Are Carburetors Good For Drifting?

[Drifting Pwns]

I've loved this sport for many years now but now I'm extremely close to driving myself. I've been looking for some cars that I could use to drift occassionally and also for daily driving. What one of my main concerns is if it is good for a drifting car to use a carburetor. Most of the cheap, ideal beginner drifting cars contain a carburetor and I have always been taught that it is almost always better to have a car that is fuel injected. Is this true? Which way is better for a drift car or a beginner like me? Or does it even matter?

[cfrost]

go for reliability--pick a newer car that's efi and you won't have to worry about it as much

[Drifting Pwns]

So that would imply efi IS better than carburetor? Either way, what's your definition of newer car? Cuz I'm pretty poor and their's only so many cars I can afford. Mainly the old ones.

[Justin Banner]

So that would imply efi IS better than carburetor? Either way, what's your definition of newer car? Cuz I'm pretty poor and their's only so many cars I can afford. Mainly the old ones.

Carb.s are a pain to tune right if you have never done it before or don't have much patience. That being said, it's not to say it's impossible. EFI is good if only you can get into the computer and reprogram or chip it. With a carburetor, no chip to worry with, just adjust or change jets. Talk to some of the older hotrodder guys in your area for some good advice on them. Most of them are, as any automotive enthusiast usually is, very friendly and aren't afraid of giving advice.

Don't let using a carburetor scare you (same with EFI), just use a little patience and work with it and you'll get the hang of it.

Also, on another note, if you're looking to keep the car stock, either way is alright. Just keep in mind that the settings on a carburetor are set and cannot be adjusted on the fly, so in certain situations the throttle response will lag a bit (or a lot, depends on what you have tuned for). It's why most people favor EFI, no need to worry if the needle settings or jets will work with the entire track in all RPM ranges. I've owned two carburetor vehicles, 1981 Chevrolet Camaro (with a 289 CI V8 and an Edelbrock Carb and Intake Manifold, it was a PIG) and a 1986 Nissan Pickup 4 cylinder (which was light, tuned right, and FAST for a pickup), both of which were VERY reliable if kept in tune. The worst part about a Japanese carburetor vehicles are the vacuum lines. It always seemed like for every 1 vacuum line in an American car, there were five or six in the Japanese one. That can also make messing with a Japanese carburetor vehicle an even bigger pain in the butt. Again, if you're not looking to mess with anything, either a EFI or a carburetor will be fine.

[Drifting Pwns]

Thanks for all the info. I'll keep it in mind. But I am planning on eventually modifying it to make it more drift capable. So if I'm planning on using it as a project and messing with it would EFI be better for my needs? And which is easier to tune/cheaper to work with?

[Justin Banner]

Thanks for all the info. I'll keep it in mind. But I am planning on eventually modifying it to make it more drift capable. So if I'm planning on using it as a project and messing with it would EFI be better for my needs? And which is easier to tune/cheaper to work with?

The short answer to both of your questions would be neither. Either way, it's going to be expensive and will take work. But, in the end, it's worth it.

The EFI route is difficult to tune because you have to be able to either burn a chip or hack into the processor if you use the OEM ECU. You can go stand-alone, and there are lot that fit most any budget. Newer programs make it easier than it used to, but you still would need dyno or track time (which costs more money).

The Carburetor route is difficult because there are so many variables (weather, RPM range, atmospheric pressures, etc.) and you're going to be stuck with the one setting. You'll have to optimize for the situation you need most (RPM vs Atmospheric Pressure, Humidity vs Track Conditions, etc.). Carburetor technology haven't gone very far, so the latest and greatest has been built and proven already, it's just up to you to figure out how much flow (cubic feet per minute, or cfm, ratings), the jet size, and needle settings you need. Track/Dyno time and past experience from veteran carb. tuners are going to determine that. And, again, Technology from the internet has helped make the selection easier, but it's always better to talk to someone in this case. Past experience from a guy (or guys) who's running carb.s in your area/track are always going to beat what a flash or other internet program will tell you.

EFI will have the better advantage because it can compensate for changing conditions on the fly. Carburetors will have the advantage of being able to tune without the need to know how to hack into an ECU or worry with a laptop. The expense of each is nearly the same now, it's mostly in preference. Most Drifters will have experience in ECU's, but there are many Road Racers, Drag Racers, and Oval guys that still use Carburetors (mostly because of rules, but some guys actually prefer low-tech and, honestly, you can't beat the sound of secondaries opening up until you hear ITBs ). For either one, you're still going to need dyno or track time to tune for the track and conditions you'll be racing or drifting in. Also, you can turn a carburetor vehicle into one that uses EFI and vice versa. All that's usually required is an intake manifold change, then it's the parts required to make the setup run (ECU, injectors, wiring, fuel pump, relays and such when going from carb to EFI for example), so don't think you're stuck with just one or the other.

Keep this in mind, too, any racing you do will always require these same things:
Patience, Money, More Patience, and More Money.

[Drifting Pwns]

So it won't hurt a car at all to change it from a carburetor to an efi?

Knowing that I can change it from a carburetor to an efi defiantly takes a lot of pressure off on what beginner car I should get.

Is it possible for the car to drift with efi but without all the extra computer/tech stuff? Or will it just be better for the car to do that?

Sorry for some of these basic questions but I trust the people on this website so I'm trying to get as much information as possible.

[soultron]

Just how old of a car are you looking at? Even my car hasn't had a factory carb since like 85. It doesn't matter really. As long as it works when you get it, you won't need to bother with that until you have learned the basics. So whats the big secret?

[soultron]

Sorry for some of these basic questions but I trust the people on this website so I'm trying to get as much information as possible.

Oh buddy, that's not good.

[Drifting Pwns]

Just how old of a car are you looking at? Even my car hasn't had a factory carb since like 85. It doesn't matter really. As long as it works when you get it, you won't need to bother with that until you have learned the basics. So whats the big secret?

Well, just one of the cars I was looking at in my area is a 1984 RX-7. Not really thinking of getting it but it's nice to have more options and it's a carb. So if I should just throw that idea out just let me know.

[Drifting Pwns]

Oh buddy, that's not good.

I trust people on this website more than I trust myself in this area of expertise.

[Justin Banner]

So it won't hurt a car at all to change it from a carburetor to an efi?

Knowing that I can change it from a carburetor to an efi defiantly takes a lot of pressure off on what beginner car I should get.

Is it possible for the car to drift with efi but without all the extra computer/tech stuff? Or will it just be better for the car to do that?

Sorry for some of these basic questions but I trust the people on this website so I'm trying to get as much information as possible.

Consequently, to get EFI to work, you need a computer. If you want something cheap for fuel work on EFI, take a look at Megasquirt. You can get it in many versions (from fuel only and build it yourself to it does everything and it's pre-built for you). The cheapest one is usually offered at $140 on diyautotune.com in the MS 1 V2.2 that you have to build yourself and does fuel control only. It has only two injector drivers, so I think it would be plenty for the RX7, but if you go for other vehicles each injector driver works for up to 4 cylinders. So, for example, if you have a V8, you'll have to set it up as a "bank fire" injection, were four injectors are opened all at once. For a four cylinder, you'll have two fire at once, and so on.

Check out this forum for more information on Megasquirt, they will have the information you need to set up a MS for what you need: http://www.msefi.com/

[Drifting Pwns]

What if the car already comes fuel injected? Do I need to do anything to it then? Reprogram it? Or can I just leave it the way it is? I'm trying (edit:to learn as much) about fuel injection as I can at this point and I'm (edit: not) understanding it quite well. Like I don't understand why I'd need to mess with it when there are cars now that come stock with fuel injection and they don't contain a computer. Or do you mean they had to use a comp to use fuel injection?

Sorry if this paragraph doesn't make sense, but I hope that people keep replying about it cuz I desperately want to learn more about this subject.

(I meant for it to say what it says now after I edited it. Sorry if it confused anyone before hand.)

[Justin Banner]

What if the car already comes fuel injected? Do I need to do anything to it then? Reprogram it? Or can I just leave it the way it is? I'm trying as much about fuel injection as I can at this point and I'm understanding it quite well. Like I don't understand why I'd need to mess with it when there are cars now that come stock with fuel injection and they don't contain a computer. Or do you mean they had to use a comp to use fuel injection?

Sorry if this paragraph doesn't make sense, but I hope that people keep replying about it cuz I desperately want to learn more about this subject.

Most all cars that had fuel injection have computers. The only ones that come to mind that did not have computers are some diesels and very early Fuel Injected cars (Classic cars made before the 1980's). Could be a few that I've never heard of, though, but would still be fairly early.

If you don't plan on boosting, changing cams, increasing compression, or all of the above right away, don't worry about changing or tuning with the ECU. Do some minor improvements in the intake and exhaust areas (CAI, Cat. Back, etc.). Just concentrate on the quirks of the car for now and find out where it needs improvement. Usually, it's better to start with the suspension because that's where most cars need improvement anyway.

[Drifting Pwns]

Most all cars that had fuel injection have computers. The only ones that come to mind that did not have computers are some diesels and very early Fuel Injected cars (Classic cars made before the 1980's). Could be a few that I've never heard of, though, but would still be fairly early.

If you don't plan on boosting, changing cams, increasing compression, or all of the above right away, don't worry about changing or tuning with the ECU. Do some minor improvements in the intake and exhaust areas (CAI, Cat. Back, etc.). Just concentrate on the quirks of the car for now and find out where it needs improvement. Usually, it's better to start with the suspension because that's where most cars need improvement anyway.

Ok, so when you say computer you mean chip right? Or an actual computer? Because I was thinking of like a labtop or something and that completely confused the crap out of me.

Thanks for the advice. I'm not planning on doing those type of upgrades yet. I was going to start with suspension I just wanted to know if I should get a car with a carburetor just incase I might have some problems with it later while drifting.

So I guess I'll stick to only getting a car with a fuel injection so I don't have to worry about that extra stuff till I actually know how to drift and I want to get more serious into it.

Thanks for your time.