To all who've experienced the Schip, So while I've ordered one and am telling others about it, the question keeps coming up from the owners of brand-x: "well, aren't you going to get a 160 degree thermostat, too? Your engine will run better, less pinging, etc with a cooler one". Is one desireable / required with a Superchip or is water temperature not a factor with this style? thanks for any comments!

 

From what I gather, a cooler thermostat is used to combat detonation. I don't think the Superchip program promotes detonation. I wouldn't have got it if it did. We use the 92+ octane for a proper burn.
I can't imagine that a chip that needs a cooler thermaostat and that relies on the knock sensor is all that good for performance, or the longevity of an engine.
I'm far from an expert though. So Lets see what the experts would say....

Tom

 

Just my opinion, but a cooler stat is a band air fix created by poor tuning with a certain company. Then to top it off, people started buying into the hype!

There is a reason race engines run at higher temps, and it's not because they can't get them to run cooler.

 

Hi F250NUT,

Signmaster said it very well indeed, I couldn't agree more.

No, do not use a colder thermostat with the Superchip, it is neither required nor beneficial in most cases.

That is something that Hypertech requires with most of their chips, etc. and it's done in an attempt to keep the cylinder head temps abnormally cold to keep detonation at bay when they dump in spark advance during open loop operation.

Race cars configure their cooling systems to keep the engine temps ideally at around 200 degrees, because that is about where maximum engine power is made. Same thing applies here, your factory F-150 t-stat is 192-194 degrees (180 in the supercharged Lightning) for this very reason.

You *could* drop down to say, a 180 degree unit if you wanted, but we don't advise even that, we suggest leaving the factory unit in place.

 

Thanks all, I'll keep my standard thermostat.

 

I asked the same question about a month ago. Check it out.



https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...threadid=64815

 

Thewhiteford, have you been wearing the purple hat on Wednesdays? If you have been, has it helped?

Tom

 

Ok, now I'm confused. It sounds like the only problem would be with the computer not knowing you have a cooler thermostat in place and you may run leaner. But it sounds like, from thewhiteford's thread that Superchip (and Hypertech) reprograms the computer appropriately. I know the advice from Mike T. that it won't help, but now I'm wondering the merits of running a cooler temp IF the computer has been corrected. Am I missing something? Thanks.

 

I believe that what you are refering to was a comment about what some one did to his Lightning. There was also another comment about the fact that the Lightning 5.4 is quite a bit different from the N/A 5.4. It's not just a different computer. Using a blower changes many things. Like was said ealier in this thread, for our N/A v8's, a lower temp thermostat is a band aid fix.
I'm no expert though, so take this with a grain of salt.

Tom

 

I should read a little closer from now on - I'll indeed stay with the well engineered stocker thermostat. Thanks all for the advice!

 

F250Nut,

Keep in mind that there is up to 10 or so PSI of boost filling those cylinders in the Lightning. They need more cooling because they can generate much more heat.

 

As Signmaster pointed out, we Lightning owners who are changing our factory 180 degree T-Stat (regular F-150's get 192-194 degree units) for the 170 degree unit are generally the ones that are running higher than the stock 8 PSI boost levels. Many of us are running 13, 14, and even as much as 17 PSI boost, and drag racing them, and will change that thermostat to keep the coolant temps at their normal levels with the much higher power levels many of us are running.

The net difference in our '01 Lightning of that change compared to stock has been basically not much actual change in operating coolant temperatures. But that is how that whole kit is set up, and how it's supposed to work on that particular vehicle. In other words, we are *NOT* actually lowering our coolant temps, and so we don't lose power.

In the regular F-150, and with most vehicles in general these days, the reason the cooling systems are setup up to keep the engine temps at around 200 degrees is because that is where peak power as well as lower emissions can be found. Race cars, like Winston Cup stock cars for example, generally set up their cooling systems the same way, to ideally keep the coolant temp at around 200 degrees, as that is generally where best power, mileage and emissions occurs.

In a high-boost Lightnings making so much more power, more heat is generated and very quickly, especially when nailing the throttle, and so they need a different setup for their cooling systems. Driving our Lightning around with a 170 thermostat and the electric fan setup like we have it generally gives us about 190-200 degrees of coolant temperature most of the time.

Even for those who install a supercharger on their regular F-150 and are still towing, we generally do not recommend using a colder thermostat.

There really isn't any "compensation" to do in the ECU's program that will make an abnormally cold thermostat be beneficial, to respond to one of F250NUT's questions/comments. You still need to see about 200 degrees of coolant temperature for best power, mileage & emissions, as it's at about that point that the engine is able to give it's best efficiecy in terms of turning fuel burned into energy to move the vehicle, and what's left over after the combustion process.

Hope that helps a bit,