have visited for a 2003 5.7L show the T-Stat as being "Not Available" Dealer item only???

 

[sawcut64]

Check this thread and read post #3....
http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122272

 

[Smokin-HEMI]

I think he would also have a problem with the heater and defrost getting up to temp quickly with a 180 also? Correct me if I'm wrong. Mike

 

[mheideman]

I think he would also have a problem with the heater and defrost getting up to temp quickly with a 180 also? Correct me if I'm wrong. Mike

I have no problems with mine.

 

[mheideman]

So does anyone who has done the 180 T-Stat change on a Hemi have any part numbers? It seems most parts stores I have visited for a 2003 5.7L show the T-Stat as being "Not Available" Dealer item only???

Napa #191 Its a direct fit. Just make sure you drill yourself a 1/8" bleeder hole. Youll see what I mean when you pull the stocker out and look at it. Otherwise you will get some temp fluctuation.

 

[chefred112]

So does anyone who has done the 180 T-Stat change on a Hemi have any part numbers? It seems most parts stores I have visited for a 2003 5.7L show the T-Stat as being "Not Available" Dealer item only???

you can't ask for the vehicle specific t-stat cuz they don't make it, but, you can get stant 35168 (which has the blocker)...i have it and it works fine...

 

[hemi1569]

In my neck of the woods, it can be a pita sometimes. When it is cold out, 0 degrees or below, i let my truck warm up and drive it to work, 15 miles, and it does not put out the heat you would really like. I am going to cardboard my radiator this year and see if that helps a bit

 

[HEMI-Now]

As for economy, the cooler t-stat will be slightly less economic, maybe .5 mpg. You know, it's not that difficult or expensive to swap the t-stat. You could try it out and change it back if you don't like it. :IDEA: