Carb or EFI

pfordamx · 06-01-2016, 03:04 PM

i know this thread is only a couple places down. But i don't have a LS or car that started out with fuel injection, and i definitely won't be using a factory ecu. So really i have 2 question in terms of a multipurpose Bracket car in that i mean a car that will see electronics and foot brake racing which i currently have 1050 dominator on that works. but was considering either a ms3pro, Fast XFI, or Holley Efi system. but i wanted to know if anyone is bracket racing a naturally aspirated car with success with one of these systems? and if so which one and what do you like or dislike about it? in general i'm open to all input and info you can give about going efi in a bracket car. my car is a slower bracket car 70 amx runs 10.80s-10.70s has a trans brake but gets foot braked alot. on pump gas with a 433inch amc engine if you need more info simply ask.

1320racer · 06-01-2016, 04:35 PM

99% of bracket racers are running a carb so why do you want to be different? There are bracket engines making 1,300HP with a single carb so what do you hope to gain besides a much lighter wallet?

pfordamx · 06-01-2016, 05:17 PM

Well i'm racing an AMC so evidently different doesn't bother me. i'm actually just looking for places to improve consistency, drive ability, and maybe pickup some performance thats why i asked the question( if anyone has had success bracket racing with efi?) Yes i know its expensive but drag racing is expensive. it would seem that there could be advantages to efi but i don't want to pioneer anything just looking at options. and i'm not trying to make 1300hp. i'd simply be happy to go out and make 7-8 passes that are with in 1/100th of a second of each other.

1320racer · 06-01-2016, 05:24 PM

a carb does all you want and consistency starts and ends with the guy wearing the brain bucket.

pfordamx · 06-01-2016, 05:48 PM

alright thxs for your opinion.

jim hensley · 06-03-2016, 07:51 PM

Well this is my story, other people may have had a better experience. I tried the holley dominator system on my car, thinking like you, that it might offer more consistency. after a lot of $$ spent buying the system and finding someone to install it, I find out not hardly anyone locally knows how to really tune it properly for racing, as it was a complex system. It is not for everyone. I even went to the Holley class on the EFI system. Car never ran right, actually ran faster with the carb. That "self learning" advertising you hear, no where near the truth, unless maybe if you have a street car. Of course, you can always pay to fly in a system expert to tune it for you, as there are guys out there that really know how to makes these systems work, and there are racers who know their system, but that does not help you locally. If you are at the track, and something is not working properly, you are lost. So after wasting most of a year, I took the system off. So unless you are willing to invest a lot of money, time, and training to learn to tune a new system yourself, you are going to be overwhelmed. I like a challenge, and hated to give up on it, but lots more stuff to learn and lots more to go wrong and you just end up frustrated. One thing I learned in my years of racing, keep it simple, so I put the carb back on and went racing and never looked back. Just my opinion.

chasracer · 08-18-2016, 09:40 AM

I think the EFI stuff can compete with carbs, no doubt about it - look at 2016 Pro Stock. But it is also going to take a hell of a lot of money to get where the carb is now - again take a look at 2016 Pro Stock.

The tuner program and the ability to use it are the essential keys to making it work, but I don't think you are going to find this with any off the shelf system that is "affordable". Kind of like buying a NOS system, sure the plate thingy will make some power but you see how it goes when you get downright serious about it?

pfordamx · 08-22-2016, 03:47 PM

The biggest problems with efi is complexity, cost and not every joe blow at the track knows how to tune it. i wasn't looking at off the shelf systems i was looking at essentially a 4500 dollar holley dominator or fast ecu system. i believe these systems can be competitive its just do i have the extra time and income right now to deal with them and that answer is no so the trusty 4500 series carb i have on my shelf will go back on the car. i might by a holley dominator ecu for all its control and data logging purposes though.
That thing is impressive what it can do from a vehicle management standpoint even without injection.

1320racer · 08-22-2016, 04:36 PM

as I stated 3 months ago...what do you hope to gain with a bracket car besides a much lighter wallet?

cmracing · 08-23-2016, 04:17 PM

Here you go:

If you are happy with your carb, stay with it as Ed stated. You'll have a lot of entry fees, fuel money, and tire money in your pocket! If you want to be different, like me, go for it.

Sorry to hear the poster above that tried the Holley Dominator setup and didn't like it. I have been running it for 6 or more years now, cant' even remember. But........ I did start messing with EFI back in 1986, so I have a little experience under my hat.

EFI is no more consistent than a well-tuned race carb. An out of the box carb, that's usually another story. I can't state if it makes more power. I have seen it make a little LESS on the engine dyno yet produce a better ET and MPH with back to back testing, but that was with one car, not a good sampling.......

I myself have never had a carb on my car and it has been on the track since 1990. Started life with EFI and shall end it's way like that too.

I have the Holley HP setup on our slower car, it works great too. Have put both Holley setups in many other cars, their only complaint is the cost....

06-01-2016, 03:04 PM	#1
pfordamx Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 214 Likes: 3 Liked 7 Times in 5 Posts	Carb or EFI i know this thread is only a couple places down. But i don't have a LS or car that started out with fuel injection, and i definitely won't be using a factory ecu. So really i have 2 question in terms of a multipurpose Bracket car in that i mean a car that will see electronics and foot brake racing which i currently have 1050 dominator on that works. but was considering either a ms3pro, Fast XFI, or Holley Efi system. but i wanted to know if anyone is bracket racing a naturally aspirated car with success with one of these systems? and if so which one and what do you like or dislike about it? in general i'm open to all input and info you can give about going efi in a bracket car. my car is a slower bracket car 70 amx runs 10.80s-10.70s has a trans brake but gets foot braked alot. on pump gas with a 433inch amc engine if you need more info simply ask.

06-01-2016, 04:35 PM	#2
1320racer VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,628 Likes: 160 Liked 759 Times in 379 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI 99% of bracket racers are running a carb so why do you want to be different? There are bracket engines making 1,300HP with a single carb so what do you hope to gain besides a much lighter wallet? Last edited by 1320racer; 06-01-2016 at 04:41 PM.

06-01-2016, 05:17 PM	#3
pfordamx Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 214 Likes: 3 Liked 7 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI Well i'm racing an AMC so evidently different doesn't bother me. i'm actually just looking for places to improve consistency, drive ability, and maybe pickup some performance thats why i asked the question( if anyone has had success bracket racing with efi?) Yes i know its expensive but drag racing is expensive. it would seem that there could be advantages to efi but i don't want to pioneer anything just looking at options. and i'm not trying to make 1300hp. i'd simply be happy to go out and make 7-8 passes that are with in 1/100th of a second of each other.

06-01-2016, 05:24 PM	#4
1320racer VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,628 Likes: 160 Liked 759 Times in 379 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI a carb does all you want and consistency starts and ends with the guy wearing the brain bucket.

06-01-2016, 05:48 PM	#5
pfordamx Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 214 Likes: 3 Liked 7 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI alright thxs for your opinion.

06-03-2016, 07:51 PM	#6
jim hensley Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: columbia tn Posts: 50 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI Well this is my story, other people may have had a better experience. I tried the holley dominator system on my car, thinking like you, that it might offer more consistency. after a lot of $$ spent buying the system and finding someone to install it, I find out not hardly anyone locally knows how to really tune it properly for racing, as it was a complex system. It is not for everyone. I even went to the Holley class on the EFI system. Car never ran right, actually ran faster with the carb. That "self learning" advertising you hear, no where near the truth, unless maybe if you have a street car. Of course, you can always pay to fly in a system expert to tune it for you, as there are guys out there that really know how to makes these systems work, and there are racers who know their system, but that does not help you locally. If you are at the track, and something is not working properly, you are lost. So after wasting most of a year, I took the system off. So unless you are willing to invest a lot of money, time, and training to learn to tune a new system yourself, you are going to be overwhelmed. I like a challenge, and hated to give up on it, but lots more stuff to learn and lots more to go wrong and you just end up frustrated. One thing I learned in my years of racing, keep it simple, so I put the carb back on and went racing and never looked back. Just my opinion.

08-18-2016, 09:40 AM	#7
chasracer Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 14 Likes: 3 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI I think the EFI stuff can compete with carbs, no doubt about it - look at 2016 Pro Stock. But it is also going to take a hell of a lot of money to get where the carb is now - again take a look at 2016 Pro Stock. The tuner program and the ability to use it are the essential keys to making it work, but I don't think you are going to find this with any off the shelf system that is "affordable". Kind of like buying a NOS system, sure the plate thingy will make some power but you see how it goes when you get downright serious about it?

08-22-2016, 03:47 PM	#8
pfordamx Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 214 Likes: 3 Liked 7 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI The biggest problems with efi is complexity, cost and not every joe blow at the track knows how to tune it. i wasn't looking at off the shelf systems i was looking at essentially a 4500 dollar holley dominator or fast ecu system. i believe these systems can be competitive its just do i have the extra time and income right now to deal with them and that answer is no so the trusty 4500 series carb i have on my shelf will go back on the car. i might by a holley dominator ecu for all its control and data logging purposes though. That thing is impressive what it can do from a vehicle management standpoint even without injection.

08-22-2016, 04:36 PM	#9
1320racer VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,628 Likes: 160 Liked 759 Times in 379 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI as I stated 3 months ago...what do you hope to gain with a bracket car besides a much lighter wallet?

08-23-2016, 04:17 PM	#10
cmracing Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 173 Likes: 113 Liked 62 Times in 29 Posts	Re: Carb or EFI Here you go: If you are happy with your carb, stay with it as Ed stated. You'll have a lot of entry fees, fuel money, and tire money in your pocket! If you want to be different, like me, go for it. Sorry to hear the poster above that tried the Holley Dominator setup and didn't like it. I have been running it for 6 or more years now, cant' even remember. But........ I did start messing with EFI back in 1986, so I have a little experience under my hat. EFI is no more consistent than a well-tuned race carb. An out of the box carb, that's usually another story. I can't state if it makes more power. I have seen it make a little LESS on the engine dyno yet produce a better ET and MPH with back to back testing, but that was with one car, not a good sampling....... I myself have never had a carb on my car and it has been on the track since 1990. Started life with EFI and shall end it's way like that too. I have the Holley HP setup on our slower car, it works great too. Have put both Holley setups in many other cars, their only complaint is the cost....