EFI vs. Carb fuel system, is EFI really 'that much' more expensive?

[Sweet5ltr]

On a high-performance build, is there really that much of a difference.

Most of us here make sub-650 HP and want great street-ability, so were going to look at a proper fuel system required to support that level of power and the tuning components required. Lets compare;

Holley 850 Ultra XP - $850
(use existing factory fuel line*)
*Aeroquip socket-less forward and return line with fittings, $200. -$1,050
(Fuel Pump, Holley Blue / Black or Aeromotive $150 - $220) -$1,200
(Fuel Log for forward - return line, $60) -$1,260
(Wideband 02 Gauge setup $150) -$1,310
(*Holley air-bleed kit, $230) -$1,540
(*Holley jet-kit, $60) -$1,600
(*Holley pump cam kit, $20) -$1,620


Holley Sniper EFI master kit - $1,250.
(contains, TBI - Fuel Pump - Fuel line - Filters - AN fittings - Wideband 02 sensor).
(Return line with fittings, Aeroquip $100). -$1,350

What are ya'll's thoughts on this?

 

[Frank Mopar]

The ability for the efi to tune itself every second blow a carb away. I dont care how good the carb is tuned.

The trade off is do you drive enough to make it worthwhile.

 

[Dennis H]

Pro Flo 4 Edelbrock. $1895 w/ tablet. Need tank, plumbing, and rgulator additional.

 

[threewood]

You forgot the fuel tank.

 

[threewood]

Pro Flo 4 Edelbrock. $1895 w/ tablet. Need tank, plumbing, and rgulator additional.

If I get one, that is the route I'm going as well. Love the multi port!

 

[HT413]

if you’re considering a $850 carb, that sure levels the playing field. EFI tank and pump add a few more hundred over the carb setup.

 

[WP29440SE]

used Edelbrock 1407 off Craigslist- 100.00
rebuild kit- 20.00
factory fuel pump- check
fuel line- check
fuel filter-3.99
used Edelbrock RPM intake off Craigslist- 125.00
*runs killer with minimal effort*
looks like I still have about 1300.00 to spend on something else

 

[Mike67]

One point of contention is how many carbs do you have to go through as you upgrade? Lets say from 300 up to 600hp or 800 even 1200??? One TBI could technically support them all, not even considering upgrades NO2, TURBOS, supercharger, e-85 etc.. That could lead into $4- 5000 in different carbs...which would also require fuel delivery system upgrades as well..

 

[andyf]

If you start with nothing and have to buy all new parts then EFI could be less expensive. Even if it ends up being slightly more expensive it works a lot better than a carb so you have that to balance things out. If you add the HyperSpark ignition system then EFI is probably less expensive since a complete MSD setup is fairly expensive. Most muscle cars could use a new gas tank by now anyway so buying a new tank that is EFI pump compatible is probably a wash.

I sold all of my carbs earlier this year and converted to EFI and I have money left over in my account. I had expensive carbs so even selling them used more than paid for my Sniper and Hyperspark setup.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

If you can afford it go efi and you will never look back. A car that doesn't take 15 minutes to warm up is like night and day difference. No patting the gas,no bog or stumble just does what its supposed to do.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I am sooooo tired of chasing the tune on my carbs,hope to be able to afford an EFI system to support up to 1300 HP

 

[andyf]

If you can afford it go efi and you will never look back. A car that doesn't take 15 minutes to warm up is like night and day difference. No patting the gas,no bog or stumble just does what its supposed to do.

Yeah that is true. My buddy has to sit in the driveway for a couple of minutes before he can drive his car while I just turn the key and back out of the garage and go. The EFI system takes care of all of the cold enrichment tasks slowly backing off as the engine comes up to temp. Not very many 600 hp cars with carbs can turn the key and drive. Most of the high performance carbs don't have chokes and I don't think any of the aftermarket ignition systems have a coolant sensor. EFI gives you the coolant sensor as well as MAP and MAT sensors. So it has the ability to adjust timing and fuel to keep the engine running while it is warming up.

 

[Kern Dog]

Who the heck spends $850 on a carburetor ??? Also, who buys all that stuff at once?

 

[Sweet5ltr]

Who the heck spends $850 on a carburetor ??? Also, who buys all that stuff at once?

Well, it was representing someone building it from scratch with new parts. Horsepower limit being 650, this is a representation of the fuel system required to support those limits.

850 DP (base) is $550 from Holley, the Ultra XP series is fully adjustable.

 

[Sweet5ltr]

used Edelbrock 1407 off Craigslist- 100.00
rebuild kit- 20.00
factory fuel pump- check
fuel line- check
fuel filter-3.99
used Edelbrock RPM intake off Craigslist- 125.00
*runs killer with minimal effort*
looks like I still have about 1300.00 to spend on something else

Well, we're not talking about used as that presents too many variables. We're designing a fuel system that is capable of supporting (up to) 650 - HP as that's the overwhelming majority of engine combinations here, this is for someone with nothing that wants a proper fuel system.

Designing that fuel system (optimally) requires a forward and return system. Fuel pump requirements differ, we can run a mechanical fuel pump (something like Clay Smith offers for $200) with an additional regulator or a Walbro electric pump with an Aeromotive FPR (which actually is less expensive).

To put some more facts out there, a single Walbro 255 fuel pump, regulated to 6-psi with an Aeromotive FPR, will support 800 HP and costs around $100. For our EFI application, this same fuel pump (Holley Sniper EFI for example is internally regulated @ 58.5 PSI) will support around 670-680 HP.

To quote, 'runs killer' from an OOTB carburetor is going to take some dyno time, general tuning (how much is our time worth equation), or track time. Most guys in the car community don't do any of the above, so it's difficult to say there is much truth in that.

 

[vintage chromoly]

“Who the heck spends $850 on a carburetor ??? Also, who buys all that stuff at once?”


Someone who wants a good carb.

I’ve got over 1400 bucks in my 850 marine carb. It’s not a “one size, fits all” piece from the shelf at Summit.

Good carbs from good carb shops cost a bit of money.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

“Who the heck spends $850 on a carburetor ??? Also, who buys all that stuff at once?”


Someone who wants a good carb.

I’ve got over 1400 bucks in my 850 marine carb. It’s not a “one size, fits all” piece from the shelf at Summit.

Good carbs from good carb shops cost a bit of money.

How can a person say it was perfect OOTB unless they tried changes that did not benefit the performance???????

 

[vintage chromoly]

To the OP.....

Go EFI and don’t look back!
If I was building from scratch, I wouldn’t even consider a carb.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I liked the SV1 carb so much I use 2They were 1200 each at the time,but the EFI system was over $6000

I might have a few ponies more,,,,,,,,,your results may vary

 

[andyf]

Who the heck spends $850 on a carburetor ??? Also, who buys all that stuff at once?

I've spent more than that for a carb lots of times. A new Dominator is usually more than $1000 and any high quality race carb is close to $1000. Before I switched to EFI I had more than $10,000 worth of carbs sitting on the shelf.

I spent about $3000 on one carb so I could run multiple fuels. It was a 1250 Dominator that was reworked by BLP so it could run X16, Q16 and C45. Each fuel required different metering blocks and different boosters. I ended up selling that whole setup to a race guy and using the money to install EFI. With EFI I just change the tune with the keyboard to switch fuels. So in that case EFI is a lot less expensive and it works a lot better. I've seen several alcohol cars that do the same trick. They use the EFI system to start on gas then switch to alcohol for racing then switch back to gas to clean out the system before shutting down. It is a lot easier to do that with EFI than with carbs or mechanical injectors.