Performance after replacing thermostat

[topher800]

For the last few years my thermostat gauge has been just a bit above the blue, call it about the ten o'clock position. Finally ordered and installed one the other day. Went for a drive. To self: "hmmm, the car seems faster / better running". The "brain power" in brain, says no way. I comment to my, she takes the car up to the store and says "ya, the car is faster and smoother".

Was it really running so too cool that performance was being affected? I read few years ago, never put in a cooler thermostat as you will get incomplete combustion and leading to less performance and lower gas mileage. I wasn't expecting something this noticeable.

I forgot to add: the new thermostat registered around the 11:00 mark in the mid-60 degree weather the other day and didn't quite make straight up in the 90 degree weather today.

[jayjaya29]

Was it really running so too cool that performance was being affected?

Yes

[szacsi72]

For the last few years my thermostat gauge has been just a bit above the blue, call it about the ten o'clock position. Finally ordered and installed one the other day. Went for a drive. To self: "hmmm, the car seems faster / better running". The "brain power" in brain, says no way. I comment to my, she takes the car up to the store and says "ya, the car is faster and smoother".

Was it really running so too cool that performance was being affected? I read few years ago, never put in a cooler thermostat as you will get incomplete combustion and leading to less performance and lower gas mileage. I wasn't expecting something this noticeable.

I forgot to add: the new thermostat registered around the 11:00 mark in the mid-60 degree weather the other day and didn't quite make straight up in the 90 degree weather today.

Apart from physics, the DME also sends out different signals. Your car was basically in warm-up mode for years.

[topher800]

[1st 5er]

... Your car was basically in warm-up mode for years.

[kojo96]

Look here for a better understanding of the temp gooahj reading.

viewtopic.php?t=34159

[Germz]

Now I’m confused. Where should the needle be for normal operating e28? At the 11 o’clock position? 195*?

[topher800]

Ya, that picture of the gauge with the misc temperatures marked isn't jiving with what went through....though I measured nothing. I guess I'll get out the IR thermo out

I was previously sitting at the 175F mark (80C == 176F) according to that photo. Now I'm moving between the 180-190 mark. Of course my gas gauge has little relation to what is happening in the tank either.

[topher800]

After a [st]roll up and down the street. 73F outside.



175.6F on the hose from the water pump to thermostat (the forward hose) and about 10F cooler on the rear hose that goes to the top of the radiator.

...and I can't find my Bentley, so I'm flying a little blind here.

[szacsi72]

This is perfect. The needle is normally just very slightly shy of the vertical position when driving. However, at idle, it's perfectly fine for it to go to 12o clock.