The thermostat opening temp should be the ideal temp for the engine to run at, anything less and it needs changing. In the current cold ambients, apart from under heavy load the stat will only open a tiny amount and then shut (thermostat oscillation). Ive taped up behind the grill which vastly improves warm up time, it also better to have the stat open, no matter how small, all the time to maintain a steady coolant flow and constant temp. The lower aperture provides more than enough airflow to prevent overheating.