quote:Originally posted by Bosswrench:
These tests kind of reinforce my own results; regardless of what value thermostat you install, the engine temp winds up pretty much the same once the running engine is stabilized. All a lower value thermostat does is open sooner, not wider, so your stabilized engine temp is about the same. The thermostat acts as a temp-controlled check valve, constantly opening, then closing a little, them reopening as engine loads change. This changes water flow to the radiator. But even wide open, a thermostat is a large restriction to flow- as it was designed to be.
Leaving the thermostat out completely WILL radically drop engine temperatures because the 'check valve' is gone and water flow is unrestricted. I remember a GT-5 that could NOT get its heater & defrosters to work 'cause the engine temp stabilized at 140F on hundred-mile highway runs. It only went to 170F during a hard driven open track event. Later, the owner found NO thermostat in there at all. Adding a 351-C thermostat allowed the heater & defrosters to work for the first time since he'd owned it.
So if you were running a 351C in a race car, would you suggest leaving the thermostat out all together?