Carburetor vs E.F.I. - Dyno Room Showdown

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Nick's dyno room has seen plenty of R&D over the years. Today, he's going to test some of the new EFI technology against his trusted double-pumper.
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"Back on Track", "OctoBlues", "Pure Attitude", "World Vice"
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

[NooBGarage]

Come on Nick! You're better than that. Im going to pull a new edelbrock carb out of the box and put it on my EFI tuned car and do the same comparison and see how it turns out. Obviously you have to tune a new carb AND you have to let the EFI learn the right way. You have the ability and resources that us little guys don't to do this test the right way and give us some real numbers. Don't let us down!

[nightvisionracing]

Love your knowledge and vids Nick. I dropped my Demon for FiTech on my 351C mild cam, AOD and 3:70 gears and never been so happy. They just need time to sort out and adjust by driving 100 miles or so in various conditions. The greatest benefit so far is that my injection system paid for itself in fuels savings alone over past two summers. 8 -11 mpg to 18.7 mpg!! It is like a free upgrade.

[BJBFOREST]

Spoken to a few gents who had fitted Holley sniper...they are very pleased and it took the system a few runs for the system to learn. Once settled, it was a case of just turning the ignition on, crank and it fired up. Smooth, no hiccups, hot or cold... Not about HP, just drivability

[boredfortv]

Happy to see the oil pump trick. A lot of new builders completely overlook checking out the oil system. Even more think that just because a specific part is a fancy new performance part, its going to match and be perfect right out of the box. It never hurts to take a few extra steps and check how different parts mesh with your engine.

[Mike-]

Amazing how far aftermarket EFI has come in the last 20 years. This self learning is a game changer for the DIY garage guy. One place you never want a carburetor is while 4 wheeling in a 4x4 going up a hill they flood.

[MrMopar]

Thanks for the tip on the oil pump. I had the same issue on a 413 is was building . I was grinding smooth the inside of the engine to get rid of a bunch of casting crap left over from the factory and then I looked at that hole in the pump and decided to do what you did I was amazed. So I match fit the holes and also smoothed all the ruff casting surfaces in the pump before assembly.

[bradnimbus]

Thank you for doing what you do! (Everyone involved with this channel) I'm still studying everyday and working on my car in hopes of even gaining a fraction of the knowledge Nick has. I may sound like a suck up but I respect your abilities and knowledge so much that you've become my "automotive idol". The oil pump tip was something a relatively inexperience guy like myself may miss. Thank you again, this one may be my favourite video yet.

[larrysementini]

Always something cool going on at the "old school" Nick's Shop. What a nice guy, helpful, down to earth. Thank you Nick. Larry from Maine

[nickpanaritis]

I agree with you guys. I am old school, and yes the EFI is a great system after you tune it properly. Give it time and it will work perfect. Easy start in any weather condition and altitudes without any jetting. Performance with EFI is also great.    Thank you all for your input.

[mainiacpats]

Nick you make me miss my father and grandfather teaching me auto tricks and life tricks. I sure do miss my grandfather’s Oldsmobiles he loved Deltas with big engines, really big ones. My dad was a truck puller in Maine and won his class many years and has more blue ribbons and trophies than I can count. He also had a 1946 Ford Marmon-Harrington 4x4 conversion for WW2, he bought with a front snow blower which was used to clear miles of camp roads at Tim Pond Camps(A Maine Camp)for many years. He dead axled the rear end and ran it with built 454 Chevy and turbo 400 tranny tricked out with a very high stall for truck pulling launches. The converted from Ford’s partner axles were rated at either 1-1/2 ton or 2-1/2 ton, I miss the old cars and trucks, I still love turning wrenches.
Did I mention he bought a brand new 1966 Olds 442 in high school which he drag raced at the local (ahem *cough* “strip”) haha. He was poor and bought it with his own hard earned money which he saved for, he loved it, but as I understand he spun a bearing drag racing and it was gone before i was old enough to have seen it in person. Sometimes when I see you with family it makes me see what a great guy you are on the channel, my dad was very very good with engines, carburetors and all manner of running engines. He should of had a shop because every guy in town would stop by for that last bit of tuning that was keeping their rides from being all they could be, my dad would iron out the problem and off they’d go with a big smile.
Love ya Nick

[morteparla]

As long as the aftermarket allows it, I'll always go with carburetion. Vacuum secondary 4bbl with manual choke is where it's at. They're cheap, simple, and look good. They're also not as bad on fuel as people make them out too be. I figured out my 406hp (at the crank) Nova, 350ci, is turning 15 or 16mpg hwy. That's not at all the 8mpg people think you'll get.

[tcullen]

Thanks for the test. I have been looking into fuel injection for my 383 mopar stroker. Also thanks for the oil pump tip.

[timtucker]

Great information on the oil pump. Port match! Just like anything else.
The EFI test totally threw me for a loop. I totally thought it would be more horses than a carb.
I guess that you learn something new every day.

[charger]

That’s a great tip for oil pumps and oil pressure and engine longevity. Thanks Nick!

[seanbailey]

I love all the little things nick knows to do that most people would overlook just like the oil pump tip.

[vettekid]

I haven't had a carb for years on anything but my lawnmower. The reliability, drivability, performance and fuel economy you get with EFI is astounding over carbureted engines. Where it really shines is the adaptability for altitude and ambient temperature variations. It was always a pain to tune the carb for a cool damp morning and then re tune it in the afternoon when the sun warmed everything up, if you didn't when racing you stood a good chance of melting a piston.

[BeerMoneyGames]

This Fitech looks like the 30003 unit, which is only rated to go up to 400hp.

I say that because it looks identical to the one I have installed on my 5.0 create ford. I had a new 650CFM Holley when I first built my car, and I've taken it to 2 different shops to get tuned. I was always changing jets or trying to adjust it. In the end, the Fitech was easy to install and it feels like I added 100hp to my car.

Nick is correct, if you've spent several hundred hours working at a shop and learning how to best tune a carb, then yes it will be better. It's an art, ask any of the guys that used to build and tune carburetors for NASCAR teams. They had rooms dedicated to carbs, to test and tune to get the perfect one for every single track they went to. Now they just use the same Holley EFi unit and hit the track.

[headfirst]

Thanks Nick. That tip about the oil pump shows that details matter. As for the fuel injection, it’s a must have for my 4 x 4‘s.

[strattuner]

thanks for the tip on the oil pump on the b rb  motor, i've found the pressure valve sticks a lot also, oh well 40+ year old engines need lots of love

[michaelwilkening]

My last hothod that I built was a pontiac T/A with a 350 chevy motor in it that I built in the early 80s. The motor had a b&m 4 61 and a b&m fuel injection unit from air fuel research on it. To say it was primitive compared to the current FI systems would be an understatement. That said this motor ran extremely smooth and was a streetable as all get out. If you are an expert at tuning a carbs like Nick you can get close to FI with a carb but the modern units are extremely reliable and make horsepower right out of the box. Get a modern system that is total engine control (spark and fuel) and you will have a system that is unbeatable.