<<Personally, I would stick with the 180 degree thermostat, my car just will
not run right at anything less than 185 degrees. On this note I will defer
to my Bay Area associates.>>
I agree. While we all know that our Tigers like to run hot, we sometimes
forget that running a motor too cool is also not a good thing. After doing my
radiator, installing a more efficient fan etc. I installed a 160 thermostat.
The car wouldn't get above 170-180 indicated. This is marginal in terms of
burning impurities, like moisture, from the oil and wouldn't be good for the
motor long term, so I switched to a 180 and now run a little hotter. Also, for
peak operating efficiency in terms of power production, you want the oil as
hot as possible, within reason (read: without losing viscosity). As a matter
of fact, in our Formula Vees, we SEARCH for hotter operating temperatures
(again, within reason). With Red Line synthetic, we look for race oil temps in
the 230-240 range, as it frees up a little more power. Of course, when you are
only working with 60-62 hp you need all the help you can get!
Mike Wood
B382002273
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