EFI or Carbed 5L

[VKCOMMO]

hey.

just wondering what do you prefer, EFI or Carbed 5L and why, what are the pros and cons of them..

thanks

[burnz]

carby.. you can go wild with the cam and not worry about low Hg.
plus it's more of a hands on setup without the softwear side of things, sortof old school more fun in my book.

[VzVzVz]

I'd go for the carbed, easier to work on, sounds better, cheaper to service.

But the EFI does give better power and efficiency.

[greenfoam]

EFI, better motor, less fuel more average power, for most people injected motors sound better too

[Reaper]

I'd go for the carbed, easier to work on, sounds better, cheaper to service.

Which bit of carbed is cheaper to service and (for that matter) easier to work on? Pollution crap started to strangle most carby cars in the late 70's and by the early 80's it was beyond a joke. The only thing easier to work on with a carb holden v8 is the dizzy but then again on most efi motors it's rarely touched. Compare that to trying to set the mixtures etc etc on a carb that need to be constantly adjusted yet most people have nfi how.

Reaper

[greenfoam]

Not only, I bet there's more people know how to self tune a efi car properly these days than ever knew how to tune a carby properly

[VKCOMMO]

yer, i dont want to f**k around with the mixture. but ill still wait for more decisions and decide then.

[[BOSSVK]]

with EFI if you want power its more of a hassle if you get done by EPA because if you want good power you need TTB manifold or blown application and computer, all of which would have to be removed for EPA inspection (if you ever get done for it).

[ari666]

pfft to all of you. mixtures are a piece of piss. two screws on most cars and a good vac guage. i sometimes just mess with them for a luagh and see what happens when i richen the crap outta it (psst, it doesnt do anything except make your car flat spot)

carb is much better. better top end power, better sound, the worst fuel economy ever! less down low power and you have to change jets - mess with timing- adjust springs and opening rates on hot/cold days. but personally i think they are a lot more fun. its hands on old skool style.

having said all that i work on efi cars all day everyday so i guess its also the fact that carb is something different.

[dirt drifter]

i've had a few carbied 5.0's and i'm on my second EFI 5.0. they were all good to me
i guess if u wanted an everyday driver that u were not going to go crazy on EFI would be the go, good economy, reliability etc.
if u wanted a cranky weekend toy a carby would definately be the cheaper option, for example:-
induction and tune up costs
carby- $1000 should get u a decent carb and manifold if u shop wisely, find a mate who is handy with carbs and give him a carton to tune it
EFI- decent manifold will be worth heaps, walkinshaw- VN group A = $5000+ easy. COME racing one will see no change from $2500, then getting it tuned will be (possibly way) more than $500 at the dyno joint down the road, if u go with an aftermarket ECU theres 1-2 grand on top as well

[Reaper]

i've had a few carbied 5.0's and i'm on my second EFI 5.0. they were all good to me
i guess if u wanted an everyday driver that u were not going to go crazy on EFI would be the go, good economy, reliability etc.
if u wanted a cranky weekend toy a carby would definately be the cheaper option, for example:-
induction and tune up costs
carby- $1000 should get u a decent carb and manifold if u shop wisely, find a mate who is handy with carbs and give him a carton to tune it
EFI- decent manifold will be worth heaps, walkinshaw- VN group A = $5000+ easy. COME racing one will see no change from $2500, then getting it tuned will be (possibly way) more than $500 at the dyno joint down the road, if u go with an aftermarket ECU theres 1-2 grand on top as well

EFI dual plane manifold is less than $1000 + TB. Tune is way less than $500 if you can't do it yourself. Several on this forum do the tunes for 2/10 fa!

Reaper

[Blown V6 Hatch]

with EFI if you want power its more of a hassle if you get done by EPA because if you want good power you need TTB manifold or blown application and computer, all of which would have to be removed for EPA inspection (if you ever get done for it).

Hold on....So we are talking Commodores here, all of which are illegal with either a Holley or a quaddy with the emissions equipment removed. So, if you get done for EPA which would be less hassle? An EFI engine which only requires a charcoal canister and a Cat convertor or a Carby which requires all the emissions equipment to be operative? Why would a twin throttle manifold have to be removed? Why would the ECU have to be removed? Bearing in mind most people just have the factory Delco retuned, not fit an aftermarket ECU....

Most people go Holley, no Commodore will pass EPA with a Holley (infact anything post 76 won't pass with a Holley).

EFI is much easier to get past EPA.

For me, it's EFI hands down. Although i would have a carby on a weekend only cars, but i would certainly prefer EFI.

[stocky]

tim, whats the go with EPA and aftermarket manifolds such as a torque power? i thought it would require a standard manifold to pass

[Blown V6 Hatch]

I couldn't really see any reason why it wouldn't pass with a TP manifold and 4 barrel T/B. Providing the charcoal canister is still operative/connected up i wouldn't imagine there would be any dramas as it's still fuel injected and the emissions equipment is still there. The drama would be the cam that goes with it, however, if you could get the emissions somewhere near stock, that should be ok too. As far as i can see, aslong as they stick a sniffer up the bum and it's somwhere near what it should be it should be fine.

I guess it could be a bit of a grey area though...

[Darren_L]

I swapped carb for EFI in my car and would never go back
I reckon EFI is simpler than carbs. You can see the sensor readings, so you have a visual on what the engine is doing. Carb engines involve a lot more guesswork, unless of course you have your own expensive engine analyser. Often it takes a professional tuner to set up a carb correctly on a particular engine anyway. They are often extremely complex devices.

Also EFI, you do tend to spend more time/money getting the tune setup - but once it's setup.... they self adjust with engine wear & different climatic conditions. You don't need to touch it again, unless you carry out significant engine changes. Carbs constantly need fiddling with to keep them happy.

I love the fact that you can hook up to an EFI engine with a laptop and tweak the tune with the press of a key (providing you have a real time calibration ECU). And you can't beat the driveability. Cold start on a freezing cold morning - no winding over, pumping the throttle and then sitting in the driveway for the next few minutes warming up. Start up an EFI engine on a cold morning and drive away. EFI tames big cam engines. A big cam carb engine tends to be a bit of a pig to drive around town, whereas the equivalent EFI engine can be tuned to have very pleasant street manners.

Add to that better fuel economy, electronic ignition timing & I prefer the sound of an EFI 5L over carb! They always sound so much bigger and throatier, especially when you give it a bootful

Bang for buck (at least when it comes to a Holden 5L), carb is probably more cost effective up to a certain point as the EFI Holden V8 aftermarket intake manifolds are extremely overpriced when compared to carb manifolds, then there's the extra cost of upgraded injectors, expensive tunes etc

[VKCOMMO]

I swapped carb for EFI in my car and would never go back
I reckon EFI is simpler than carbs. You can see the sensor readings, so you have a visual on what the engine is doing. Carb engines involve a lot more guesswork, unless of course you have your own expensive engine analyser. Often it takes a professional tuner to set up a carb correctly on a particular engine anyway. They are often extremely complex devices.

Also EFI, you do tend to spend more time/money getting the tune setup - but once it's setup.... they self adjust with engine wear & different climatic conditions. You don't need to touch it again, unless you carry out significant engine changes. Carbs constantly need fiddling with to keep them happy.

I love the fact that you can hook up to an EFI engine with a laptop and tweak the tune with the press of a key (providing you have a real time calibration ECU). And you can't beat the driveability. Cold start on a freezing cold morning - no winding over, pumping the throttle and then sitting in the driveway for the next few minutes warming up. Start up an EFI engine on a cold morning and drive away. EFI tames big cam engines. A big cam carb engine tends to be a bit of a pig to drive around town, whereas the equivalent EFI engine can be tuned to have very pleasant street manners.

Add to that better fuel economy, electronic ignition timing & I prefer the sound of an EFI 5L over carb! They always sound so much bigger and throatier, especially when you give it a bootful

Bang for buck (at least when it comes to a Holden 5L), carb is probably more cost effective up to a certain point as the EFI Holden V8 aftermarket intake manifolds are extremely overpriced when compared to carb manifolds, then there's the extra cost of upgraded injectors, expensive tunes etc

so i take it your leaning towards EFI cause i am, from what you have said, sure its a bit more expensive but its worth it for cold mornings and tunability??

[ari666]

cold mornings and tunability??

there is such a thing as a choke and a thermostat on carby'd engines. my engine is simple to start. jump in, prime the fuel pump for a second (leaky carb, gotta fill the bowls, shhh) one squirt on the throttle and VROOM. Mallory does the rest.

and like it or not, efi or carb'd holden will still snap rings if you drive a cold engine, its one of those lame 5ltr things. go easy on cold holdens.

if i were you i would go EFI too. its cheaper and better for everyday use.

P.s. efi still has EGR, which is the only real restirction on the engine that EPA are looking for, other than induction/exhaust.

[immortality]

I prefer EFI but with the carbied look, thats why i run a 4bbl TB unit on my 308 with LINK ecu (which needs a full re-wire ). no EPA worries here in NZ plan to rebuild with a TP manifold (instead of the edelbrock performer DP mani) and decent cam one day as my cam is stuffed

[VKCOMMO]

what about EFI with a high rise manifold and one of those T/B's that look like carbys, i'd like that.. lol

[VKCOMMO]

P.s. efi still has EGR,

whats that?

[Reaper]

what about EFI with a high rise manifold and one of those T/B's that look like carbys, i'd like that.. lol

From my VP thread in my sig....
That is a Torquepower dual plane low rise manifold and 4 bbl throttle body. Your manifold selection really depends on what you want from your car and the engine you run. Unless you have a big stroker or something wild the low rise dual plane would probably be the go for most street cars that need a little more than standard bananas can give. Is mistaken for a carb by some too.

Reaper

[Blown V6 Hatch]

there is such a thing as a choke and a thermostat on carby'd engines. my engine is simple to start. jump in, prime the fuel pump for a second (leaky carb, gotta fill the bowls, shhh) one squirt on the throttle and VROOM. Mallory does the rest.

and like it or not, efi or carb'd holden will still snap rings if you drive a cold engine, its one of those lame 5ltr things. go easy on cold holdens.

if i were you i would go EFI too. its cheaper and better for everyday use.

P.s. efi still has EGR, which is the only real restirction on the engine that EPA are looking for, other than induction/exhaust.

Tell me what EFI 5 litre has an EGR on it? Late V6's (VT onwards) have an EGR valve but the EFI 5 Litre never had an EGR....

[ari666]

Tell me what EFI 5 litre has an EGR on it? Late V6's (VT onwards) have an EGR valve but the EFI 5 Litre never had an EGR....

how the hell did holen manage to get a 5 litre V8 to pass 37/00 with no egr???? i smell dodgie. you sure there is no exhaust crossover at all on those heads?

[VKCOMMO]

@ reaper, thats what i want, the look of carb but without the hassle of it, so im thinking of high rise so the throttle body and filter are sticking out, like on RACE5L's VH.

[Reaper]

@ reaper, thats what i want, the look of carb but without the hassle of it, so im thinking of high rise so the throttle body and filter are sticking out, like on RACE5L's VH.

At the expense of engine performance??? Clazy!

Reaper