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This is absolutely right. The thermostat controls the lower temperature of the engine when the radiator cooling capacity is sufficient to keep it there. What I didn't quite appreciate is that the steady state temperature is about 15degs higher than the marked stat temp, which means it is already starting to close at 15-20 deg above marked, and regulating the flow. What no one is pointing out here is that the high temperature of the engine is regulated by the cycling of the cooling fans when the air flow is not sufficient.
For me, I am often not driving at a steady fast clip, LA traffic, city streets etc, so I would only really see the benefit of a lowT stat when cruising on the highway. I assume this situation to be true for many folks.
Out of curiosity, when pushing one of these cars on a track, > 100mph, (never done it) do you see elevated temperatures, or is there enough airflow to keep it pegged at the stat determined temperature?
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