Have seen and read several places about switching to a 180 degree thermostat... My three month old 05 runs right up to abut 180 on the gauge and stays there. Is it safe to assume this is another case of MINI watching the aftermarket and incorporating this idea?

 

Brazilian TriTec Motor plant about 180 degree thermostat and would also like to know if Mini has changed their thinking...

This person's take at TriTec was a standard, but confident, I would leave it at what it was shipped with....

Not knowing any thing more, I decided to NOT change the thermostat. But IF someone can explain the actual EFFECT of changing it I would like to know. (Not the theoretical effect, as I already know that)

 

Not a damn thing except an SES light.

 

Huh? What would the difference be in this case? The theoretical would be the same as explaining to you what a thermostat does and then telling you how the engine would change....which is what the theoretical did

 

Did you do tests to prove that it didnt do anything else? It's not like you can do a seat of the pants test or anything....but if you mesaured before and after temps to prove it, that would be good. Or maybe if you even did a hand test.

I'm just curious

 

So, just to be sure I'm not misunderstanding, you have installed a "real" water temp gauge (as opposed to the no-worries-almost-an-idiot-light OE gauge), and that's what tells you your MINI runs at ~180F, right?

If that's the case, I'm a little surprised. I was really never very confident that opening the thermostat at 180F would keep the temp that low. I'm just surprised that the cooling system is strong enough to do that.

I don't mean to sound like I don't believe you. I'm just looking for confirmation.

 

I'd be surprised if it's 180deg F. If it is, I'd be jumping to the parts dept to get one as I definitely think my MCS runs better when it just got started than after a spirited drive.

 

At this point we can confirm that there are well over a couple of hundred Minis running around out there with our 180 degree thermostat in them without issues. . The 180 just makes a lot of sense to us out here in sunny so cal as it is the least expensive " nice " thing you can do for your motor. Here is a link to our site showing the details and delta's.

http://www.m7tuning.com/products/thermostat.htm

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

What is your theory as to why replacing a 190F thermostat with a 180F thermostat resulted in a much larger than 10F reduction in coolant temps?

 

Andrew as you well know we only go by the numbers Have no theories here just NUMBERS This was all hashed out last summer and we don't need another summer re run do we The measurements were taken by Steve at Steve's Auto Clinic using a Dwyer IR thermometer and a Snap On data logger as I recall but it has been awhile. Thanks for the support

Randy
M7 tuning

 

Randall, sorry, I didn't mean to get you all testy. I was just curious. Cheers!

 

I have a three month old 05 with the Chrono pack. Hence a real coolant temp, oil temp and oil pressure gauge. The coolant gauge has some actual temps labeled, not just Hot and cold or 'normal'. The gauge warms up quickly to about 180 and stays there with very little deviation, even on 95 degree days with the ac on.

That's why I wondered if I might already have a 180 thermostat. Now I see in the post below the 'normal' thermostat is a 190... The gauge isn't that precise so I can believe I have a 190, and will likely make this switch...

 

Andrew as I re read my post my tongue in cheek humor did come off as testy and that honestly was not my intent. I was trying to have some fun and get the weekend off to a good start. My Bad

Randy

M7 Tuning

 

Definitely try the M7 thermostat and let us know your results.

 

A sort of on topic question for this thread - what is the exact benefit of running cooler? Presumably the engine components are capable of dealing with temperatures even higher than they see with the stock thermostat. The new thermostat would presumably run the cooling system harder to keep the engine temps down. Does this overstress the cooling system (which may have not been designed to regulate the lower temps)? Are you trading perceived longevity of some engine components for a guaranteed shortened lifespan of the cooling system?

Any explanation and clarification would be helpful

 

And, while on related questions; as the thermostat allows more coolant to flow thru faster, does the coolant reach a point where it speeds past the radiator too fast making it difficult for the coolant to lose heat?

This may fall under 'dumb question of the day'. Anyone care to entertain my ignorance?

 

Thru the wonder of the SEARCH function I bring you back to july 2004. Lots of info here pro and con enjoy.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ree+thermostat

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Thanks for the pointer.

It didn't exactly answer my questions but in not doing so and raising a lot of other unanswered ones, I suppose it did.

 

Even though you have the "more precise" chrono pack, I'd still be surprised to learn that those gauges too are anything more than dummy gauges with some numbers listed for good measure. If the gauge was accurate, on warmer days you'd see the gauge move upwards until the engine fan comes on. Then the needle would fall sharply to a lower temp. If it just stays pegged at "180" or whatever once it warms up, it's a dummy gauge. :smile:

 

This is true. Today I was data logging and here is what I found out. After a short drive, all very easy and at speed limits, I ran normally around 194 at 45 mph and it could get as high as 201 sitting at lights. With intake temps 74 to 95. After I got home I let the car just idle. I saw the temp climb up to 221 to where the fans kicked on and topped off at 226 for a second then the fans would bring the car down to 209 rather fast. And all of this was on a mid 60's day with a very light wind. I’ll be installing a 180 very soon to take a look at the difference for coolant temps and intake temps. But I expect to see lower numbers.:smile:

 

Mine does exactly that. Underway, the needle is straight up. Sitting at a light it moves left until the fans come on, then it goes back a bit. It also drops in the morning when the thermostat opens, then goes back up. I have not seen a 'dummy gauge' in a car. Can you give me an example of such an application?

 

A prime example would be any Mini Cooper made in England by BMW. You may have heard of them Ask any Mini Tech and he will give you the straight scoop. I have a autometer temp gage and it shows a lot different than the stock one.

 

all the thermostat can do is restrict water flow, therefore if your car is overheating when moving slowly, it still will do so, even with no thermostat at all. when you reach steady state is where the thermostat will have an effect, assuming you can remove enough heat by airflow through the radiator.

 

In my experience no thermostat is actually worse than one that may open too soon. They do restrict flow to some extent and this allows the water to spend a bit more time passing through the radiator. Giving convection a bit more time to work.
I experimented with this very thing in a small block Chevy. A good old Autometer water temp gauge back when all their gauges were good.
At idle or my usual stop and go city traffc I consistently saw higher temps running no thermostat. I ran 180º summer and 190º winter for years.
The truck had no AC.

 

Well I have an 03 S with central speedo. Once warmed up, the temp needle goes right smack on the middle line. It NEVER, I repeat NEVER has left the middle line in 73k miles of motoring except for ONCE when the power steering fan blew a fuse and the car overheated. That's a dummy gauge! :smile: