I have seen that some engine tuners say that you can get more power out of your engine if you put on a lower temp thermometer.

What is the thermometer?
How does it work?
How does putting in an aftermarket one help out horsepower?
Do they make them for the 04 yet?


Keith

 

Thermostat is what you are most likely mean.

Lower t-stats are not good, your engine makes is most power/best emissions at a little over 200F. The stock one opens at 192 i believe. 180 is the lowest recomended. The "power" gains people speak of is all it is is dumping more gas into the engine because the engine still thinks it is warming up so it puts it in that loop at all times while your drivig; not good.

 

You are refering to the thermostat; this is the device that opens and closes based on the water temperature at the intake manifold. When the water heats up to a specified temp (your engine is heating up in turn heating the water), the thermostat opens allowing the hot water to leave the engine and cool water from the radiator to be pumped in. Some engine "tuners" might say an engine will run better with a cooler thermostat which can technically be true, but only to a point. I would NOT recommend changing a thermostat to a lower temp on a newer car or truck, if they even make one (?). With as much control as the computer has over the truck, I could not imagine the system being too happy with a different thermostat. Plus, the engine has been designed to run efficiently at that temperature, so why mess with that? By the way, often times these "tuner" guys you speak of think they are doing an engine a favor by using a REALLY cool thermostat (160 or so), but actually this causes the thermostat to be open all the time and the water coming from the radiator never has time to cool down, so in turn the system actually runs hotter or even overheats. Probably more info than you wanted, but my $0.02 anyway.

 

Yeah, thermostat is what I meant... I feel like a dummy.
Thx guys.

 

The only stupid one is the one you dont ask, imagine that if you went into and store or were talking with friends and you said, what are your opinions on new "thermometer"

 

I always knew what they were called. I just got the word thermometer stuck in my head.