IMHO the stock thermostat is best all the time.  If you're
concerned about overheating, it makes no difference whether
the thermostat starts opening at 80 or 87; either one should
be completely open by the time the temp get close to boiling
anyway.
  Running your engine at a lower temp than it was designed for
will reduce its efficiency, lowering gas mileage, increasing
carbon buildup, etc.  Lowering the coolant temp will also
reduce the effectiveness of your heater.

Larry A.

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 00:32:24 -0700
>From: Kirk Hockin <dochockin@TELUS.NET>
>Subject: Warm climate thermosat?
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
>Greetings volks,
>
>
>
>I was poking around the Vanagain site today and stumbled
across a couple
>of t-stats.  The standard 87 deg. and a "warm climate" 80
deg. t-stat.
>I'm headed to Mexico in my Westy (as I've mentioned before) and
>wondering about said warm climate t-stat.  Will it really
make that big
>of a difference?
>
>
>
>I'll be wandering all over the country from the southern
beaches (temps
>upwards of 90 deg) to the mountain highlands (temps around
freezing at
>night).  What can you far more knowledgeable volks tell me
about how the
>2 t-stats will each fare in their relative weak extremes?
Would the
>standard be better in the heat then the warm t-stat in the cold?
>
>
>
>Cheers,
>
>
>
>Kirk Hockin
>
>'83 Westy "Ariolimax"