Fire Burns
Well-Known Member
I have a 2006 Chrysler 300c SRT-8. Yep, the big fast 6.1L V8. Back in the day, one of the most common and very first mods owners were doing was replacing their 210 thermostat with a 190 one (my numbers might be off a bit). I think the conversion cost about $12 but yielded SIGNIFICANTLY higher horsepower and certainly better drivability, which I experienced firsthand. This was a well known mod and I could definitely feel the seat of the pants difference. Seems that FCA pulled engine timing once the thermostat opened due to higher temps while hoping to stave off or eliminate pinging in these high-compression performance motors. Also likely was that FCA at the time was getting their advertised HP and torque numbers on a relatively cold engine.
Moral of the story? Well, I'm not a Jeep engineer and I don't know how they've tuned our JLs, but I can say that its not above FCA to intentionally retard timing on a very hot engine to lessen the chance of detonation, especially on a high compression JL, such as the 3.6L. Also, they're willing to let those engines run super hot for emissions purposes. So, while it would be speculation on my part that FCA has done this for sure with the JL, its not speculation that they've done this in the past.
In short, it sounds like a great idea to me to try a slightly lower thermostat to see the results, which may actually be a net positive. The OP, and really the JL community in general, has little to lose to give this mod a shot. .
Moral of the story? Well, I'm not a Jeep engineer and I don't know how they've tuned our JLs, but I can say that its not above FCA to intentionally retard timing on a very hot engine to lessen the chance of detonation, especially on a high compression JL, such as the 3.6L. Also, they're willing to let those engines run super hot for emissions purposes. So, while it would be speculation on my part that FCA has done this for sure with the JL, its not speculation that they've done this in the past.
In short, it sounds like a great idea to me to try a slightly lower thermostat to see the results, which may actually be a net positive. The OP, and really the JL community in general, has little to lose to give this mod a shot. .
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