Efi vs carb. Which one is better and why

Nothing Special · Oct 20, 2017

jw0747 said:
Why are all modern vehicles equipped with fuel injection systems rather than carbs?

Because it's better (especially when it's integrated with computer controlled ignition and trans). But that doesn't necessarily mean it's worth going to the expense and effort to replace a carb on a 45 year old vehicle. Anything you can do with EFI you can do almost as well with a carb. And depending on your skill set, you might even be able to do better with a carb than you can with EFI (but obviously the car companies have the skill set to take advantage of EFIs advantages).

sanndmann3 · Oct 20, 2017

My truck runs much better with fuel injection than the carb. Primarily run sand dunes. Steep inclines, off camber and alot of whoop-de-do's... truck avenger sputtered alot. perhaps I could have tweeked it to perform better but now the computer does that for me.

A carb runs perfect at one set of conditions (temp, elevation load, ect) and compromises everywhere else. Computer is constantly adjusting for changing conditions. I like the instant start ups as well. Plus the Lightning upper just looks sexy!

Tiko433 · Oct 20, 2017

Recently did a Explorer swap from a 302 carb ... lot of work definitely worth it. Motor runs great and consistent, smooth crisp throttle. Glad I did it .

jw0747 · Oct 21, 2017

[

Nothing Special;3020424]Anything you can do with EFI you can do almost as well with a carb.

Please explain...

Nothing Special · Oct 21, 2017

Just that EFI can do everything better than a carb, but not necessarily a lot better. You want massive power? EFI can do it better, but a carb is great too. You want good cold starting? EFI can do it better, but if you know how to set up a choke and have the heat risers and everything the factory used a carb is pretty good. You want smooth running at bad angles, or when hitting rocks, EFI does it easily, but you can set up carbs to do it pretty well too.

There's no question EFI is better. The question is if it's enough better to be worth the costs. For some it is, for some, not so much.

Unaweep · Oct 22, 2017

I removed the fuel injection on my Bronco and put on a Q-Jet carb. Why? The vehicle is old and I want it to feel old school, and I want my kids to learn to drive with a carb (and other mechanical things associated with an old vehicle).

For me, part of the fun is the Bronco drives very old fashioned and I like the quirks of the carb. FYI my Q-Jet funs fine for the 4x4ing we do here in Western Colorado and Moab area. I also don't want to spend a lot of money on a new fuel injection unit right now. The Q-Jet was $300 and $150 for a new manifold.

Of course the fuel injection is better, but if I want better I would also probably buy a new vehicle which is better vs. the Bronco.
Erik

fordguy · Oct 22, 2017

chuck1022 said:
Maybe i am just lucky, or I took good advice, i dont know.

I had a ton of plans for my Bronco. EFI, trans swap, body lift, slight suspension lift, Dakota dash, new steering column....the list goes on.

So i started doing my homework and talking to people. My closr friends said the same shit absolute strangers said..."keep it stock, dont mess with it".

I have a stock bronco, its only had rear fenders cut. PS,PB, 302/c4. Its my daily driver, i really thought the Fitech would be cool, but my 2bbl 2150 works like a charm. One gas pedal pump in the morning, tap the key the rest of the day. One guy at the grocery store asked me what fuel injection system i went with cause it started with a tap and had fuel smell.......i said 2150 carburetor....he couldnt believe it.

I put the stock air cleaner back on the 2150 and it even runs better! 15mpg...sometimes 16.5

So what it comes down to, carb is better for me.

All my friends that have fire breathing bad ass rigs, wish they had a simple bronco.

Now if money was no object, i would have both

your friends and strangers are smarter than me lol. i got carried away and really hurt my project time line. good advice. i will leave it at that.

EFI Guy · Oct 22, 2017

Oh boy, here comes my completely unbiased opinion.

I think carburetors (and even distributors) are sort of like drum brakes. They work ok for their intended purpose. But, once you make the plunge and upgrade, you'll never want to go back. The only reason I'd ever run a carb or a distributor again is if the vehicle was super rare or clean enough to justify keeping it original.

One benefit to EFI that I didn't see mentioned is engine wear. It's pretty minimal on a true sequential OEM EFI system compared to a carb. Ask anyone that has ever pulled a 150k + mile Explorer engine apart, and unless it's been neglected, they'll tell you that they can't believe how good it looks inside. Modern engine management is the reason today's cars are so reliable and last so long.

I don't know if you'll see the same results with an aftermarket TBI system with a wet manifold though. But, cold starts and off camber performance has to be better. This is coming from a guy that 25 years ago swore he'd never run "that spaghetti noodle wiring and fuel injection crap" in one of his cars.

I got pretty good at rebuilding that old 1BBL Weber on my 300-6 FSB in the middle of national forests. It seemed like I had to pull it apart to at least screw with the float every time I went wheeling. Then, I bought an 85 FSB sight unseen for dirt cheap because it wouldn't run. I didn't even know it was fuel injected until it arrived at my house. I thought long and hard about tossing a carb on it but I didn't want to deal with the emissions hassle that would come with doing that. So I hit the books and bought a fuel pressure tester and a cheap code reader. Once I understood the system it was pretty easy to figure out (stuck open pressure regulator). I replaced it, plated it, and took it wheeling. That old Bronco ran flawlessly for an entire weekend, much of it above timberline. Since then, I've been a bit of a convert.

jckkys · Oct 23, 2017

It seems the whole concept of owning and driving a classic vehicle is lost on many. If you want a car that parks itself and tells you when and where to turn, by a new what ever. Soon you'll be able to get a self driving car that makes the driver obsolete. What a great EB mod that will be.

Mcl · Oct 24, 2017

It seems you are putting your priorities on everyone else. Upgrades have been done on Broncos since they rolled off the line. Who are you to judge what is appropriate or not?

mlogan24 · Oct 28, 2017

jckkys said:
It seems the whole concept of owning and driving a classic vehicle is lost on many. If you want a car that parks itself and tells you when and where to turn, by a new what ever. Soon you'll be able to get a self driving car that makes the driver obsolete. What a great EB mod that will be.

You still running front drums and non-power steering?

bmc69 · Oct 29, 2017

I'm down to one remaining carbed Bronco and it's soon going to be EFI like the rest. The kinds of terrain I wheel carburetors work very, very poorly. Even my flathead V-8 Bronco has EFI.

But for street use...of course carbs can be great.

73azbronco · Oct 30, 2017

2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubi with about 2000lbs of extra metal. Lockers, lifted, bullet proof, EFI 300 HP and I beat anything across an intersection. Cruises at 80MPH getting 19MPG, with ice cold mind blowing AC to boot. It is a tank. It will climb a tree like a squirrel.

But I have an EB with a carb. So I guess I have both, love both, wouldn't change either.

t120r · Oct 31, 2017

To say EFI vs Carb is a loaded question. TBI, SEFI, MAF, SD, Alpha N, 1bbl, 2bbl, 3bbl, 4bbl, 2x4bbl, 3x2bbl... All of these have arguing pro/con points. I personally would never touch a TBI setup (FItech, FAST, Holley, etc). Waste of money for hardly any gain. For me I could never justify the expense unless I went SEFI with SD. MAF a close second. My 429 has an AEM EMS running SD with SEFI. Each cylinder is treated like a separate engine. Under 3500rpm or so, the injector pulse is tailored to that cylinder's needs. Above 3500, the injector events are so fast it's effectively batch fire. I'm not worried about altitude, temperature, crappy fuel or any of the other things that plague carbs. My sensors will detect it all and compensate. I want to have fun with my truck, not always under the hood. Living where I do in Canada, one day can be 25 degrees Celsius, the next 0 degrees.

73azbronco · Oct 31, 2017

t120r I'm considering a TBI IF they can fix the idle off idle issue/intake selection issue. I think that would take some rework on where they place the intake manifold pressure sensor ports. I think a TBI with a single plane low end torque intake would be the bee's knees. Unfortunately, they don't make low end single planes anymore.

t120r · Oct 31, 2017

You would be money in and have a better working system if you just went to a junkyard and got a 5.0 system. It will work better, get more power and better fuel economy than any TBI system out there.

If I was going for a torque monster, I would just get an edelbrock performer, convert it to efi and run a 5.0L system. Cheap and easy. I really don't like TBI units because they seem like only going halfways. I don't really see the point of efi if you aren't going sefi.

73azbronco · Oct 31, 2017

Each has it's benefits, and drawbacks.

There is a turning point that new TBI is reaching that will perform as well as stock stuff, they are not there I admit.

That's why I sent my complete sniper system back for a refund when I found "it was not designed for use off road". Nice of them to put that in small print about page 20 into the instruction manual.

However, read some of the posts of folks having issues with factory 5.0 EFI right now. I think it more luck than reality folks are pulling 25 year old EFI systems off junkyard trucks and having them work right. I think to get to completely reliable 5.0 stock EFI, you need a new wire harness and some other computer than the A9L versions. This will cost you as much as a new SEFI system by Edelbrock which is truly my Plan A at some point.

t120r · Nov 1, 2017

73azbronco said:
Each has it's benefits, and drawbacks.

There is a turning point that new TBI is reaching that will perform as well as stock stuff, they are not there I admit.

That's why I sent my complete sniper system back for a refund when I found "it was not designed for use off road". Nice of them to put that in small print about page 20 into the instruction manual.

However, read some of the posts of folks having issues with factory 5.0 EFI right now. I think it more luck than reality folks are pulling 25 year old EFI systems off junkyard trucks and having them work right. I think to get to completely reliable 5.0 stock EFI, you need a new wire harness and some other computer than the A9L versions. This will cost you as much as a new SEFI system by Edelbrock which is truly my Plan A at some point.

TBI can never get as good as a stock SEFI system under about 3500rpm. It is literally just an electronic carb. Above 3500rpm all SEFI systems are firing injectors so fast that it's effectivly a batch fire system and the same as TBI.

The cheapest way I would go is with a megasquirt and 5.0 intake. Just pick up a spool of wire and some connectors from DIYAutotune and make a harness. I bet I could make the whole efi system for under $1000 and it would work way better than the TBI systems. But I am biased in my opinion for sure. TBI systems on the market today are quick and simple for the most part, so I can see why they have a big following.

WheelHorse · Nov 2, 2017

What do you plan to use your rig for? Bouncing around with off-camber and 8-10K changes in elevation, go injection. Flat lander, mall crawler on a Schlitz budget, go Motorcraft carb.

What's your budget? If you have money for a megasquirt, dyno time or just time to data log and tune yourself and all the wiring, pumps, sensors etc. then injection wins.

How's you're mechanical tuning capability? A lot of guys can't rebuild and not only dial in the AFR all throughout the range, but a distributor as well. This is where EFI becomes far superior.

The convincing part is a multifaceted as a diamond as to which is better. Only you, your time, your skills and wallet can answer which is best for your situation.

sprdv1 · Nov 3, 2017

WheelHorse said:
What do you plan to use your rig for? Bouncing around with off-camber and 8-10K changes in elevation, go injection. Flat lander, mall crawler on a Schlitz budget, go Motorcraft carb.

What's your budget? If you have money for a megasquirt, dyno time or just time to data log and tune yourself and all the wiring, pumps, sensors etc. then injection wins.

How's you're mechanical tuning capability? A lot of guys can't rebuild and not only dial in the AFR all throughout the range, but a distributor as well. This is where EFI becomes far superior.

The convincing part is a multifaceted as a diamond as to which is better. Only you, your time, your skills and wallet can answer which is best for your situation.

All these Qs are definitely something to consider in making your decisions.... ^^^

Efi vs carb. Which one is better and why

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