ALFAGTV6.COM

[75evo]

JK,

My Honda K24 iVTEC kicks the fan in at 217F (102C) . My 164 Super is not that bad, 200F (93C) .

From my cursory observation, it seems that most modern cars have their thermostats and fan setup that high, there ain't no way you can get it to work differently unless you change the thermostat and fan module.

I feel manufacturers tailor the cooling system to work for 90% of driving situations (stop and go, idle and cruising) and not for WOT.

My 75 has no thermostat and it runs really cool.

Ideally, all our cars should have an electrically controlled water pump with NO thermostat.

[Saabretooth]

Mine's running without a thermostat either. That's how I get between 83 to 85 during cruising. 90 to 100 when in traffic or when pushing hard.

[Mats]

Without thermostat? If you just remove the thermostat you get a lower absolute cooling capacity.
What's wrong with the thermostat?

[Jim K]

High temperatures are better for fuel economy, lower emissions and more efficient heaters where Mats is. For best power, 76-80* is what the books say. If you run 85* when cruising without a thermostat, I think its an indication of a small or blocked radiator. A properly sized rad, will show 60-65* when cruising, if the thermostat sticks open even if it has a small leakage not closing properly -I know, it has happened to me. Check your rad for dirt inside and out. You'll be surprised how much more efficient a clean radiator is!
Jim K.

[75evo]

Jim is right. I took the thermostat out of my 164QV and the thing could barely stay at 70C while cruising at night. Same with my current 164 Super 24V, a small thermostat leak and it cannot stay warm at night when cruising.

Although where I stay the ambient temp is cool as opposed to the high humidity and ambient temp in Singapore.

[Saabretooth]

That's something I'll have to try at a later stage. I'll do that coolant flush to clear up all the gunk in it.

Btw 75evo, I'll be driving up to PJ tomorrow to customize a set of coilovers with RCS. You might want to have a chat with them if you're looking for new suspension.

[Jim K]

For transaxle suspension, stay tuned here. I'll have pics in few days. Don't ask, just wait. BETTER than you think and less $$. Some good stuff coming out of Greeceland!
Jim K.

[bteoh]

Damn Jim, you are a real teaser Show us what you have

[Jim K]

Give us a few days; I'm awaiting delivery of the helper springs and the shock base brackets to be welded. ...Adjustable shocks, 24 settings.//
Jim K.

[kevin]

24 settings , is that for each valve
The suspense ....( er maybe suspension) I can't wait .
You gonna get the usual questions ie do you need to open up the upper control arms , what ride height was it designed for , how much bump and rebound travel do you have at that ride height , do you use imperial or metric spring size , How much clearance is there on the steering arm on hub at lock .... blah blah These were some of the questions I had when getting my mate at Bilstein to make for our GTV's in SA .
Just prepping for the barrage of questions

[Jim K]

Holy $hit, thats a lot of questions but you're right, they are reasonable and necessary. I'll start checking on the answers. We have one 75 1.8T running around with the set. Handles great with a sure footing. Too bad we got plenty crappy roads here... This particular car has 27.3mm torsion bars, so we removed the front coils. BUT, no hole enlargement is required in the top arms with the coils on! Coming to think of it, I ddn't have to touch the holes with my full RSR setup either.
Like I said, pics coming soon in the suspension section.
Jim K.

[75evo]

I hope it will be cheaper than RSR, which is expensive.

[Jim K]

Want a price before you see the pics in 3-4 days? 1200€ +shipping.
Kit contents, front: Adjustable front coilover shocks. Adjustment is by knob next to the shock base. Main spring plus flat helper spring 4lbs. Spring adjustment by threaded ring on shock body. Special shock mounting bracket.
Rear: Adjustable shocks, adjuster knob next to base. Springs with adjustable base.
Specs coming soon. When you see the pics, DO NOT assume its the RSR set; it is not. Appearances are deceiving in this case.
Next discussion -->suspension section.
Jim K.

[Jim K]

Since we were talking 24v cams a few posts back, the news is we verified the master lobe today on the Cam-Doctor and my cams will be done in a few days. The new cams have 8.5% more 'area under the curve' than the 10mm profiles, an impressive increase.
I will be back with more later.
Jim K.

[Jim K]

Maybe some will find this interesting: I had an unexpected opportunity to measure a set of Colombo & Bariani 24v cams, badged as Stradale massimo in their catalog, obviously meaning max street profile. At the price of 1860€ (without VAT) they ARE expensive. Price aside, the profiles are a bit 'less' than I would expect. Below is a comparison of profiles I have measured so far. While its true that numbers don't lie, one must actually see the graphs to be able to make a proper profile evaluation.
I remind you that in my 24v 3liter (75 short intake and plenum) I have the Williams profile and got 272hp.
Jim K.