so why do you guys all have lower t-stats? what do they do and what difference does it make?

It helps Lower your KR when you run alot of mod's. The hotter the engine the more KR you will get. If your stock you can stay stock temp, witch is a 195° I think.

The Tstat is kind of like a valve in that it opens and allows coolant to flow. Lower Tstats open at lower temperatures, which means coolant start dissipating engine heat sooner.

like ifitwasnt4u said, heat can lead to KR which is your enemy.

x3 on what they said.

Its basically a way to drop some KR. 180 is pretty much the way to go. As 160 doesnt allow the motor to get hot enough.

Stock is 195*

Its very easy to install and I like having my temp at 170-183. Before, it used to go to 200 in the summer time if I was idle in traffic and I put the heat on. Yea, it sounds foolish to pick the car over 5 minutes of uncomfort but I was paranoid about causing long term wear.

Oh, I also have the PCM modded so the fan turns on at 180(?), so that really helps balance things out.

Is it worth it? Yea as its only $7-$10 bucks. Any drawbacks? Car still heats up fine in the winter so no? Should you do it? Yea. Would you notice any performance increase? Besides the reduction of KR, no unless you are hyper sensitive and can feel 3-4 hp.

I doubt you really get any gains out of it, but a cooler motor is always better... since you have a GT do not get a drilled thermostat because it will trip a service engine code

Colder engine temperatures promote a colder intake temperature, which means denser air, meaning more hp. It's probably 3-4hp...nothing big at all.