Interest/discussion thread about "cheaper" Nismo thermostats

[mav1178]

Anyone interested in Tama/NTCL low temp thermostats? About ~$60-80 each shipped in the US. Read below for more info:

Tama Enterprises is the supplier for these low temp thermostats. There is a complicated history behind these companies but basically Nippon Thermostat Co. Ltd (NTCL) supplies virtually the entire OEM thermostat business for all the vehicles made in Japan.

Tama sells the rebranded and performance thermostats for the OE/performance aftermarket, and among Tama's customers listed on their website are clients such as HKS, M-TEC, Nissan Motorsports International (NISMO), Spoon, STI, etc.

In other words: the thermostats are identical to Nismo dimension-wise. The only major difference is opening temperature: in the case of KA/SR, Nismo thermostats open at 62C, whereas the Tama/NTCL thermostat opens at 68C. This is so that they can say "we are not selling Nismo thermostats" and avoid Japanese domestic parts politics, which is a huge part of why parts are the way they are in the aftermarket.

More info about Tama Enterprises and their customer base: https://www.tama-e.co.jp/en/company/

Anyhow, feedback and/or interest would be nice via comments. May sell these in the future instead of Nismo, since Nismo pricing is basically a markup for the name.

They also have thermostats for RB, 1J/2J, B16/18, K20, 4G63, 13BT, EJ20, and FA20. All of them would be around the same $60-80 price point if I were to get them.

[Kingtal0n]

160*F is the perfect opening temp for a high performance thermostat however I would caution anyone who wishes to use this type of thermostat be aware that the engine must reach 185*F+ to avoid excess wear and tear.

Thus, this low opening type of thermostat is no good for mechanical fan situations or people without temperature controlled fan settings.

It is IDEAL for people with a temperature controlled electric fan in a high performance car because you can maintain a lower temperature for track days when the vehicle is fully warmed up already, which gives more headroom for temp raise while competing at high output

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

160*F is the perfect opening temp for a high performance thermostat however I would caution anyone who wishes to use this type of thermostat be aware that the engine must reach 185*F+ to avoid excess wear and tear.

Thus, this low opening type of thermostat is no good for mechanical fan situations or people without temperature controlled fan settings.

It is IDEAL for people with a temperature controlled electric fan in a high performance car because you can maintain a lower temperature for track days when the vehicle is fully warmed up already, which gives more headroom for temp raise while competing at high output

Of course.

But as is the case with most people buying a Nismo thermostat, they are addressing problems (cooling an engine sufficiently) that are not usually the result from a thermostat opening too high.