I like 180 myself with that setup. I have always been tempted to run a cooler one for obvious reasons, and more than once found myself going back and having to put in a hotter t-stat because engine never reached a good operating temp.

The only part you all got correct was that the cooler operating temperatures creates more wear. The year is 2017.

Today's gasoline requires 195 DEGREE MIN OPERATING TEMP.
It is not the same fuel as in 1970. If you do not run the engine hot enough the fuel will collect in the intake manifold and burn off n the cruise mode, flip flopping the air fuel ratio. This is not conjecture, hearsay or i read it on the internet, but information from instrumentation and years of tuning experience. Ethanol laced fuel requires a different tune up that non ethanol fuel. the A-F ratios are different......gee wilikers Mr Wizard...

60% distilled water 40% antifreeze and a bottle of coolant additive.

If you guys would pay attention and retain just a little knowledge this forum would be a better place.

195 is not hot
210 is not hot
195-210 is the normal operating range where your car should run
220 is warm
230 is hot

Lol, you can stare at your 195-210 temp gauge all day if you want, not me. Lots of ways to build and run these cars, it's all personal preference. I've been driving 9 and 10 second cars on the street for decades at lower temps, although you may be referring to bone stock motors.
And I will admit that I want to install a 180 thermostat this Fall since my car runs a little too cold in the Fall/Spring.

No it isn't. It's a matter of data and testing vs neanderthal thinking.


Come out of the cave, that bright like is knowledge.

Ok I'll try but I ain't happy about it

I appreciate learning facts, but nobody's gonna kill their motor with a 160 stat, alot of racers don't run a stat and let it free flow. Now back to my cave.

just to throw some gas on this fire, my 440+6 runs way better with a 195 as opposed to the 180. i tried it based on the recommendation by Tom in his 6 pack tuning guide. if you over heat with a 195 installed you have a bigger problem than the thermostat.....

Here in Texas Gulf Coast, my thinking went to use a 160 stat; seemed counterintuitive to use a 180 or higher. Had pinging, spent a lot of time chasing the timing. Finally, emerged from the cave (like the metaphor!), read Mopar's Big Block tome, "160 thermostats should NOT be used in other than high endurance racing vehicles. Use of 160F thermostats in vehicles other than this can cause serious engine damage." Who am I to argue with the engineers who design/build these motors. Went to 180 stat, timing was a lot easier to manage and dial in. Engine temp still the same 190-205.

Only used 195s in my rides...never anything cooler. I want the motor to come up to a hot steady temp and if the cooling system has the capacity to keep it there you've got a solution.

Then why is the stock gauge at 180 when at mid point and at 210 in the overheated range. Old iron doesn't like heat as the new junk today.

I had issues for several years regarding the engine temp I use to belive you could not get the car too cool WRONG Just switching to a warmer 180 resulted in a car that et over .3 faster due to no hesitation Now the lowest stat I run is 180 and lean toward 195 Its like a MSD unless you are racing run the factory temp MSD are Ok for race cars but don't live on the street very long

My engine never warmed up enough to run right with a 160.

The only advantage to running a colder system is the intake might be a couple degrees cooler. EVERYTHING else will be too cold. pistons, oil, cylinder walls and bearings.

There is also NO advantage to a slower warm up. Which is another reason a closed thermostat is better than 1 with a drilled hole in it. A few hot to cold cycles will rid of any air if you have a coolant recovery system.

I agree on a fast warmup being far beneficial to get out of that high wear "zone". I drill a very small hole only for easy first time fillup, not near large enough to have any effect of cooling.

I am not going to continue to provide any more mopar technical support here on moparts. As I provide technical support in my employment on very very complicated technology this is not my first technical information rodeo. I might have a clue on how to analyze information and create proper technical documentation/information. The six pak tuning guide is a perfect example of well researched information that does not get used before coming on here complaining that the damn thing doesn't work correctly and getting bad advice from the uninformed.

Some of you are very uninformed and are incapable of comprehending anything that makes good sense. You pollute threads with hearsay, old wives tales/opinions and refuse to use good technical advice. Diplomacy prevents me from speaking directly to a few of you and telling you in plain english that children should be seen and not heard.

Good luck with your 160 or 180 degree thermostats in your "old iron" and your fast wearing - poor running engines. BTW in 1970 the thermostats were 190 degrees from the factory...

They may not kill there motor,but it will eventually shorten it's life span.Also,a real race engine is rarely street driven and the percentages of each are quite different,the OP ask about a street driven car,not a race car.If your 160* makes you happy,good luck with that.

i will miss your wisdom tom. you are spot on about using a high temp 'stat, and today's fuel, in my opinion, requires a higher engine temperature to burn correctly. my '78 E58 cop motor came with a 195 'stat, and it ran 195-200 down the road in my '38 plymouth coupe. in high ambient temperature with stop - n- go traffic, it ran 210-215. this is with just a re cored stock radiator and a stainless 5 blade flex fan [no shroud]. it made good power, got reasonable gas mileage, and never puked when shut off. always started instantly when heat soaked to boot. i have a buddy that has a 55 chevy with a '95 LT1 that gets hyper when his temp hits around 200. most vehicles today run a 205-210 'stat. i know some will mention the newer machining operations and the computer controls as the reason for higher 'stats, but unless you are pushing 230+, i for one, wouldn't fret a bit about a 200-205 temperature reading. i understand your frustration completely because i have experienced some of your same deals with guys around here. i try to help them through my knowledge gained by the mistakes i have made in the past so they will save time and money, but they just want to label me as an "old, crabby know-it-all". any more, i just let it roll off my back, even though in the end, their results want me to say : "i hate to say i told you so, but......" and now, i'm being plagued by "old timers", and have to watch what i say because sometimes i get confused and blurt out wrong stuff. however, i am quick to "own up" to being stupid, when others seem to try blaming something else when things go wrong. just my opinion tom, but i for one will miss you.

Hey dont leave us! Yes there's some less than perfect peoples' attitudes here & some misinformation but we need all the (correct) tech that be mustered and when the student is ready the teacher will appear (actually when the student is ready he will grasp what the teacher has been sayin all along!). right now it is not about the students but about the teacher & I would suggest you get drunk/get laid/take a vacation & come back & you'll be fine. we need you! I read your sixpac tuning guide & it was awesome, I dont have one (I have dual fours) but I'm gleaning from it. I understand they are complicated but are awesome when setup right.

Awwwww, come on........Don't deprive the rest of us due to a couple of Neanderthals. It's not fair. Besides, we are loosing experience here at a rate that is unsustainable. Everyone has an opinion and in this Facebook society, everyone just HAS to share it. Even if it has no basis in fact. Unfortunate, but true.

So, why not come on back and just ignore the ignorant? Some of us would appreciate it.

Come back Tom....Come back. Gosh I didn't mean to cause any hard feeling between members when I originally posted this question. I just wanted peoples opinion on the best thermostat to run in my mostly stock street driven 440 A-body with its stock factory cooling system, because it has a tendency to run a little warm. I very much appreciate all the response and opinions I've received. I feel this Forum is a wealth of info and I've learned a lot in the short time I've been here. Thanks to everyone who replied.

I've run mopars with 160 and no stat for over 50 years...pump yourself up with "ideas" and feel great while MY test of time has succeeded over and over.