205 deg thermostat...too hot?

[camperbob]

I have a 95 chevy sportvan w/350, that prior to winter installed a 205 degree thermostat. IMHO it work perfect. heat stays in good range, nice heat, and better fuel mileage.

Fast forward 2 weeks, we are driving cross country, and I noticed that many of the Midwestern and SW states are seeing 80's to mid 90's already.

I am not towing anything, but not sure if the jump from 195 to 205 will be too much or not.

Opinions?

 

[Donald]

I would use what is spec'ed for the engine rather than trying to determine it on your own.

 

[Chris142]

Should be fine as long as the cooling system is OK. Where did you find a 205?

 

[eljefino]

I don't get changing t-stats with the seasons. You don't gain cooling capacity by changing them out. You might get a brief surge of coolness to hammer up a small hill, that's all, but with a mechanical fan that should kick in and pull plenty of heat away.

 

[camperbob]

I found the 205 on Rock Auto. I don't change thermos with the seasons. With our racing engines, they run best in the 210-215 range. This was actually more of a test for me. The heat didn't work well so when I did my flush, I found a 205 to see if I gained anymore engine efficiency. While I do not claim to "out think" GM, I do feel that many of their oem choices are to accommodate the wide range of usage, from empty driving to max towing on steep hills.

 

[Rand]

as long as the cooling system is in good shape I doubt you will see much difference unless you are towing up a mountain etc... places where even the 195F stat would have issues eventually.

You should have a good reserve before it boils with a proper coolant.

 

[KzMitch]

One thing I can add is my experience with replacing a t-stat with a different temp.

I had a '93 Toyota pickup. Bought it new. 4cyl, 5 speed. Since day one, when going up a hill, it would detonate, albeit slightly. Especially on days over 75 degrees. A few years down the road, the t-stat stuck shut one day. The only one at the auto parts store was 10 degrees LOWER.

Installed new one, ran fine. Better than fine in fact. No more detonation and the coolant temp gauge was a tick lower. No drama, no loss of MPG, no sludge.

So even though the new temp was cooler than stock, we all lived happily ever after.

 

[artificialist]

On some GM engines, the thermostat may open at 195 degrees, but the cooling fans might not come on until 210-220 degrees. If you have a clutch driven fan, I don't know if this is also true.

The other thing to remember is that thermostat temperature opening determines the minimum operating temperature, maximum operating temperature is determined by how much the cooling system dissipates heat.

Another thing to consider is smog laws. Auto makers may limit coolant temperature to limit maximum temperature in the combustion chamber. They do this to limit NOx production. I don't know if that can cause your van to fail smog, but the risk does exist.