2014 SHO OEM Thermostat Temperature rating/3BAR MAP sensor.

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Livernois Motorsports

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So, regardless whether it's a 160 or 180, they would both be wide open. Right ?

That is actually not true. The stock unit will BEGIN to open at 180°! Ours is going to have been completely open and already circulating far cooler coolant throughout the engine. You are basing your observation on the car flying through the air at highway speeds, rapidly sucking in cooler air. That is going to keep temps down (lower than normal) just due to the physics at play.

The real test is performance, endurance or prolonged stop and go driving. That is where you will notice that temps will fly into the 220°+range on the stock unit!
 

Foran

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That is actually not true. The stock unit will BEGIN to open at 180°! Ours is going to have been completely open and already circulating far cooler coolant throughout the engine. You are basing your observation on the car flying through the air at highway speeds, rapidly sucking in cooler air. That is going to keep temps down (lower than normal) just due to the physics at play.

The real test is performance, endurance or prolonged stop and go driving. That is where you will notice that temps will fly into the 220°+range on the stock unit!

So, with yours the temp would be in the low 200s? And the tuner university guy is way off ? Just asking!
 

SHOdded

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As discovered by an intrepid SHO owner, removing the rubber strip at the firewall/hood junction (track only) seems to help reduce heat soak.
 

brucelinc

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As discovered by an intrepid SHO owner, removing the rubber strip at the firewall/hood junction (track only) seems to help reduce heat soak.

That is a good practice at the track. I always pull the hood release after a run and I am down to a slow enough speed to avoid it blowing up. That allows air to flow through the engine compartment. By the time I am back to the pit area or to the staging lanes, some of the heat has dissipated.
 

BamSHO

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Yep, removed the rear weather stripping, but got to watch car washs, water get down there and lots of steam. Bruce, I will have to remember that hood release idea.
 

SHOnUup4

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From my personal experience of swapping the 160 tstat and stock one many times...the only noticeable difference I had was running 10* cooler on the top end of a 1/4 mile pull with the 160 vs the stock tstat...other than that, under normal driving conditions the 160 was within a couple degrees of the stock tstat.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 

joe raptor

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I did change the thermostat for the 170* , no problems doing it , but I noticed the temps fluctuate , they go up and down. I also did the squeezing the two hoses but nothing help!!. Is there's another solution for this ???. Thanks
 

2012korn

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There have been many reports of the lms 160* running quite close to stock temp numbers under normal driving.....I run the 170* and normal driving conditions even on 90 degree humid days. It runs 172 to 176*......so based on actual data from fellow sho owners. I'd say the 170* is doing a better job of controlling temps.
 

sholxgt

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Wonder how the flow compares between the stock, LMS, and Reische thermostats?

In the end, the opening temp is not near as important as the total cooling capacity of the system. Regardless of the opening temp, the car is going to operate at the same temperature if the cooling capacity remains the same.

The difficult part to know is if the capacity of the system from the factory is being restricted by the flow capabilities of the stock thermostat. If the cooling system is capable of greater cooling capacity, then a higher flow thermostat will be of help. Not lower temp, but higher flow.

In my other car, I have a aftermarket aluminum radiator that greatly increases the cooling capacity of the car. That paired with a 180 high flow thermostat keeps it actually running at between 180 and 190 degrees.

The fact that we see our cars getting up to the same temps with these lower opening temp thermostats tells me that the thermostats are either restricting the flow or our cooling systems need more cooling capability.

As for the LMS vs Reische debate. It's a really convoluted debate. LMS used to sell the Reische thermostat. They now private label their own thermostat. To make it even more confusing, the Reische used to be a made in Germany piece, but now appears to be a modified Stant that is made in the US. So, when comparing we have to be specific about which version of each we have.

My 170 Reische is the new, made in US, version and seems to have my car varying temps from 176 to over 200. I don't like to see that much variation. If the cooling system was functioning properly, it should operate within a more narrow range. On the bright side, it does not generally stay over 200 for a long period.

In the end, I think the stock thermostat is completely fine and will have your car operating at the same temperature when driving down the highway. The primary benefit of the lower temp thermostat will show at the track when you are able to make a pass and have it open up sooner to help with heat soak and start the cooling process sooner for the next pass.
 

2012korn

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I run my livewire full time to watch actual coolant temps. The stock tstat ran around 186 to 190 under normal driving. With wot around 210 and over.....the 170 I have keeps things much cooler. The highest temp i saw while datalogging for Torrie to update my tune was 192. Which was obviously wot for longer periods of time then the on ramp fun, or quick pull on the street.
 

SHOdded

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When did you get your TStat, 2012korn, and do you have pics of it for comparison? TIA.
 

2012korn

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I ordered my first round of mods in April. It's in the car, and I didn't take pics of it, guess it never crossed my mind.
 

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