Rotax 915 oil/water thermostat

[Kitfox Pilot]

Do you guys recommend oil thermostats on the rotax engines?
Do you recommend water and oil thermostats on the rotax engines?
If so which ones work good for you?
Thanks for any info, I am to the point of plumbing the oil and water coolers and thought I would need a thermostat of some kind.

[DesertFox4]

Harlan, I think I’ll go with the oil thermostat first. Wouldn’t think it would be needed flying in Arizona but on a 45 degree morning I do have to sit and warm up quite awhile to get oil temps to 122 degrees. Some guys here do have both oil and coolant.
I flew all the way to Oshkosh and still am flying here in Minnesota with 2/3 of my oil cooler covered to get oil temps to 190 to 200 degrees during flight.

[Shadowrider]

I heard the 915 is sensitive to oil restrictions, so I wouldn’t go with a oil thermostat. Just cover up the oil cooler to bring up temps or put a louver on it. Becomes more of an issue if you go high because your oil pressure starts to drop because outside ambient pressure drops. I installed a water thermostat when I did my topend to see if it helps keep the coolant temps up for winter flying and staying warm. Downside is if the thermostat gets stuck closed.

[jrevens]

I have both oil & water... they work well, but the oil t-stat I have is only available with a 180 deg. element, so on cold days the oil doesn't get quite up to the "optimum" temp. without covering the cooler. It is the t-stat that's sold by multiple companies (Kitfox?, Lockwood, LEAF, etc.) for the Rotax engines. It does get the temperature up sooner and I like it. There is no worry about oil flow restriction, because the thermostat is always allowing full flow to the engine. It just modulates the amount going through the cooler.