Does anyone know the correct operating temp when running around town and also on boost. I noticed after plugging the laptop into the car the ECT temp is consistently around 89deg and also ventures to 92 before my fans cut in. If i give it the beans then it heats up very quickly but this is obvious. I did a coolthermo thermostat install recently and was hoping to see the temperatures drop to the mid 80's but they haven't?

Any ideas

 

New Age run hotter than Classics.
Typical for a Claasic is 82 to 94 or thereabouts. The higher temperature being in traffic and crawling along. Usually once you get on the move, the temperature will be in the 82-86 area on a Classic. The fans are programmed to come on via the ECU and this happens somewhere around 88 C or some similar figure.
With the recent hot weather you may be seeing higher temperatures than previously.

 

Ah ok so nothing much to worry about then, although i was told that the EJ207 engine works best in the mid 80's as opposed to high 80's low 90's would an uprated rad be a worthwhile investment? I did a coolant change about a week ago and i'm sure that it is running hotter since then... small ailock perhaps?

 

Put heater controls to full hot and start and run it like that for a bit. Switch to hot and cold several times. Several start stops in the local area where it gets to normal operating temperature. Then when it is cold, top up the level. At that point there should be no air locks.
If you have changed coolant it may well be your old stuff was heavily dilluted and the new stuff is better at taking away heat from the engine gallery surfaces etc. It may also be that we have ambient temperatures in the last few days that are 10c or thereabouts above the previous ambients and therefore the cooling ability is a little less hence a slight increase in ECT.
Did you look at temperatures on your lap top previously and what were they.???
Slow running in town and temperatures will increase to around 90+ when ambients are quite high. In the cruise for a few miles on the motorway or open A Road the temps around a steady 3,500 rpm in top are probably 84-86C. Give it beans and temp should not increase much more than 6-8 degrees.
If it does it is worthy of further investigation but it sounds like you may be worrying needlessly.
If it is not broke why go to the expense and trouble of fixing it?

 

The Alcatek software was reporting before the coolant change temps of about 87.7 steady and pulling over at the side of the road or sitting in traffic would see the temps creep into the 90's. I've set my primary fan at 92deg and secondary at 94 (stock was 96) since the coolant change it has been a bit higher more like 89 steady but as you say could be recent weather changes. I'm sure that there was a big airlock in the system because on a run to dorset this saturday i pulled over to find temps at 106 and my idle was going wild yeeehaaaaa (that'll teach me for messing with the offset table) so ran the heaters on full for about 50-60 miles and when it cooled down there was a woosh of air from the header tank when i opened it.... Plus it needed water

Uprated rads a false economy then?

 

When they are not needed they are obviously a waste of money.
There are many things to do before you go for an uprated radiator and the first is to check if you really need one.
Better to resolve any underlieing problems than fitting a rad to cure it.
It sounds as if you radiator is doing the job ok. Running a couple of degrees hotter when ambient is perhaps 10C higher is no big deal.