Can you run too cold?

[Kevs Toy]

This may seem odd but just wondering if it's possible to actually hinder performance if engine operating temps are too cool? I was thinking of adding some redline water wetter to my radiator and then eventually going to a TRD thermostat and radiator cap. Just want to make sure this won't ruin my attempts at gaining the slighest fraction of hp

[GaryS]

Short answer is YES! Modern cars are designed to run at a specific temperature for emissions, overall drive-ability (sp?), and engine performance. I would bet that most modern cars are designed to run in the 190-200 degree range for these reasons.

If you are having cooling issues, find the source of them before you start going to aftermarket or questionable products. If you are trying to gain hp, I would suggest that most of cars' cooling systems can handle the extra heat from modest hp increases.

Fwiw, a 190 thermostat that is properly working will work the same whether it is a Camry or a TRD unit. Same thing with a rad cap. A cap set at a specific psi rating should work the same regardless of what its intended use.

just my opinion.
Gary

[Kevs Toy]

Gary, thanks for addressing my concerns. No overheating issues here just looking for that little extra smidge of power. Guess I'll just do a cap for now and not sure what stock thermostat has it running at. I know whenever I go boost I'll then do the water wetter and cooler thermostat as sounds like the cars tend to need it then

[Eye8Pussies]

what gary says is correct. on a stock car, there is no need to run any sort of aftermarket cooling system.

even with modest boost- I'm running 6psi on my trd blower right now, and my oil temp has only gone up a bit. But on that note, I'm also running rather rich right now, so heat will be well down. I've picked up an lower temp thermostat to help moderate temperatures a bit though.

[Unco]

Originally Posted by Kevs Toy

This may seem odd but just wondering if it's possible to actually hinder performance if engine operating temps are too cool? I was thinking of adding some redline water wetter to my radiator and then eventually going to a TRD thermostat and radiator cap. Just want to make sure this won't ruin my attempts at gaining the slighest fraction of hp

while i don't think those mods will affect your engine temperature by much, to answer your question... if your engine runs too cold, your engine oil will not be running at its optimum temperature. engine oil that doesn't reach normal operating temperature or it takes too long to reach it, will result in an engine that wears out a LOT faster than normal.

[marc780]

There's only one thing that can cause overcooling and that is the thermostat: stuck open, removed, or of too low a rating. I'd never change my thermostat to one of a lower rating, it is a mistake - the engineers who designed this thing knew what they were doing when they made it.
If you think you know more than they do, go ahead and use a lower rated one or remove it entirely like some people do - if this does help solve some other problem, like preiginition, all this means that the the engine has other things that need to be fixed.