i'm new to the trucks into the lt1 camaros, but i know on the camaros if you put a 160 therm in you have a tune done to turn on your fans sooner. does it work that way with the 5.3 trucks or cant you turn the fans on sooner?

 

you can but it doesnt rally help the gen 3 motors any they are made to run hotter than the gen 1 or 2 sbc, basically all it does for us is lose 1-2mpg

 

humm...
well if they were made to run hotter, then why does my engine run alot faster at the track with a cooled down engine compared to when it's hot?

 

ok i'll say i have read this on this fourm on more than one occassion

im saying the gen3 motors are made to run a little warmer than the gen1 sbc

and more than one member reported no to little gains with the 160-degree tstat and lost 1-2 mpg, one memeber that sticks out it chevy6000vho

 

I was thinking about doing the same thing, but a former employee of the GM R&D team that we all know around here informed me on what nightrunner is saying. I trust his input so I decided there was no reason for me to put in a 160 thermostat.

 

I will lose a mile or two per gallon to let the engine run a little cooler. Les heat keeps wear down also, it is proven....

 

not enough heat is harmful also

 

160 isnt worth it by no means unless you have a boosted motor or a large cubed motor which takes alot of timing.

our motors need to be above 178* to function properly

so for average person 180 is more then enough

 

your not going to run 160 with a 160 stat I have one and i run 178-180 right where i should be.

 

exactly, oh well. This topic will always be biased to no end. If you want it buy it, if not dont. It seems maybe you should look for a 280 thermostat, it may run better then j/k