You think its cooler, NOW...
Put your splash shield back on, in combination with a cooler thermostat, and watch them go down even more.
The lower splash shield works by creating a low pressure region to DRAW air THROUGH the radiator, instead of hitting it and going around. (path of least resistance..)
You are seeing cooler temps due to the thermo, but not as low as they WOULD be with the shield on.
