160F Thermostat

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

I just ordered a couple of these from Moss. Does anyone have any experience with them? Just curious if they do any good or create harm or do nothing?

[Kyp J]

I just ordered a couple of these from Moss. Does anyone have any experience with them? Just curious if they do any good or create harm or do nothing?

Damn. I thought you had tried it already. I am still thinking 180 would be better but am waiting for your experiences before I spend the big bucks. They cost $10.

[chuckerants]

http://www.chikaramotorsports.com/cooling_1.htm

How about this one - $51!!!

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

I didn't see 180 on Moss. i think the 160s were $5 each? My shipping was more than the two stats. :)

[Gord96BRG]

The consensus on Miata.net over the years seems to be that the 160 thermostats aren't worth anything. Waaaaay back, the original Sebring supercharger kits with input from Norm Garrett included the 160 stat, because Norm thought it would help (Note that Norm was a suspension engineer... ;) ). There's been a bunch of independent tests over the years that showed that a 160 didn't keep the engines any cooler or make any more power; the only effect was that the engine takes longer to warm up (not good) and in winter conditions (REAL winters!), the heater wasn't nearly as effective (also not good)...

[Kyp J]

I didn't see 180 on Moss. i think the 160s were $5 each? My shipping was more than the two stats. :)

Edited

Pretty sure I saw them on the same page ("thermostat" search) as the 160. They were $9.95 I think. I was thinking of ordering 1 each, but decided to wait for you to figure it out. Sounds like 160 doesn't help and could hurt, at least where I live now in the frozen wasteland of northern Nevada.

Wasn't 180 a standard back in the day when people drove american cars?

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

I think the hotter you run the engine the better the gas mileage. My heater has been neutered since spring of 2005. I removed the two heater hoses, jumpered the feed and return on the engine, blew out the water from the heater with a air hose and capped the two tubes with rubber caps to keep the desert critters out. A "cold" winter out here means the overnight low drops below 70. :)

When I pused the 99 and recorded the water temps with the OBD port, I found that it heated to ~195, opend the stat and cooled to ~180. I have a feeling that, even with the 160, it will not runn cooler than ~180. It just might give it a head start.

[Kyp J]

Quote:
"I think the hotter you run the engine the better the gas mileage."

Only till it starts siezing. Just a guess as its hard to really prove the mileage when it only runs for another 100 yards.

Another qoute: "Faster she runs, cooler she gets" ...till the burro froze to death.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

LOL true. i meant within reason . IOW at 140F vs 200F, you'll make more HP at 140 but get better mileage at 200. the equipment I madde for the jet turbines was to allow the engines to run hotter to increase fuell economy. in their case it also made more thrust. With the Thermal Barrier Coatings, the can run the burner temps past the normal maximum temperature limit of the base metal. Neat huh? ;)

[Kyp J]

Hmmm, turbines.

Any chance of a jet miata soon?

Bill Lear was working on a steam turbine powered Indy car for awhile. He started building a 2.5 mile oval mockup of the Indy track at a closed Air base here back in the early 70s. Don't know what happened except he died around then so that may be why it never got finished.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

TBC's on the cruise missle (one trip engine :)) give it more speed and distance too. I suppose we could strap one of those on your Miata but, be forewarned, it makes a loud BANG when it stops.

[Tronman]

Hmmm...cruise missiles, thermal barrier coatings...Tom you didn't by any chance do any work over at PMTC in Pt. Mugu did ya?

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Half of the installations were military. Someday we will have a coldside get together and tell stories. ;) Each system that left the country required State Department approval. One day in late 1989, there I was minding my own business, when one of the boys from SD drops by and says "we have this very good friend and he wants tobuy one for his country and we want you to sell it to him". Ok, we did what was asked. Unlike FFS kits that typically ship 'tomorrow', these systems took about a year. Late in 1990 it shipped. Then a lady named "Mrs. Smith" with three initials after her name stopped by and said "Don't go over there and start that system". So, we dragged our heals and made one exxcuse after the other and, in early 1991, our military eliminated the need for ever starting it up. Can you guess what country was our dear friend and had high enough MFN status to get one? ;)

Now, my favorite story was the "HP race". For those of us old enough to grow up in the 50s and 60s, we remember how Ford made 200 HP this year so next year GM made 225 and then Chrysler did 250 and GM did 275, and on and on. Well, when the 777 was coming out, the "Big Three" jet engine boys got into the same race. Pratt & Whitney, GE/Snecma (CFM International) and Rolls Royce. But, alas, that is another story. :)

[Tronman]

Yep, we need to swap some stories. I was working with NAC(now NAWC Naval Air Warfare Center) when that little deal back in the early 90's blew up, fun , fun , fun. We had some nice toys...got in trouble wit the FAA on a couple of occasions for...well making folks at LAX rather nervous. Heh, we also put 3/4's of San Diego in the dark for quite a few hours one night accidentally. As for that first little skirmish over there...glad he didn't have anything with any accuracy, it's one thing to sit on a carrier and watch futile attempts to hit ya with a scud, it's another altogether if they have something capable of actually targeting you(then again, we had phalynx...if it turned on it works great!). Nowdays I prefer a less 'exciting'
life. :roll:

[Kyp J]

If you ever get someone to test the "Miata missle" make sure you take a lot of video. They pay good for that stuff on some of the cable shows.

I was thinking more of an "Art Arfons" type if you ever saw one of his cars. I think he used an F86 engine but there should be smaller ones available now.

[Kyp J]

Just received an email by coincidence with a bunch of pics like these. Let me know if you want the rest forwarded showing more detail.

http://upload4.postimage.org/355530/jetvw.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/355530/photo_hosting.html)
http://upload4.postimage.org/355532/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/355532/photo_hosting.html)

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

I should make a forum just for this kind of thread. LOL

I had a Vespa in College for awhile before I moved on to a more sophisticated Zundapp. My oldest son has a '65 Lambretts (Still has the Montgomery Ward badge). I'm not too sure which that scooter is. Looks more like my Vespa. Well, similar anyway. I didn't have those big side engines. ;)

[Kyp J]

It's a Honda Metropolitan scooter. The engines aren't attached yet but he plans on it. With cowling to make it look like a DC9.

I have a long string of pics with engineering notes about the VW.