Track thermostat?
 

Did some searching with no definative answer. I put mine in yesterday but wanted to see what you guys are running and why. Factory 195, optional 180 or no thermostat? What are you running why you are?

Why in the f would you not run a thermostat?
I learned a long time ago that running colder than stock was stupid and pointless. But perhaps there's something different about track that I don't know about. Doubt it.

Takes longer to warm up, and if your heat exchangers are not up to task, you'll still overheat.

Ha, I agree but just thought I would throw it out as an option as I know some cars that do not run thermostats (not miatas)

NA's actually had a 180 degree thermostat stock. I seem to remember reading that the switch to 195 was emissions related. I've always run a 180 in my miatas, since I feel like that was what it was designed to run.

I think mine is a 180*f. I never, ever go over 200*f.

You should just not run a thermostat (ie, just remove it completely). Its "better" for flow ;)

Flow is power.

I only use my thermostat when my engine is cold. After it warms up I turn it off.

Gutted thermostat on my track cars with a reroute. I am told it is not the same as no thermostat by people who know more than me about this kind of thing, so I go with it.

Wow harris, sounds like you're trying to pass visual inspection or something.....lol. Let's keep the BS to a mimimum guys, dont want the noobs to get confused.

So you're getting confused?

I am pretty sure that you should run the Stant 180 degree thermostat on the miata, no matter what the car is doing.

Can you share why youd run the stant single valve unit over the OEM double valve unit?

You are "the newbs".

hahahahaahahahaahahahahaaha....*breath*...hahahaha hahsahhaahhaahhaah!
:bowrofl:

Run a thermostat. If you don't...

at speed, coolant might flow in and out of the radiator without having time to cool.

Do what you want (because racecar). And *uck you know who.

Contact hyper...
...He will hook you up so good your engine will freeze

lol @ this thread.

The stock thermostat in my 1990 was 195. The stock thermostat in a 2002 I changed recently was a 180.

I think the 180 reduces thermal spikes on track for me over the 195

Bob

Theseus has a gutted thermostat because it doesn't have any other coolant lines (no heater core, no oil warmer, etc).

Rover has an M-Tuned reroute with the factory oil warmer lines capped, but it still uses a heater core which allows flow before the thermostat opens.

What about the 160*? I don't see that option...

Really it just opens sooner rather than helping with cooling, but yeah, I'd definitely run a gutted thermostat over nothing.

My thought is if I do a cool off lap, it'll try to return to 160* over 180* or 195*, and last a while longer the next time I flog it. Then again with proper ducting, reroute, 2.5" radiator, and water wetter, I've gotten rid of my over heating issues for the time being.

I don't have detailed specs for the 1.8 NAs, but the 1.6 thermostats were rated for initial opening on the main thermostat between 188-193°F, with full opening at 212°F.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1337279484

I don't think the '94-'97 thermotats were any different- NAPA et al all list 190-195° as "OEM Equivalent"

^ I swore I remember reading 180 for the NA's, but apparently not. Thank you for the correction.

I love the video

I have true cool oil cooler thermostat in my heater core line. It has a custom temp wax plug in it and is plummed so it shuts down the flow through the heater core if the temp in the line going back to the engine has not dropped below 180F.

Bob

I think 160 is too low unless you only ever drive flat out. It likely won’t help any overtemp situation but it could make your car run too cool out of the design range for oil viscosity and piston to wall clearance etc. but that is only a theory guess on my part.

Bob

So why is it that having a gutted thermostat is better than nothing? The hose it would go to right after the thermostat is the same size as the hole in the now gutted thermostat. I have just accepted it as common knowledge but does anyone actually have expirience using it both with no thermostat and a gutted unit?

Dat restriction, son.

I'm going to kill my heater lines in the near future because they annoy me.

Other than the potential it could fail in some way I can’t see a reason for not running a properly functioning thermostat even in a race car and even with all other lines blocked. Maybe somebody can enlighten me.

1) Thermostat allows the engine temp to come up to operating range quickly reducing the amount of time your getting cold piston slap wearing rings and cylinder walls at startup and warm up. Helping things to come to and stay in the proper temp range where blow-by is reduced as well.

2) Thermostat keeps the engine within a temp range better. Doesn’t allow it to drop like a rock when the pace car comes out or something.


3) I find it hard to believe peak cooling capacity is improved without it. A bit of restriction at the location of the thermostat will keep coolant pressure in the head and block higher than what the radiator cap sees which is a good thing to prevent micro boiling and loss of heat transfer from the engine to the coolant.


4) I’m pretty sure circulation can be cut to zero on these engines without issues even if you do block all other bypass routes. The water pump is not positive displacement it will churn around coolant just in the block and head just fine without being able to circulating flow to the radiator.

Bob

I think the logic is the proper restriction where the coolant leaves the head and block will keep the pressure in the block and head a few psi higher than the radiator cap sees. This is good for better margin in reducing micro boiling which is very detremental to heat transfer and can produce unsteady temperatures.

Bob

I really hope that car we're racing this weekend has a thermostat.

The oil needs to get up to operating temperature to burn off condensation and break down the formation of certain acids that can develop, iirc.

It turns out that it didn't really matter and I was wrong. It got a little cool overnight and I'd like to keep another 20-degrees in it, but I would not reach back there to put the t-stat in.

Linked to from Joe's thermostat vid.

Mind...blown...

I'm never going to get that 53 seconds back. My useful life is now shorter by almost a minute. Thanks... :vash:

I have a 160 stat. With the first fan turning on at 190 and the second at 210, it sits at 185 or so on the highway and 190-195 in town.

M tuned reroute without thermostat. I would prefer to run one but have no idea where to put it.