I was just reading through a few posts on some other message boards and noticed that a lot of people bash carbs, and others bash fuel injection.

This is the way I see it.

Both Carburetors and Fuel Injection Systems can be made to produce nearly the exact same power figures on any engine.

I'll site some examples.

Fuel Injection (I assume we're talking MPFI / TPI / SFI here) deposits the fuel directly above the valve, and the intake runners can be tuned at equal length for opimal performance.

That's true... but... you can do the same thing with a carbureted motor. You can purchase a set of Webber 1-barrel carburetors. One for each intake port (yes, they do sell a kit for this).

If you guys take a look at the Webber carburetor tuning kit. They sell a kit for around $2,000 bucks that can convert the standard 350 TPI motor over to a set of 8 carburetors (with matched linkage, etc). They noticed an increase of about 20 percent in power over the standard 350 TPI motor.

Of course, this is an unfair comparisson because the TPI setup is stock, and the carburetors obviously are not.

But, the truth is, that fuel injection is a cheaper way to make the most power from a motor, as well as being able to have easier control on the emissions functions of the engine.

After all, computer control started in the late 70s for the sole purpose of controlling emissions.

Clearly, we won't compare an LS1 motor, to that of a standard 350 from say, a 1970 Impala with a points distributor and a 4-JET carburetor.... but...

Technology has advanced on both fronts, both fuel injection, and carburetion. The same logic and rules of physics apply to both systems. They both have to function the same way...


So, I think the argument where people say one is better than the other.... I think the real aspect of it is.. it's what the particular person prefers, the knowledge he has gained about the particular system, and what tools / parts he has at his disposal.

Me personally, for my 1981 Smokey & The Bandit TA, if I had to choose between fuel injection and carburetion.... for this particular car, I would pick a Holley or Edelbrock MPFI system.
The reason I say this is because it has a 4-bbl throttle body in the same location as the carburetor would be, and this would allow me to use the shaker scoop!

If money was no object, and I had a car where the intake wasn't important, I'd snag that 8 Webber carburetor set-up in a second!


Todd

 

Chevy put mechanical fuel injection on some performance engines way back in 1957. It was finicky and required constant attention. Many, many of these units were replaced with a carb or carbs. Those who knew how to tune them would eat the carb guys alive.

Fuel injection was the hot ticket in mod racing for years, especially alcohol cars.

GM production computer control actually started with carbs, not FI. The carb on my Camaro is stock.

One of the big advantages of FI over carburation is the fuel is orificed over a larger pressure difference. This aids the "atomization" of the fuel.

As always, people gravitate towards that which they are the most knowledgable and comfortable. There are a lot of people who post on this and the Tech forums that say, "I'm not a carb guy..." Likewise, there are many on the TPI & Tech forums who say, "This is my first fuel injected car..."

 

I agree with the original post. Apples-to-apples a carb will make within a few HP, as much power as FI, if both are tuned optimally. FI will make a bit more torque throughout the rev range and it can be tuned to "tame" a wild cam in ways a carb never could. And cold-weather performance of a well-tuned EFI system is far beyond anything you could ever get with a carb.

BUT......... the bang for the buck champ will always be a carb. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to tune, cheaper to maintain, almost the same power.

For the average low-buck weekend warrior you can't beat them.