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Triumph TR6 - T'Stat Ratings

Talking coolant thermostat temp ratings: what's better for engine performance and longevity? A low (160 degree) or higher (180) rating? I currently have a 160 installed and am considering going back to 180.

Rick O.
Rick Orthen

It may be stamped with 160 F - but when you are driving and it's at operating temperature, this thermostat may give a gauge temp. of anything between 150 F to 200 F. Go with the one that gives you a steady 180 F when running on a normal highway at say 50 to 75 MPH.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Is 180 approximately the middle hash mark on the dashboard temp gauge?
Rick Orthen

Yep - with a 180 deg F thermostat the needle on mine is in the middle.
Brent B

Rick,
I'd go with 180 as well but you might want to put
a good electric fan on the front of the rad in a
pusher configuration for those traffic jams in August
or in my case three hour line ups at the border to get in or out of your wonder country. A manual switch under the dash works well when the temp. creeps up.
Chris
Christopher Trace

Thanks folks. The main reason for asking is my temp gauge rarely gets to the middle and I was concerned that (1) engine efficiency is down a bit and (2) the oil never gets hot enough to vaporize the moisture.

I am seriously considering going with a 16 inch puller fan to replace the stock fan/extension. I found an enthusiast who is machining a spacer to replace the fan extension and also has the necessary shorter bolt.

Rick O.
Rick Orthen

Rick,
As you have already mentioned, the thermostat selection should be based on the way you drive your car. If you take a lot of short trips, where the engine never fully gets up to operating temperature, stay with the higher 180 degree tstat. If however, most of your driving is open road, long or fairly long distances, you may want to go with the lower temp tstat. Most of my driving is 25 + miles, so in winter I use the 180, mainly for the extra heat for the heater, and in summer I use the 160. As far as the temperature varing, I haven't had a problem since I had my radiator recored. Before that with a half plugged radiator, it was hard to keep the temperature down and constant under any condition. If you have moisture in your oil, this is not a good thing. Make sure you don't have a blown head gasket, or cracked block or head.
Arnold Newton

This thread was discussed between 13/02/2004 and 14/02/2004

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