Quote Originally Posted by tyler
the way i look at is is 212 is boiling, a cooling system is under pressure so it will be boiling before it reaches 212, i ususally run a 160 thermostat i can drive my galaxie around town at about 170-180 and when i get on the highway it never gets over 190 i just like to be way on the safe side, im paranoid about over heating
212 is boiling for water, not 50/50 coolant mix, right? Also, if I remember right, increasing the pressure increases the boiling point, which is why steam is so dangerous, because it is much hotter than water when it is released from it's high pressure environment.

Many vehicles today typically run in the 200-210 to support EFI (keeping sensors hot).