has anyone tried it on a greddy set up? i live in the south bay(CA) and most of the time its hot(75-85f) i was wondering if anyone has tried it and if it helps? i want to try this along with the intake manifold gasket.

 

I remember people used to do that, but I think it just makes the car run overly rich most of the time. Give it a shot if you want.

 

I was running one without any problems, however I just put in a 180* one. Since I'm using heavier oil I didn't feel like it got hot enough before it opened.

 

So, wouldn't that qualify as "any problems?"

 

I'm sure if I wasn't using 15w-40.....

 

i run one on my turbo along with 20-50 RP with no issues.

 

So, what kind of mileage do you guys get (you'll have to give your definition of city and/or highway driving)? I mean, this mod will make your car run richer in closed-loop; by what factor, I have no idea, but it was used by the JRSC folks back in the day as a way of getting a bit more fuel.

 

I never try to get good gas mileage but I was still averaging 25-27mpg.

 

i just picked up an ARC 68 degree thermostat, going ot put it in this weekend, see how that goes

simon

 

eer forgot to mention its 68 degree C so roughly 155 degree F

 

OK that makes more sense i like to see coolant temps of atleast 100 deg. F on about anything it just seems to run better between 100-160 deg than when it is hotter. My milage on twisty country raods little city driving and about 15% highway driving is dependent on how many slow people i get stuck behind and have to pass and then put some distance on as they always seem to try to speed up once i am past them ohwell i still get 22-27 mpg depending on how many people end up in my way. I drive pretty fast but i still leave abit of leeway as i am no idiot i just love to feel the G's in the turns and the torque on my face. Plus it is always fun when you start to fish at 90+ and then hook up about 50 ft later. it just seems to get your blood running.

 

how much are these aftermarket thermostats and where can i find them? wanted to see if this will help with my overheating

 

I would be really interested in trying that out.

 

15 bucks from autozone have at it

 

If you're overheating on an OEM thermostat you have other things to worry about.

 

well i broke my thermostat, and then i started overheating when I was sitting at idle

 

Where do you have your temp sensor hooked up at?

Mine is hooked in at one of the heater core hoses and my temp runs between 200-210 F all the time no matter what kind of driving. The fans only come on at about 207 F.

If the stock thermostat opens up at 180 and the engine runs normally hotter like at 200 F, a lower thermostat will just open up sooner, but the engine will still run at the normal temp of 200 F.(unless there is something i'm missing)

 

This is mostly on my small block i dont have a real gauge on my mx5 but it stays below half no matter what. i did this before the 160 degree thermostat but now the system has abit more headroom. The motor feels alot better when it is fresh and not at fan operating temps, even if the difference is small on our cars i can feel it. every little bit helps. I wish i could find a 140 degree thermostat this would deffinatly help keep temps below 160 if id did this i would also wire the fans parralel and change the on the onset settings.

 

Can try a 160' if you want to ... part number 141 and about $6 at NAPA. this was a big fad in the mid '90s, and most pulled it back out and went with the OEM or at least a 180'. Suggest picking up an extra 59 cent gasket so you can put the OEM back in in a few months and save a trip back to NAPA.

The engineers designed the engine operating temperature to work best at around 194F to 207F which is the comfort zone for the fan switch. the OEM unit will not completely open until about 193F, so that tells me that the designers felt that even 192' was too cold.

Norman Garrett had a suggestion in the old Miata Magazine and in his performance handbook that it was a way to get free power. His book never explained it, but was an old trick used on some OTMs. Meant to ask him about that on my next trip to MCA, but everything fell apart. Remember Norm initially developed and marketed the Sebring unit, then later sold to Moss. Have still not found anyone knowledgable that suggests it will have any positive advantage, but still seems to be a discussion topic from the McDonalds tuning crowd.

All it really does is slow entry into closed loop after a cold start. So will be running too rich for a few minutes longer until the ECU stops running on an open cold start loop. Will also take longer to get heat into the cabin area if that is an issue.

Missing the point of cooling by changing oil weight. Oil is there to lubricate, and is a fairly crappy coolant. If overheating, then need to work on the efficiency of the existing cooling system and not tinker with the thermostat.

 

Exactly why even after overheating I went back up to 180* and worked on a scoop for the radiator. I also put my splash tray back on which seems to play a very important role in the cooling system.