I tried a thermostat twice and could not get it to cool properly on the
ground in either case, so gave up and have flow 200 hours with no thermostat
and no problem.

Ed Anderson
------------------

===>  Was it OK in the air without the thermostat?  The way it looks to me,
if you have a properly working radiator system, a thermostat is a good
thing.  Since you have no electric fans, your radiators aren't working
"properly" on the ground, so removing the thermostat could certainly help.

On the other hand, the fact that removing it helps your ground cooling
proves that it's better to do without the thermostat if possible.  I also
wonder if there would be less chance of pump cavitation at higher RPM's
without the restriction of the thermostat.

Have you ever had a problem with temps being too cool?  How about when
descending from freezing altitudes at low power?

Still leaning toward trying it with the thermostat first.  I'll have one or
two electric fans for ground ops.

Thanks for the comments.
Rusty

Actually, the engine cools fine on the ground without the thermostat as it
does have a BIG fan out front.  In the air, on cold winter days at modest
power settings (like cruise), the coolant temp can drop down to 150F which
is a bit on the cool side.  Cowl flaps would likely be the answer to
maintaining the temps up around 180F.   So a thermostat might be more than
an option for those of you living in the northen climates.

Not saying don't use a thermostat, just saying I tried twice and for
whatever reason (poor cooling system design?) did not have success.  Almost
cooked my engine twice, so decided it was not worth messing with.

Ed