hypertech powerstat

[divingduckman]

I'm having a fight with a friend of mine. He says that if you install a powerstat in a v6 s10 to get the max hp you should run 87 octane. I say to run 93 octane because you lowered the motor temp.
Who's right???

[whitetrash982]

powerstat? lower temp thermostat you mean?

[rlith]

Originally Posted by divingduckman

I'm having a fight with a friend of mine. He says that if you install a powerstat in a v6 s10 to get the max hp you should run 87 octane. I say to run 93 octane because you lowered the motor temp.
Who's right???

The power stat is simply a low temp thermostat. Running a higher octane gasoline will give no benifits what so ever because you've not done anything to change the spark of the fuel curve so it will not burn hot enough to make use of the additional octane. So your friend is corrent. With or without the stat, the truck will run best on 87 octane unless the ECM is reprogrammed.

[divingduckman]

So Say You Have The Ecm Reprogrammed. Then You Would Get The Better Hp From The 93 Octane.

[rlith]

You get better hp do the fuel curves and timing adjustments. In order to get those you do need the higher octane..

[whitetrash982]

dont get the thermostat , itll make it run cooler yes , but if it never reaches operating temp , the comp will keep thinking it still needs to add more fuel to warm it up faster , all youll do is burn gas , and it wont run its best on 87...itll run the same unless you do play with the fuel and spark cruves and timing , at which point you will need to put it higher octane to keep it from pinging , but putting in high octane (unless recommended by the manufacturer) has absolutly no point

[dmbrisket 51]

if its a 4.3 it has a dizzy, just advance the timeing and put in the higher octain if you want, but if you use 87 with advanced timeing you will get spark ping

[blazee]

Lower temp thermostats are a bad idea. They increase engine wear. A 160 thermostat will double engine wear.

[rlith]

Originally Posted by dmbrisket 51

if its a 4.3 it has a dizzy, just advance the timeing and put in the higher octain if you want, but if you use 87 with advanced timeing you will get spark ping

If he has a late 95 and up you can't adjust timing, it's a locked distributor.

[tHeKiNgMaN]

Originally Posted by blazee

Lower temp thermostats are a bad idea. They increase engine wear. A 160 thermostat will double engine wear.

Any brand names better then others?

[dmbrisket 51]

well first off welcome abord, please read when a thread was last posted in, and try not to bring it back if its more then a month or 2 old, and as for the t stat question, the only thing that we use at the shop is stant, and we havn't had a problem with one yet, but next time please press the post thread button in the upper left of the screen on the main s 10 page

[sector95]

Powerstat is HyperTech speak for their 160deg thermostat....you can do the same thing for cheaper by using a name brand unit from your FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store). By using a lower temp thermostat you will adjust the tempurature at which the coolant will begin to flow through the radiator. The 4.3L tends to run a little warm, especially with the A/C, and when the coolant temps get up there (above 210deg on the gauge) the EMC will begin to retard the timing to prevent detonation (due to the hot engine and 87 no-lead). Anytime my truck got over 210deg it ran like a dog....and yes, I kept my cooling system in excellent condition. I used a 160deg t-stat to get a jump on rising coolant temps in the summer with the A/C running. Never had a problem with the engine warming up, never had a problem passing emissions checks and the coolant temp stayed between approx 180-190 deg. By lowering the coolant temp, you'll be able to get maximum power out of the 87 octane fuel and minimize the chances of running into spark knock conditions.

Unless you're going to spend (waste, IMHO) the moolah for one of those "performance" chips, your truck will run just fine on 87 octane. Those chips do absolutely nothing to the normal operation of your engine; they must meet the same EPA emisssions requirements as the factory chip. The only area of engine operation they will effect is under wide open throttle (WOT). Under these conditions, the computer allows the engine to produce maximum power at the expense of emissions; it's considered an emergency manuever and rarely, if ever, does this condition occur during normal driving. The "performance" chips will tweak the advance curve and richen the mixture during WOT...and you will get an increase in HP....just like they advertise. The other component these chips will alter is your auto transmisson shift programing; the chip may firm up the shifts, hold each gear a little longer and delay overdrive engagement and torque converter lock-up...and this will give you a nice "seat of the pants" feeling of more power.

DO NOT attempt the old hot-rodders trick of advancing the initial timing; almost all systems in your engine are run by a computer (to include timing). The old addage "garbage in, garbage out" when speaking about computers applies to your truck as well. The computer needs to have the correct baseline timing in order for it to make the correct calcualtions for all the other operating condition timing curves.

mike

[tHeKiNgMaN]

thanks for the advice guys. what about winter conditions will it still run fine? Why don't they come with 160deg t-stats factory?

[blazee]

Originally Posted by tHeKiNgMaN

thanks for the advice guys. what about winter conditions will it still run fine? Why don't they come with 160deg t-stats factory?

Because at 160 there is twice as much engine wear when compared to 195 (the factory set temp, your engine won't go above 195 unless there is a problem with the cooling system). There is also more pollution at 160.

1. Today's engines operate at high temperatures to fight combustion by-products and pollution. Lowering the temp below 175-180 won't accomplish this.

2. Engine oils are designed to work over a specific temperature range with optimum performance starting at temperatures that require the coolant to be the very same 175ish range.

3.Your engine forms moisture inside when it cools and condensates on the walls of the inside. This moisture then is washed down into the oil when started and then awaits vaporization by internal temperatures rising enough to bring the moisture to the appropriate corrected vapor point (boiling). If enough moisture is left behind it combines with combustion byproducts to form acids that become dissolved in the oil itself. The oil becomes more acidic as the age of the oil progresses and picks on certain parts eventually. Also moisture will corrode other surfaces. So, it's important to get these engines to a satisfying operating temperature as soon as possible. Usually oil pooling temps are about 30 to 40 degrees higher than the coolant temps. This is a generalised statement and can vary with load and engine design but you can see why you want your oil over 212 degrees to boil out the moiture immediately.

[tHeKiNgMaN]

yeah ive been checking out some other old threads and it seems like you should change your tstat only if your having heat problems