which would you prefer and why: a carbed or a fuel injected LT1 in a

[Brandon M]

1987 Firebird thats set up for FI? I have a 1987 Firebird as a project car. I'm saving my pennies to buy an LT1 engine. Now of course I would be buying a fuel injected LT1 but I have been told that I would be better off converting it to a carbed engine. I'm not putting this in myself I'm having a professional do it.

What are some major factors that would lead me to believe on way or another?

Would I get the same HP?

How much different would gas mileage be? (It's a sports car so I'm not expecting 28 MPH. I just want to know)

 

[Zimgxp]

Keep the injection. With a little tuning, it can be better than a carb. The mileage should be better with the right tuning. my.02

 

[wde3477]

+1 on keeping the fuel injection. Carbs are not much more than a fancy toilet bowl that flushes gas into the engine.

Some love carbs because of their simplicity. Suggest these people have never worked on some of the last 4-barrel offerings.

 

[Oreif]

EFI will give you a little better gas mileage, better driveability, and reduced emissions.

As for power, It doesn't matter if you have EFI or a carb. If tuned properly on a matched engine, they will produce the same power.

But a carb on a stock LT1 will actually make more power only because the stock TPI set-up is a little restrictive in the higher RPM range. If you went with an aftermarket EFI set-up power would be nearly identical. Many swap in a carb because a carb set-up is a lot cheaper than a new fuel injection set-up.

Newer carbs are a lot more efficient than the carbs of the 60's and 70's as well as easier to tune. I have converted a couple of engines (V-6's) from EFI to carb because the intake was way too restrictive when modding the engine and there was no aftermarket option available.

As for which is better? It all comes down to personal preference. Some folks prefer EFI some prefer carbs. Each has their own pros/cons and the carb vs. EFI has been a very long standing discussion for many years. Myself, I prefer a carb on a streetrod/performance vehicle and EFI for my daily driver.