180 degree thermostat

Golden cobra · Jun 12, 2017

Is there any reason i shouldn't switch to a 180 deg thermostat on my 2014 ram 1500 hemi? I tow quite often and I don't like running up to 220 degrees.

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tantore · Jun 12, 2017

go for it you will not be sorry it will run cooler 180 to 190 when pulling hills

Golden cobra · Jun 12, 2017

Are there any downsides to running cooler? I know the motor was designed for a specific temperature range but I'm wondering if it's mainly for emissions

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crazykid1994 · Jun 12, 2017

Golden cobra said:
Are there any downsides to running cooler? I know the motor was designed for a specific temperature range but I'm wondering if it's mainly for emissions

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Unless you tune it you won't get the full potential. You can run a 190 without worry if you want cooler temps. I'm looking at a 190 until I tune. Only thing is you have to disable the active grille shutters. There's a trick with putting a screw in the motor somehow that works if you remove the shutter otherwise I've heard the shutters might not open

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Golden cobra · Jun 12, 2017

I'm assuming if I run a 180 the active Grill shutter is going to think I am too cold and close down forcing the engine to warm back up. Am I correct?

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crazykid1994 · Jun 12, 2017

Golden cobra said:
I'm assuming if I run a 180 the active Grill shutter is going to think I am too cold and close down forcing the engine to warm back up. Am I correct?

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As far as I've read that's what it seems. Like I said though you can do the grille shutter mod and remove the shutters and rub a screw into the position of open shutter so the system doesn't flip out
Edit: Active grill shutter experiment

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...rum.com/showthread.php?p=1529677&share_type=t

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SyN · Jun 12, 2017

Did mine as Shawn instructed.
Works like a charm.

Wild one · Jun 13, 2017

The shutters open between 160F and 170F,long before the thermostat.

Golden cobra · Jun 13, 2017

Glad to know they open at that low of a temperature. They are new to me

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Wild one · Jun 13, 2017

I tried the screw trick tonight,and honestly at 75F I didn't see any change in my temps with both the shutters and grill removed,but I run a 180F thermostat and my tune is set for it.Maybe if the outdoor temp was closer to 100F there might be a difference,but at 80mph for over 50 miles and an outdoor temp of 75F,my truck ran virtually identical temps as it does with the shutters and grill in place.Kudo's out to the guy who came up with the screw in the motor idea,as it's easily reversible .I didn't have any codes pop up either.

DavidN · Jun 13, 2017

I'm running a 190 t-stat w/o a tune.
Temps stay between 190 and 198.
I don't see any downside.

BrBlack · Jun 13, 2017

Had a 180 stat for about 2 years now.
Tow a 25' RV with 2 dirt bikes all the time. No issues.

tsielski · Jun 13, 2017

Been running a 180 degree T-stat since March with zero issues. Initially I had replaced the OEM 203 unit with a 190 degree t-stat as I was leary of generating a code with a cooler unit, but as the weather warmed, coolant temps still climbed, particularly with AC on, over 200 at times, even at speed.
The 180 degree unit has worked well so far. At speed, temps stay in the 185 to 188 range even in hot weather. They will climb in a traffic slowdown, and go down once moving again, but I'm not tuned, so my fans are not activating at cooler temperatures, which would serve to keep slow speed temps down as well.
Been totally satisfied with this modification.

BIGMIKE27 · Jun 13, 2017

has anyone changed there thermostat, with out having active shutters

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tsielski · Jun 13, 2017

I had removed all the shutter slats except the upper left and lower right within a few weeks of owning the truck. Put the 180 t-stat in well after most of the shutter slats were removed. Honestly, with most of the shutter slats out, and the OEM 203 t-stat still in place, temps, once warmed up were roughly the same. Cruise temps did drop to close to the t-stat calibration, and didn't climb as high as they did with the stock shutters in place tho. The engine also took a bit longer to get to 203+ degrees. I didn't see an appreciable temp drop in steady state cruise temps however until changing the t-stat to a cooler calibrated one.

CarolinaMan1500 · Jun 14, 2017

So if I put a 180 in, i need to get different tunes for my tuner?

Golden cobra · Jun 14, 2017

So I think I've decided to just go with a 190 degree thermostat to keep the temps down just a little while Towing my 30 foot TT. I thought the active Grill shutters had something to do with helping to regulate engine temps a little but that doesn't seem to be the case. I didn't realize that the whole purpose of Grill shutters is to improve miles per gallon by reducing drag at higher speeds

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Bldrinker · Mar 8, 2018

Why do we need a tune to run 180 thermostat?
I’m not looking for performance gains just cooler temps when towing. Might help the exhaust bolts last more than a few months.

Wild one · Mar 8, 2018

Bldrinker said:
Why do we need a tune to run 180 thermostat?
I’m not looking for performance gains just cooler temps when towing. Might help the exhaust bolts last more than a few months.

You don't need a tune to run a 180 T-stat,all having a tuner does is allow you to turn the electric A/C fan on sooner to capitalize on the T-stats lower opening point,but it's not a nessacity . I run a 180 in my wifes un-tuned 2016 Challenger, at speed it runs right around 185,in slow speed traffic it runs at the same temps it did with the oem 203 t-stat. You can bypass that if you turn the A/C on,as that'll kick the electric A/C fan in.

West27 · Mar 8, 2018

+100 degrees for all cases below.

With clutch fan still on and 180 thermostat the coolant stays around 185.

With the clutch fan removed, 180 therm, shutters in and efan set to 190 it has a hard time keeping temp around 190 without the fan coming on a lot.

With clutch fan removed, 180 therm, shutters removed and efan at 190 it stays around 190 pretty easy without fan coming on a lot.

I did the 180 therm to keep the engine from getting heat soaked so fast and keep better performance. If you are towing then 180 therm is fine but don’t remove the clutch fan or you will overheat.

180 degree thermostat

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