Carb vs EFI

[b4black]

I thought everyone here might be interested in this. Car Craft has an article called "Fueling a Controversy: Carb Vs. EFI"

The first sentence is "There's no doubt that EFI has superior part-throttle driveability and offers greater potential for fuel economy, but car crafters don't build motors to go to the grocery store, engine dynos and dragstrips aren't run a hlaf throttle and if we cared about mileage we wouldn't be building big-cam 454s with double pumper carburetors."

They then went on to test a 454 crate motor will both EFI and a carb (same intake). The result was a tie.
Carb: 454.4 hp/490.3 lb-ft
EFI: 454.4 hp/491.8 lb/ft

So their conclusion: "....showing that properly dialed in, both the carb and the EFI get the job done under full throttle. But which will start right up on Christmas morning in Anchorage? Our bet's of the fuel-injection. On the other hand, you'll spend around $5,500 (including ignition and special throttle body) for a big-block Chevy EFI setup like this. Advantage, carb."

No, I'm not trying to say the a Carb/Turbo is just as good as a SFI/IC/Turbo. But I think this shows that a carb in itself is not a bad thing. We just need more time to figure out what works and doesn't work.

 

[Freddie's Buick]

I partly agree with you Rich,

But time is money! Its a pain having to wait to warm up ones car with ye ole carbs...This or having to wake up 10 mins earlier to warm up the darn thing.

But EFI....well, just turn the key and go man go! No chokes to adjust no screws to mix...

Well, I could go on....but I don't mind my ole carb. It's sort of nostalgic. Besides, I can pull the thing apart and rebuild it with my eyes closed and it barely ever needs parts....just gaskets.

Today's folks need EFI......as for me, welp.....I think I like turning screws and such.

 

[83build-up]

carb vs. efi

a carb would be hard to beat a turbo/ic/efi but not as hard to beat a hot air efi turbo which are very simular to ours.we all know the only reason the 86/87 are so fast is the intercooler.like i always say nothing is impossible just sometimes harder to accomplish.were there's a will there's a way.Are our cars going to click off 12's doubtfull but not impossible.One of the biggest reasons I go with the carb set-up is simply more a challenge.I have had the efi set up before and it was o.k. but the carbs are more fun plus I always wanted to beat a EFI turbo buick so i could just turn and smile knowing how much they spend on there cars.a carb is more time and effort but well worth the pay off.I believe the biggest problem with the carb is it can't put out enough fuel as you increase boost.plus I'm not conviced the ECM on our cars are calibrated for maximum power, more for economy and seem much to sensitive to det. I realize this is to save the motor but I'v had three of these carb/turbo cars so far and one thing I've always noticed is disconnecting the knock sensor made the car run like night and day.The car had way more power and driveability was much better even at take off.It allways seemed even at crusing or light throtle the ECM would back off the timming pretty drastically and i never herd a thing(not that you always can)but no matter how hard a tried to supress the knock that was saposidly there it never seemed to matter.And this happened on all three of them not just one.I even backed off boost as far as i could to see what would happen but the same result.I think that the ECM is as big a drawback as the carb.There's got to be a better way to control timming because it's plan to see to me that these cars would really be fast just by controling the timming better as well as fuel.I'll figure something out to get the best of both worlds without blowing the motor.CARBS FOREVER.