Will shift the fuel filter under the car when I pull the engine out after first cert inspection to access pipes. Also will make heat shields.
Got aome 160 farenheit.. 72' thermostats...wanting 78s...doing some research on high Ls operating temps..
[08/04, 01:20] Jason: Operating temperatures have been a great debate for years..... So lets look at it this way. Why does GM run these cars at 200-220 degrees? They wear less there? The engines heat allow it to swell to deliver the acceptable tolerance. When you run your motor cooler/tighter you are going to wear parts quicker. How hot does nascar run their motors lap after lap? Is it because they can only control it but so much or is there power and longevity there? Just food for thought
Exactly... and I strongly agree. It's not like it costs GM "more" to put a lower temp thermostat - there's a reason GM likes their engines running between 190 to 225. Heck, a stock c7 thermostat is what, 190F? They're trying to get away with the highest possible temperature for fluidity, before obvious engine life reduction - this temperature range is what they believe results in the greatest balance of engine longevity, and performance.
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[08/04, 01:20] Jason: The key rationale behind a higher ECT is engine efficiency and emissions. Yes, component wear and performance are considerations as well - but the biggest factor is efficiency. Higher coolant temp means a smaller difference in temp between cylinder (during combustion) and the water jacket - which means less heat transfer from combustion to coolant - which means better thermal efficiency and better emissions. This improves fuel economy and reduces how much precious metals must be put into the catalyst in order to meet emissions regulations.
There are arguments to be made that all things equal (aside from coolant temp), that an engine operating @ 200F will experience less wear than the same engine @ 160F, but it depends a lot on the component tolerances.
You'll always make a handful more power running cooler, because the air will be heated less by engine components, and will therefore be more dense.
When I did engine development work on the dyno, when we wanted to post the absolute highest power number we could without "cheating" (pressurizing the test cell a little, or putting the exhaust suckers really close to the header collectors, etc etc), we would get the oil temp up to 250-260, and pull the coolant temp down to 150-160. This was always worth some power.
