Fitech or Holley EFI

[mrobert443]

I have a 66 bronco with a 302 and I am considering getting a Fitech system or Holley system. I have been told the Holley system is better. I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations?

 

[NashBronco]

Hey Matt,

Ill be paying attention to this as I plan on the same upgrade within the next year or so. The fitech seems pretty simple but I have heard lots of issues with the fuel command center.

Houston

 

[ObscureMachine]

I've looked at some youtube videos and it seems, from what I've tried to gather, that the fitech is much more persnickety when it comes to tuning it and setting it up. It didn't look to be very easy.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I went to SEMA last year and one of the goals was to pick a system. $1k pricepoint without fuel system. And wanted timing control option.

At the end of the show I picked Holley Sniper. They acted like they had there act together. They were showing the functionality of the system. How things coupld be tuned and programmed.

The rep at FiTech didn't have any technical answers nor could he point me to anyone who could. But he was proud of the new systems that look even more like an old school Holley carb. And new 3X2-barrel systems for vintage big blocks. Had the vib of appearance over all else, oh and it is self learning EFI as well. Just put it on and drive it, everything will be fine. Doesn't that look just like a double pumper? The duel feed lines are actually supply and return, makes it easier to hide that it is EFI. There was a comparison page, that didn't hold up when actually doing fact checking.

FAST looked pretty good, lacked timing control
MSD is an old legacy product. Competing internally with Holley (who bought MSD). It exists is about all anyone had to say for it.

I'm in the prep stages now. Going through the fuel system adding return fittings. Planning on EFI by the end of the year. I'll be doing Sniper.

 

[ObscureMachine]

I'll be doing Sniper.

Can't wait to hear how it works! Keep us updated! - Jim

 

[coots]

I've got the 2 bbl Sniper Kit and I bought the fuel kit with it too. Good price at Christmas time. Easy to install...but with all EFI systems, the intake is only half the solution to reliability and efficiency, the other part is timing and ignition. So not to advertise for them and mostly because I had a gift certificate from the Amazonians, I bought the Dual Sync Distributor also. Install went great until the moment I realized I was totally missing ignition control. Did a ton of research including calling Holley a couple of times to eventually figure out that I needed electronic ignition control also. This comes in the form of Holley's Coil Driver Module. All in all, started up on the first crank, runs reliably once it's tuned. So my setup is 2bbl Sniper (2300) + Dual Sync disco + Coil Driver - total cost about $1300ish.

You don't have to buy all the components I did to set it up and run it in place of your regular carb, but it helps narrow down issues when you have them. I have had an issue with mine and currently the broncosaurus is hard down while waiting for the guys at Holley to send my parts back. I think what happened is that the engine was burning a lot of oil and running rich while in the learning stage and the O2 sensor couldn't handle the combination and was fried in the process. But they had me ship it to them at their expense and once it's fixed will ship it back for free also. I ran some data logs that they reviewed and that's how they decided to bring the unit back for some in house evaluation and repair. They informed me it's an exception to do that, not the norm. Additionally they used to do swaps when there were issues but new management changed the policy to one of repair vice replace.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

I can tell you they are both pretty equal in the most basic parts of function. The fuel command center I would not use on either, if you cannot put a pump in the tank you will eventually have issues, there is a reason all new cars have them in the fuel tank, keeping them cool is hard to do otherwise. Now as far as tuning, I have installed many FiTech and like anything else you will have to learn their proprietary lingo and learn how to tune. None of the systems are fully self learning, they do ok but you will leave a lot behind if you do not get in and tune it to your specific application. I started with FiTech and took the time to learn their system and we like them. Holley is good as well but a few years behind FiTech in this particular market so they too will have some learning curves. I can tell you up front, 99.9% of all of the problems we have had to date with the FiTech system has been user error or an insufficient system to start with. Holley will be the same way. If you do not have a good running motor, leaky exhaust etc. EFI will not cure it in fact it will run worse so you must have a very solid base to put them on. No air or exhaust leaks is a must for both systems. To date we had one unit with a bad injector and they sent a replacement out and it cured the problem. Other than that no issues outside of exhaust leaks up stream of the O2.

 

[mrobert443]

thanks for all of the feedback. i think i am going to go with the fitech with the hyperfuel in tank fuel pump. i have been told to pay extra for the 600hp kit. will i need a new intake manfold?

 

[73azbronco]

Full disclosure i think FAST does have ignition timing options but they push $1,800 or more real fast, no pun intended.

 

[swmrdrn]

I can tell you they are both pretty equal in the most basic parts of function. The fuel command center I would not use on either, if you cannot put a pump in the tank you will eventually have issues, there is a reason all new cars have them in the fuel tank, keeping them cool is hard to do otherwise. Now as far as tuning, I have installed many FiTech and like anything else you will have to learn their proprietary lingo and learn how to tune. None of the systems are fully self learning, they do ok but you will leave a lot behind if you do not get in and tune it to your specific application. I started with FiTech and took the time to learn their system and we like them. Holley is good as well but a few years behind FiTech in this particular market so they too will have some learning curves. I can tell you up front, 99.9% of all of the problems we have had to date with the FiTech system has been user error or an insufficient system to start with. Holley will be the same way. If you do not have a good running motor, leaky exhaust etc. EFI will not cure it in fact it will run worse so you must have a very solid base to put them on. No air or exhaust leaks is a must for both systems. To date we had one unit with a bad injector and they sent a replacement out and it cured the problem. Other than that no issues outside of exhaust leaks up stream of the O2.

I think you really made a very good point. A carb will put up with a lot of stuff not working well and still run. You can have vacuum leaks and exhaust leaks and in my case massive blow by, a cam with a few round lobes, bad electrical grounds everywhere and a carb will still run. Often people put efi on to solve a carburetor problem only to learn that their issue is really a bunch of other things. Efi requires a system that doesn't have fundamental issues. It rewards you with greatly improved drivability and the ability to tun without getting your hands dirty.

I went from carb to fitech and 4 months later ended up rebuilding the engine. I had known for a while that the rebuld was coming but efi just made it more obvious. That said, I would never go back to a carburetor or even waste time rebuilding one. If you have a carb on it and it's running good then I would leave it on but I would begin collecting the parts I want for an EFI setup since it's only a matter of time before that carb has an issue.

 

[Jp76]

I have a 66 bronco with a 302 and I am considering getting a Fitech system or Holley system. I have been told the Holley system is better. I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations?

Saw this and had to post - For whatever it is worth, the Fitech unit is supposed to be really good, but mine (right out of the box) had computer issues. Normally this would be something fairly easy to figure out with the company, but the customer service and warranty department of Fitech is the absolute worst. I have been in business for over 30 years and have never seen anything like this. My Bronco has been sitting for 3 months due to them not calling back, not emailing, not answering the phone and then taking my never-been used unit back to "test", but then never getting back to me. To this day, I cannot get them to give me my new unit back fixed or a new unit. If you want to discuss in detail, you can PM me. I would steer clear of these clowns.

 

[Jp76]

Saw this and had to post - For whatever it is worth, the Fitech unit is supposed to be really good, but mine (right out of the box) had computer issues. Normally this would be something fairly easy to figure out with the company, but the customer service and warranty department of Fitech is the absolute worst. I have been in business for over 30 years and have never seen anything like this. My Bronco has been sitting for 3 months due to them not calling back, not emailing, not answering the phone and then taking my never-been used unit back to "test", but then never getting back to me. To this day, I cannot get them to give me my new unit back fixed or a new unit. If you want to discuss in detail, you can PM me. I would steer clear of these clowns.

Also remember that with any system, the EFI is just the beginningl; you need a proper pump and fuel lines and return - I installed a new EFI tank (AZ = Heat), which has an in-tank pump. Doing this means you can forego the fuel command center, but also means you need to install EFI fuel lines and a return line (fittings and lines are well over $200). Once you do this, you cannot safely and cheaply return to a carb (most pressure regulators are not made to regulate down that far). I found this out when my Fitech got sent back, and I wanted to re-install my Holley 4bbl - the only regulator that would properly work cost over $200, and I would need to re-install a new return line that was 1/2 inch and 8AN instead of 3/8 and 6AN (super hassle and $$). So now I wait for the EFI to return someday, hopefully fixed. Not saying to keep the carb, but just know that the EFI is just the start of what you will need to do to make it function safely and properly.

 

[NashBronco]

thanks for all of the feedback. i think i am going to go with the fitech with the hyperfuel in tank fuel pump. i have been told to pay extra for the 600hp kit. will i need a new intake manfold?

Matt,

My guess is that you have a 2 barrel carb and intake, if so, then you will need a new 4 barrel intake manifold. the Fitech requires a 4 barrel intake, not sure about the other system.

 

[Builtnotbought0]

Im going with the Holley Sniper, but my question is.... Do I need a phaseing rotor? and do I need a pressure regulator to run the Holley?

 

[chickenman]

I follow both groups on FaceBook and those that have them working seem really happy. The crappy thing is that the customer service from both manufacturers seem to be hit or miss. I really wanted to get a fitech but honestly am on the fence after reading some of the stories. Living in canada makes it a little tougher and more expensive to start shipping parts across the boarder

 

[bronconut73]

Of all of my performance part manufacturers I have dealt with through the years Holley has had the best customer service. Unique customer service and tech support.
I have been hot rodding for 30+years. I always lean toward Holley. They have been really good to me.

 

[Builtnotbought0]

in order to use the timing control, I need to change out my rotor? can someone explain???

 

[MonsterBIlly]

I have Fitech OB mu bronco, MSD ATOMIC on my mustang. It's not as pretty but the ms is better.

 

[WILDHORSES]

Im going with the Holley Sniper, but my question is.... Do I need a phaseing rotor? and do I need a pressure regulator to run the Holley?

Don't need a phasing rotor. But here is a video for those interested. (short and to the point) The regulator is built into the Holley. A pressure gauge right before the throttle body is a nice addition.

[youtube]aWMlNwGW0tM[/youtube]

Jim

 

[1strodeo]

I have been hot rodding for 30+years. I always lean toward Holley. They have been really good to me.

X2, and my '85 Holley 4180 purrrrs

now I gotta find some wood %)