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Thermostat change?

5908 Views 10 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Dodgehemi61
Has anyone replaced their thermostat? Been researching in Ram forums and it looks like quite a few people over there are running 180 degree thermostats. My 2005 Durango with the 5.7 ran better with the cooler thermostat as well.
I just bought the Rebel a few days ago S & B cai, diablo catch can and nfab steps are ordered and will be installing them this weekend.
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Don't think anyone has changed out the thermostat yet.
I'd only do it if I was towing big loads all the time, day after day.
What is the purpose of repalcing the thermostat with a different one? Haven't heard of this before.
Most thermostats are set in the 190+ degree range. There are a lot of opinions about better horsepower output if the temp is a little lower. I don't know how exactly correct any of them are, I'll leave that to others. But in the racing world, it's pretty commonly done. Of course, that's tracks, where you're driving hundreds of laps and pushing the engine really hard the whole time. It might be done in drag racing, too, but the impact there would be minimal since you're only running a few seconds.

A lot of old hands like to keep the engine temps a little lower when an engine is working really hard, to keep the oil from breaking down so quickly. Some would be wanting a lower temp thermostat for a truck that does a lot of towing, for example. Lower thermostats can also help with knock, especially if you've advanced your timing a bit. They do tend to interfere with fuel enconomy, though. Some guys swear by them. Some swear at them. Most modern engines don't have much need for them unless you're doing some more extreme stuff with them, running higher octane, working them really hard.

I'd have to be really working a truck hard all the time to consider it.
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Has anyone replaced their thermostat? Been researching in Ram forums and it looks like quite a few people over there are running 180 degree thermostats. My 2005 Durango with the 5.7 ran better with the cooler thermostat as well.
I just bought the Rebel a few days ago S & B cai, diablo catch can and nfab steps are ordered and will be installing them this weekend.
I've got the diablo sport oil catch can as well. Thumbs up on that purchase. I've been happy with it.
Most thermostats are set in the 190+ degree range. There are a lot of opinions about better horsepower output if the temp is a little lower. I don't know how exactly correct any of them are, I'll leave that to others. But in the racing world, it's pretty commonly done. Of course, that's tracks, where you're driving hundreds of laps and pushing the engine really hard the whole time. It might be done in drag racing, too, but the impact there would be minimal since you're only running a few seconds.

A lot of old hands like to keep the engine temps a little lower when an engine is working really hard, to keep the oil from breaking down so quickly. Some would be wanting a lower temp thermostat for a truck that does a lot of towing, for example. Lower thermostats can also help with knock, especially if you've advanced your timing a bit. They do tend to interfere with fuel enconomy, though. Some guys swear by them. Some swear at them. Most modern engines don't have much need for them unless you're doing some more extreme stuff with them, running higher octane, working them really hard.

I'd have to be really working a truck hard all the time to consider it.
Sounds like this isn't going to make a difference for 90% of people. But if that's what you want to spend money on, well you can do that. This is America.
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i have a thermostat on my 2014 durango. dont think there was much difference prior to supercharging it.
What part number catch can did u buy. Diablo site only shows up to 2014. Will these fit a 2016 rebel?
I see this is an older thread, But I know that my 13 Challenger came with a 202 Degree stat, and I replaced it with a Jet 180 to help keep the engine from getting heat soaked. This will cause the hemi to loose power when you are setting at a light or in stopped traffic. I did notice that I had more power when taking off after setting with the lower temp stat installed. Then you add an after market intake system that draws hot air from under the hood (AKA cold air intake) the car really bogs down for a few 100 feet. I even put a 180 degree JET stat in my 07 Ram.
Then when you install a 93 octane tune it really helps. I like the JET brand because it is stainless steel, it has the blocker back on it like the stock one does, and it comes with a new gasket that fits the Hemi.
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