Ok here we go... I have a 180 degree t stat in my car and was wondering if its actually hurting me for mpg. I remember the topic about 180 degree t stats but noone said anything about gas milage ( i think). Im getting about 13 mpg now at 170 degrees (mabey 180 if im going 75)... should i switch back to a regular t stat??? I would figure if the car would run about 190 in temp, it would get better gas milage then at about 170 in temp?:16suspect I have to say I was getting 24 with the old motor so this is kind of killing me.
One of the MPG tricks that I use to see in places like Mother earth news was running the gas line around the exhaust manifold so that it was almost in a gas form when it hit the carb. I always heard that engines are more efficient when over 200 degrees and created less wear on internal parts. clint
Not having anything to do with this issue, but I am thinking of going with a 180. Currently running 160 BeCool high flow stat. But today, weather hit a high of like low 70s, and I was driving in high 60, and unless I ran balls-out, I could not get it to run above 170, so i am thinking of putting in a 180 (same brand) just so it will warm up faster and get to running temps. Usually, down here in Texas, it isn't an issue, but periodically, we get a cold front and it takes forever to warm up. Yes, we got a cold front, and we consider temps in the 60s to be "cold"...
180-200 degrees in a carb. vehicle wont make much of a difference with fuel economy. Its the injected vehicles that are fussy with temp. due to the coolant sensor.
Engine wear will decrease with a coolant temp at 180 or above.Below 180 excessive ring/cyl bore wear occur.Not good for longevity. Running the fuel line close to the exhaust manifold to vaporize the fuel before it gets to the carb will cause vapor lock.Car wont run when this happens.The carburator is suppose to atomize the fuel so it vaporizes under pressure in the chamber not in the fuel line/intake.This is why hot rodders run a "cool can" and block off heat riser passages in the head/intake to increase fuel/air density.doing the opposit decreases density which makes less power.
75 With a non-overdrive trans isn't helping you any. FWIW, I'm only pulling 14ish with my mixed commute, but I'm still working on jetting and adjusting the nut behind the steering wheel to get better mileage.
You know the thing that has the largest effect on mileage is the driver. I get 20 -21 MPG with my 302 Maverick and it has 100000+ miles on it. I keep it tuned, run a 180 thermostat and run 10-40 oil. I keep my tires inflated to 35 psi and I run a C4 -the only modified component in the car. I keep 2 - 3 seconds between myself and the car in front of me, rarely use the brakes, and drive with a light pedal most of the time. On the freeway I keep the car moving with traffic or lower than 62mph. My suggestion is for you to work on your driving habbits.
Ah, yeah, that's a completely insane idea. Clearly written by bats#!t crazy hippies. It's well documented that when fuel is boils in a carb, (as it certainly would if you wrap the fuel line around an exhaust manifold) it runs like crap. Floats don't work right, pressure goes way up, gaskets leak, metering goes all to hell and the a/f ratio can't stay constant. At best this would do terrible things to a car's gas mileage, and at worst could burn it to the ground.
I DID say it was Mother Earth NEWS. lol These were the guys trying to get 80mpg out of a 5000lb Carbed Dodge back in the day. lol I do think that 180 or hotter up to 200 or so is better for the engine. The guys playing around with heating up the fuel back then were also messing with the carbs. I bet some of them found ways to get pretty good mpg out of a carbed engine. Not saying I believe it but most have heard of the carb that got great gas mileage but was bought out by the large gas companies. Clint
My Comet runs a 195 Tstat and seems fine. When I bought it i didn't look at the temp until I got home. Runs fun and the heat is almost like a furnace.
You want a cylinder head temp of about 200F - a 180F thermostat will get you very close to that. A 190F thermostat will be slightly above that 200F mark.
Soooo...get another one? Thats a pain in the a$$ to get to but I'll do it if it makes my car happier.
Leave the stat, the hotter you can run the head the less heat of the combustion goes into reheating a cold head. (heat goes to cold). Most vehicles now run upward of 215 from the factory.On our big trucks you cant run diagnostics till the water temp goes over 200 degrees. Nascar isn't happy till their temps get into the 230 range. The hotter you can run a engine the more efficient it becomes, Just some will run hotter than others before pre ignition and or detonation occurs. If I'm trying to get gas mileage i heat the incoming air as well as the intake (heat riser). Now if your trying to make max power this really becomes a balancing act, But most are more concerned now a days with better economy. As always this is just my opinion from experience and others will vary.
