I did the LIM gaskets to our monte this weekend and while I was at it I dropped in a 180 degree t-stat. Does everyone leave them in for the winter, or put the 195* tstat back in? I was just wondering how much the heat would be effected in winter with a cooler thermostat. Is it noticable or not too bad?

 

Drilled 180° or a regular?

A regular 180° shouldn't effect you too much in the winter, but it's an easy swap out if you need to.

 

Thank you. Its a drilled t-stat. I bought it and drilled it for my old Bonneville, but never got around to installing it. I'll see how it does in the first few weeks of winter and if I don't like it I'll drop the 195 back in.

 

With a drilled T-stat in the coldest part of the winter, my car wasn't going much above 165*, and was setting a code because it wasn't getting up into the correct operating temp fast enough.
A regular 180* T-stat would most likely be fine for you all year round.

-Riggs.

 

I ran a drilled 180* in my gp last winter- no problems even on those days it was below 0.

Don't expect to get 3rd degree burns from your heater vents- the heat output is noticeably cooler than stock, but its not that big of a deal.

I've got some buddys locally that ran 160* thermos through the winter- talk about crappy heater performance!

 

To me it is just weird to run a drilled thermostat in the winter. I like to warm my cars up before I go out driving, and it just would take forever in a drilled thermo.

I would either get a regular 180° for all year driving, or do a swap out in the winter.

 

Its not that bad honestly, the holes are pretty small compared to the size of the thermostat opening. My gp always was warmed up before I left all winter, I just hit the remote start a couple minutes before leaving.

 

Not all of us have that convenience of remote start :P

Luckily my seats warm up fast haha

 

IMO, its well worth it to get one- especially if you live in a place with heavy winters (like those concerned about running too cold a thermostat).

I got mine for my gp for like $50 while I was at circuit city (it was just the basic remote start/keyless entry unit) and just did the install myself (took maybe an hour and a half)- I know there are places online that sell them for pretty cheap too. Install isn't too bad long as you can understand wiring diagrams.

 

Thank you everyone. I plan on getting a remote start before winter. I've also had remote start in all my cars. I'm just too lazy to go outside to start the car I've found a few refurbished viper 2way on ebay for around $100. I personally hate heat so it being a little cooler won't be a problem for me. I actually only run the heat to defrost the windshield and will find myself riding around with a window cracked open. My fiance likes heat but that's where the Dual Climate Control really helps. If I don't like it after a few cold days I'll just drop the 195 back in

Another question, does anyone notice a decrease in gas mileage when running a 180* t-stat?