Hi
That is useful information. There can�t be too many fleet operators around who are able to provide hard data. I haven�t seen/heard of thermostats failing closed before so it is interesting that both of yours have failed closed. It would be really useful to know how/why the thermostats failed. Was it because of the spring, or did the valves get stuck? I would be curious to know why the hoses popped. Were the radiator cap pressure relief valves overwhelmed?
If the part of the thermostat that failed can be identified, then an option is to replace that periodically (say every 2nd engine rebuild)
Where I race, tape on the radiator is banned. I am not running a thermostat in my engine (yet). I have cable-tied a plastic blind over half the radiator. Even after pre-race engine warming I have found that the engine doesn�t get above 45degC at 2 to 10 deg C ambient and it takes about half the race to get there.
I find that fussing around with putting a hand over the radiator during racing is too distracting, especially if other karts are nearby. So I might get a couple of tenths with a higher engine temp in the 2nd half of the race, but I would probably lose more 10ths and maybe places as a result of lost concentration.
I would gain a lot more 10ths if I lost some weight. I am working on that.
Dazz
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