Nice Radiators!! What engine running temp.is to cold??

[Myty]

With all these nice Radiators out there and posts about these cars running very cool like 155 -170 . What the opinions on what is to cold for a mostly street driven car??

 

[Slow91z]

If you use a 160 thermostat then I doubt you will ever get a car to cold.

 

[mikestertwo]

160 is about as cool as you want to go. If you live in a cool climate I would run a 180* thermostat.

 

[salvageV6]

My car runs 145 in the winter with a plugged up stock radiator.

160 stat. for 22 years at least, made it to 190K so I got my moneys worth.

It hits 160/170 if I let it idle for a half hour or so in the winter. :smile:

Anything below 20 degrees it stays around 145 all the time.

Believe it or not anything 30 degrees above ambient in the winter out of the heater vents actually feels like heat.

 

[Myty]

Thanks.
So what is a ideal running temp.for a turbo Regal that is mostly a street car and keeping max performance?

 

[asd60303]

My car runs 145 in the winter with a plugged up stock radiator.

160 stat. for 22 years at least, made it to 190K so I got my moneys worth.

It hits 160/170 if I let it idle for a half hour or so in the winter. :smile:

Anything below 20 degrees it stays around 145 all the time.

Believe it or not anything 30 degrees above ambient in the winter out of the heater vents actually feels like heat.

same here but the heat nevers blows anything above warm in the winter. I have to wear my snowmobile jacket in the car during winter otherwise i'll freeze my ass off. I bet I would get better gas mileage too if my car ran warmer in the colder temps. But in the summer i have never seen it above 175 which is good a thing. fyi, i have a stock radiator and a hot-wired fan.

 

[coach]

Correct minimum running temp for any engine should be 170. I motor experiences abnormal wear if it is running colder than that. Ask an expert engine builder to explain it. The machining tolerances are figured , on your internal parts at that spec. To cold and they are too small. I was just in on a conversation about this a few months ago with a friend of Dan's from DLS Engine Development. He is an NHRA Award winning builder and a designer for several major race crank and rod manufacturers.

:biggrin:

 

[jlat]

hello people; Myty I asked the same thing a while ago and got a few answers and name dropping but nothing to my satisfaction. I'd like to here more on this. I don't race but I want whats best for the street.
IBBY

 

[Grumpy]

My car runs 145 in the winter with a plugged up stock radiator.

160 stat. for 22 years at least, made it to 190K so I got my moneys worth.

It hits 160/170 if I let it idle for a half hour or so in the winter. :smile:

Anything below 20 degrees it stays around 145 all the time.

Believe it or not anything 30 degrees above ambient in the winter out of the heater vents actually feels like heat.

come on what did you do years ago to get more heat in the winter ???? put a piece of cardboard in front of the rad !! :biggrin: Wife always cried it was to cold to drive the Buick threw a winter.. Blocked off the rad an then she had heat just remember to take it out after.. we used a very expensive rad to.. f body

 

[Mike Licht]

IMO 180 or so will give best performace on street
ML

 

[jlat]

hello people; Mike Licht that's about the temp. I was thinking. 180/185 Before my high dollor rad. upgrade and TT chip I use to have a 180 stat. I'am thinkin on going back. Now I have to call TT as he's got to change the chip to reflect my new fan start temp. I'am going to contact TT and see what they say.
IBBY
forgot to add that maybe my old rad. wasn't as bad as I thought. My pod gage is off. That kinda sucked.

 

[Nick Micale]

If you are really concerned about your engine life, then install an engine oil temp gauge. Oil temp is more of a concern than coolant temp. :smile:

For a street driven car a 160 or 180 is fine and both will do the job as I have seem many, original street-driven GN's with over 200k on the engine, and still running fine here in the desert.

In a race situation, we like to see at least 140 deg. oil temp before a run. Even in the 9's, my oil temp will normally not be over 200 deg. at 137 MPH.

Our street cars can run 210 deg. in the hot summer weather, and still do fine.

There is no "ideal" temp to run any engine. It depends on the design and how it is being used. :biggrin:

 

[jlat]

hello people; Nick M. I believe living where you do you put the cars thru the torcher chamber when it cums to street cars. And in Mass. we do also. I don't want to have to change stats to use from summer to colder temps and I think about 180 would be a happy medium.
What do you think?
IBBY

 

[Grumpy]

hello people; Nick M. I believe living where you do you put the cars thru the torcher chamber when it cums to street cars. And in Mass. we do also. I don't want to have to change stats to use from summer to colder temps and I think about 180 would be a happy medium.
What do you think?
IBBY

so your goin to drive your car in the winter months ???

 

[jlat]

hello people; Grumpy I mean colder months as in the past I got stuck in a snow shower and with those Dunlop D40-m2's I went sidways most of the time.
Thats why I went with a all season performance tire in a Gereral (I forget the name)
IBBY