Kevin:
The idea behind the
oil thermostat is to allow the
oil to reach a temperature that is high enough to outgas some of the junk that builds up in the
oil, not so much to keep it cool. By and large, with an oil cooler, the oil runs TOO cool and doesn't reach a temp that's high enough. That's the job of the thermostat, to get the oil temp up and keep it in the proper range. Seems like kind of a reverse procedure but that's what you get with an oil cooler. Having colder than normal temps in your area would increase the need for the t-stat.
The Canton unit, while expensive, has the highest opening temp I was able to find, around 210 degrees. Most of the others open at 180 and I'm not sure that's high enough but that's just my opinion.
DonC