It's fwd guys. It doesn't have a mechanical fan to constantly keep coolant temps down like say my car does. If the fans don't turn on til 220 it's no big deal. That thermostat can open at 60 but the fans won't kick on til 220 so he'll run the same temps under the conditions he's talking about. If you had an electric fan running all the time and couldn't get the temp down i'd worry but not as it sounds it's doing.

The old way of thinking was 165 degree thermos with huge over-sized radiators and stiff mechanical fans that basically kept the cooling system so cool you didn't even need a cap except to keep evaporation at bay.

These newer engines run much MUCH warmer. The hotter an internal combustion engine runs the more efficient the engine is because less is lost to heat soak into the engine. Companies use smaller radiators, electric fans, hotter thermostats and systems that run so close tolerance that if you put a 12psi cap on a 16psi system you'll boil over every time till it's replaced.

The talk about not needing fans on the freeway isn't really true anymore either. Radiators and grills on cars have gotten so small lately that driving on the freeway can cause an engine to overheat on a warm summer day. It might not run in your car but have you seen how little exposed frontal area there is on the late model escorts as compared to an earlier model?

Re: How hot is too hot?
 

i put a 195*F thermostat in my civic. scangauge reads up to 230 at times on the turnpike(lower in town). the car's gauge never gets in the "red" area. going to switch back to 180 tho because fuel economy has not increased!