carb vs fuel injection
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2013
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carb vs fuel injection
I am currently building an engine from ground up and so it's a 350 with .030 bore, XR270HR cam with vortec heads. Now my question is would I be better off to go fuel injection or carb. At the beginning of the build I was planing to go carb nut now im.javing second thought
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hartford WI
What exactly are your plans? In my case, I would drive my vette as long as there is no snow even in winter. Carb would not work well. Besides I have no trust in a carb. All my toys are FI by design. I go up high altitude and my ATV wouldn't work without rejetting. Thanks but no thanks. Trade it in for a FI unit. Jetskis? Bought FI. I wouldn't buy a carb car myself but that is me. You couldn't give it to me even.
That all said, if you lack the ability to tune it and are using it for say track purposes, I suppose. Tuning is probably not going to be done every day. Maybe once in several years if you make serious mods so I can afford to haul it or drive it to a facility to make it done. Diagnostics are much easier.
That all said, if you lack the ability to tune it and are using it for say track purposes, I suppose. Tuning is probably not going to be done every day. Maybe once in several years if you make serious mods so I can afford to haul it or drive it to a facility to make it done. Diagnostics are much easier.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hartford WI
Well, temperatures can fluctuate wildly in WI. Not sure where you are. You'd probably have to hook up speedo and tach at the least. I guess tge question is why you are trying to go that route.
You have a 30 over bore, why not go the 383 route since you are mostly there? Do you have the stock D port heads? I would imagine that you could fluff them up since Lingenfelter does that quite a bit for his 383. What intake would you be using? Could you put a hood scoop and do a Holley Stealth Ram?
You have a 30 over bore, why not go the 383 route since you are mostly there? Do you have the stock D port heads? I would imagine that you could fluff them up since Lingenfelter does that quite a bit for his 383. What intake would you be using? Could you put a hood scoop and do a Holley Stealth Ram?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hartford WI
It does seem like a waste to me not to go for the 383. Could you sell the crank and get your money towards a good crank for the 383? IDK. I wonder if you could check with the person who would be programming the ECM if you go with the HSR as to what cam and heads they want and see what it can do for you? That is what I did except I had to reuse the AFR 190cc heads. If I had to rebuild, I would get lower compression so I could use a supercharger.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hartford WI
What happened to your ECU and what fuel components do you need? HSR I think has it's fuel stuff that you just need to hook up. You probably need injectors to support whatever power you are making.
With the Edelbrock and cam and heads, I don't know how nice street manners it will have. I am not sure because I don't have a carb myself. As I said, I can start it up in the dead cold winter or the blazing hot summer. I know someone with a carb that had to change carbs for winter and summer. Not saying you will have that issue.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hartford WI
Yes, they don't have injectors but those are available for under 300, IIRC. As to fuel rails, what are you looking at? Get the Holley 550-710 if you want to use Vortec heads. Sell the MAP sensor since you won't use it. It has everything from TB to manifold
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hartford WI
Induction doesn't net more power a things being equal. It makes it more adaptable to changing conditions. I fire the engine up and drive. No choking, no warm up, etc.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Depends on your budget. EFI will probably always have more cold start manners reliable etc but the intake injectors rails, little stuff and tune will set you back quite a bit. One will be less but neither will be super cheap youll need to regulate your FP down for the carb also, linkage etc
Carb and intake and non computer HEI cheaper intially if you can tune a carb they are no headache at all. They have come a long way since the 70s and 80s. Youl may mess with a carb a little more often but no check engine light or sensor to make the car do wacky stuff. Good with a laptop or a screwdriver?
All depends what you want/budget/expectations
Carb and intake and non computer HEI cheaper intially if you can tune a carb they are no headache at all. They have come a long way since the 70s and 80s. Youl may mess with a carb a little more often but no check engine light or sensor to make the car do wacky stuff. Good with a laptop or a screwdriver?
All depends what you want/budget/expectations
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,409
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From: NC
So many self tuning EFI setups out there.
I wouldn't even mess around with a carb.
Better fuel mileage, better power curve, far more reliable than carb.
Nearly zero maintenance.
Also much better throttle response with FI.
I wouldn't even mess around with a carb.
Better fuel mileage, better power curve, far more reliable than carb.
Nearly zero maintenance.
Also much better throttle response with FI.
Team Owner
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From: Hartford WI
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2004
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As was said, carbs have come a long way and you tune with physical tools. I'm not much of a carb guy in anything C4 and newer.....must be a purist thing. Probably the closer to instant gratification would be a carb route. But then you can tune your own fuel injection software and say you learned something. I'm just cutting my teeth on tweaking the prom and engine management now and I'll admit it's frustrating at first, I even envy the carb guys right now, but in time I know it'll be rewarding to be able to make it run right and learn a new skill in the process.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,415
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From: Hartford WI
But then you can tune your own fuel injection software and say you learned something. I'm just cutting my teeth on tweaking the prom and engine management now and I'll admit it's frustrating at first, I even envy the carb guys right now, but in time I know it'll be rewarding to be able to make it run right and learn a new skill in the process.