Okay, I've thought since the beginning of time that a cooler running engine makes more power than a warmer running engine.

I was reading the other day in a car mag however that this is incorrect. In this particular article, a guy chose iron over aluminum for better heat retention. And therefore more power.

The 160* thermostat that people buy for their F-bodies, is that a warmer or cooler thermostat? I was thinking stock was 180*

As always, any thoughts/comments are welcome.
Thanks.....

 

Stock is 210* and i've always thought a colder engine was a faster engine also. Guess we'll find out

 

You will get the most power out of a hot engine and cold air. The problem is that most coolant will have issues with high temperatires. I am using NPG+ in my RX7.

http://www.evanscooling.com

Andrew

 

Temperature of an engine should be within the range of parts that are in it and the oil you are running.
You do not beat on a cold engine, because alloys need to reach "operating temps"
If a thermostat opens at 160* that doesn't mean your motor is operating at that temp. That means that the thermostat will allow coolant to flow through your engine starting at that temperature.
Cool air is needed to give a denser mixture and therefore more power.

 

I HAVE BOTH AN LS1 AND AN LT1 ENGINE. I WILL SAY THAT THE OLDER LT1 WONT RUN FOR UNLESS THE COOLANT IS LESS THAN 190. I PUT A 160 IN WITH FAN SETTING AND THAT DID THE TRICK. THE LS1 SEEMS HAPPY TO RUN @ 190+. I STILL PUT THE 160 IN W/O THE FAN AND THERE WASN'T A BIG CHANGE EVEN AT FREEWAY SPEED AT NIGHT WHEN I KNOW THE TEMP IS DOWN. JUST MY $.02

 

My car feels quicker when it's colder outside, better throttle response. But that could just be the temp of the air outside, not the temp of the engine itself.

People get problems from engines overheating, not staying too cold. I'd rather be on the colder side of the spectrum than not.

 

Every time I have dyno'd....I gain power until the 4-5th run. That is after the motor is fully warmed.
I never take my car above 2,000 RPM's until at least 2/3rds warm.

 

The last article here is interesting...

Dyno results from different coolant temps...

 

Hmmm..... okay, so colder air is agreed on as always better. But there are a lot of different points of view on the engine itself... I'll try to find a link to that article and post it. It's a Car Craft. Thanks for the input thus far....

 

Do some searching, but when I had searched a while back it seemed the LS1 liked to be ran hotter and that colder stats sometimes hurt performance.

 

Yes, colder intake air is more dense, hence more fuel can be added, which = more power. The heat of the engine has some effect on this, as even cold outside air will pick up heat from a hot induction system and intake manifold. Also, a hotter engine will increase the chances of detonation. Conventional performace wisdom says that the ideal engine operating temp should be just enough to maintain good lubricity and so that the engine components expand to their operating clearances. What is this "magical" number? I don't know, but again, conventional performance wisdom says approx. 180 degrees. Probably the greatest performance advantage to be had with a colder engine would be due to timing, since a colder engine would be more resistant to detonation, allowing the timing curve to be mapped more aggressively. The primary reason modern vehicles run so hot from the factory is that a hotter engine is much cleaner emissions wise.

As a note to the above, the 180 figure has been applied to a conventional iron block and heads engine. Someone more knowledgable than me about the heat expansion properties of aluminum versus that of iron may be able to project a better operating temp for an aluminum engine. Also keep in mind that "conventional performance wisdom" sometimes amounts to crap.

 

It's all relative. A stone cold engine will make a pony or two less until it warms up. You don't want to run the engine at 220* because it will heat the air intake too much. There is a temperature operating range for any given engine that makes the most power/efficiency/etc. This changes once we start talking about different fuels. Alcohol for instance likes a warmer intake temp because of the lower volatility.