Thermostat

Which thermostat should be used for the '89 8 valve engine, the 180 or the 195?

195

The service manual calls for the 195 degree thermostat, but I read somewhere that the 180 degree thermostat will yield better gas mileage. Can anyone confirm this? I've been using the 195 and never have had a problem with the engine running hot.

180 is a better tstat to run in a turbo car. These cars radiators arent the best for cooling to start

The SMEC is set up for controlling the engine when the coolant is aprox. 195. At 180 the SMEC may not be able to correctly control engine functions. After all manufacturers began using 195 stats, compared to the 180 & 160, the engines were cleaner, less sludge & carbon build up. In the past 20 yrs I owned 4 Chryslers with turbos, The only time there was a problem with cooling the engine, was because there was a problem with the cooling system, radiator not clean inside, fan not working correctly,water pump,head gasket,coolant leak. When things were right, never had a problem with cooling system.

180 is a better tstat to run in a turbo car. These cars radiators arent the best for cooling to start

The thermostat is there for one main purpose, to get the engine up to 'proper' operating temperature as quickly as possible. Since you live in New Jersey that is much more important at times than for those of us who live in the Arizona desert where summer temperatures are in the 110 to 125 degree range on a regular bases. Our engines still don't overheat if properly maintained. <script type="text/javascript" src="safari-extension://com.ebay.safari.myebaymanager-QYHMMGCMJR/51f6e16b/background/helpers/prefilterHelper.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="safari-extension://com.ebay.safari.myebaymanager-QYHMMGCMJR/51f6e16b/background/helpers/prefilterHelper.js"></script>