As to the best or desired temp for your engine another consideration is that the HIGHER the temp toward 180/190 the LESS wear occures between the rings and the cylinder walls and the bearing anf the crank. If you don`t use a thermostat or use a 160 degree F one your engine will  take a long time to warm up to proper operating temp and will wear out much faster. Like 6to10 times faster. Do a Google search on this topic for yourself.

I would try to run at least a 180 thermostat. The coefficient of friction between aluminum and iron is lowest at about 220 degrees, IIRC, so getting the engine hotter makes it more efficient. Also, gasoline and vapor blow-by in the oil will boil off faster with a hotter engine. Also, heat rejection in the head is better with a hotter head. And vaporization of fuel is better.



Ethylene Glycol has about half the specific heat of water. The best ratio is about 30/70 glycol/water.



Using some synthetic oil helps reduce heat generated by friction. Even one quart would help.


Best regards,



Paul Menten

Meridian, Idaho

Greg,



I'm running 70% propylene (leaky gasket/radiator), a wide-mouth 170 deg.thermostat, coolant recovery system, and 4 blade fan in a stock 292 stick with restricted riser. Calibrated NOS sender/gauge stays mid-line on a hot day. Used to run a more efficient 180 deg. (the orig. 160 is harder on engine longevity) but you sacrifice latitude when things go wrong. BUT, running around in the winter with the top down/heater on no longer quite so pleasant.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Ditto 57 Ford Kustom. Thermostat is the full flow type (NAPA). 312 (over 30) in a 54 Ford, 54 radiator. Runs 180. maybe 190 if I push it on a hot day. My fan (four blade) is less than one inch from the radiator which i think helps a great deal.

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Well I should be in the ballpark then. Once the truck is warmed up, it runs at about 160-185 degrees depending on the weather.

My name is Greg and I am addicted to Y's.

Me Too.

-Gary Burnette-

So i've seen some previous threads discussing temperature and which thermostat to use, but I couldn't seem to find the best temperature to run at. In addition, how much coolant are you running in your system? What are your suggestions?

My name is Greg and I am addicted to Y's.