So outside of the FIPK cold air intake, I wanna know other great ways to keep my engine as cool as possible while still getting lots of power to it. So I guess what I'm asking is are there certain thermostats, headers and things like that you would recommend to me to get what I'm looking for out of my Dodge. And what engine temp would you say I should be running at. Its a '97 1500 with a 5.2, and the gauge nearly always reads 200 after about 15 minutes of being run. I found a few things and I want opinions

http://www.performanceproducts4truck...Oil+Cooler+Kit

http://www.performanceproducts4truck...ure+Thermostat

 

200 is about where it's supposed to be, any colder than that and your wear rate will probably go up. the engine was designed from the factory to operate at that temperature. running too hot or too cold will surely cause eventual damage.

 

from the FAQ:

quote

Coolant temperatures and thermostat settings

There is controversy about MPG and thermostat temperatures. Pure theory says
that cooler air intake temperatures give improved MPG because cooler air takes
slightly less hp to compress, and if the thermostat is cooler on old fashioned
iron or aluminum intake manifolds with coolant cross-over passages there will
be less temperature rise in the intake air as it passes through. Modern
intake manifolds such as the ones on the 4.7V8 and 5.7 Hemi are made of
insulating plastic so this does not apply as much - although the incoming air
can still pick up heat from the metal cylinder head ports.

But hotter oil on cylinder walls has less viscosity and creates less
friction against the piston rings - which can also mean better MPG. The
Cummins 'Secrets of Better Fuel Economy' white paper listed at the top has a
graph showing this on page 12. Theory also predicts that hotter block walls
and cylinder heads will absorb less heat from combustion and permit a greater
pressure 'push' on the piston.

Some Dakota owners who switched to 180 degree thermostats have reported less
ping, peppier acceleration and about +1 mpg, although most reports like this
are just about what their next tank of gasoline yielded - not a careful test
that you can trust. Other Dakota owners reported no mpg change or a loss.
Four Wheeler magazine reported +0.8 mpg gain with a 192 to 180 deg
thermostat swap in a 454 Suburban. Take these reports with a grain of salt
considering who did them and how magazines live on advertising.

My own experiments with failed thermostat that cracked and stayed open at
around 140 degrees, then later thermostats of 180, 195 (stock) and 205 showed
no significant
improvement in MPG at steady 60 mph highway cruise on a 1995 5.9V8 Ram CCab
shortbed, although the 205 did show a small 0.2 MPG gain in one 300 mile test
run. The 180 degree thermostat also did not reducing pinging, nor did the 205
thermostat increase pinging. This may be because the PCM computer senses
coolant temperature and either advances or retards ignition timing as
necessary according to the tables in the memory of the computer. The cracked
thermostat that stayed open at about 140 did reduce pinging. When you read
that 180 degree thermostats reduced pinging on old carburetor engines that
might be true, but consider that todays computer controlled engines 'have a
mind of their own.'

The Fuel Economy Calculator from Performance Trends software predicts that a
change from a 195 degree thermostat to a 175 worsens MPG by about 0.20 at a
steady 70 mph.

Respected tech editior Marlan Davis of Hot Rod magazine has reported that
all things considered, fuel economy is better with coolant at 210 degrees F.
Perhaps that is why the factory thermostat on the 5.7 Hemi is now marked 203
F, which is were it begins opening. Note that on 4.7 and 5.7Hemi engines the
thermostat position and function has been totally redesigned to control the
coolant in, rather than the coolant out temperature. The 5.7V8 now also has a
closing bypass post sticking out from it that closes off the passage and
results in greater coolant flow to the radiator once the engine is up to
designed temperature.

end quote

Special ceramic coatings on the crowns of pistons and on the combustion
chamber of the cylinder head can improve both fuel economy and torque by
holding heat inside where it can produce pressure on the piston. Racing
engine builder Joe Sherman states that these coatings can add 2-3% to
performance, but if professionally applied they can be so expensive that the
mod would not pay for itself in fuel savings. There is an article about
applying coatings yourself at:

http://circletrack.com/techarticles/...139_0307_coat/

Note that the 5.7 Hemi piston design is not fully coated but Chrysler did put a partial
coating on to protect the top piston ring when they moved this ring even closer
to the top of the piston - a common trick now days:



more details in a long article by David Vizard at:
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0403phr_hemi/

 

ALWAYS SO MUCH TECHNICAL MUMBO JUMBO! I don;t want to sit here and read all that!

You can buy a 180 thermo [:'(]

 

how does a fipk cool the engine?

 

Socha_62, I hear you with the technical mumbo jumbo[:@]. Have you tried the block feature, I find it to be very helpful .