Holley Strip Dominator vs. Edelbrock Victor 340

pishta said
^^ is that Dominator series carb ready?^^

problem with adapted EFI (if any) is the popularity of the TBI style on older intakes and the thought that its as good as it gets. The nice thing is the intake on a MPFI can be almost any shape as it only flows lightweight air, no fuel. The fuel is injected at the last inch of the intake tract. You have no distribution problems, lean cylinders, etc. if everything is working. You can also get some really long runners without puddling for large torque gains in the lower RPMs and a ram effect in the upper range.

Agree that retro fit TB style FI is not an ideal solution. I mostly like it because of the software. As I mentioned already, the ability to adjust singular data points or at least smaller areas of your fuel curve without affecting the entire thing is a nice feature.

I'm also a believer in the benefits of higher fuel pressure and digitally controlled ignition timing. There has to be some level of efficiency gained by spraying fuel into the intake tract at 60 psi vs. pulling it out of the fuel bowls behind 6-7 psi. Controlling timing digitally takes the mechanical tolerances out of the equation and provides a more accurate and stable spark over the rpm range. A crank trigger is the next evolutionary step up, I'm not there yet.

Truth be told, I am definitely not a carb tuning expert. Can I get a car to idle OK and tune out bogs? Yes. Can I find hidden power? No. When I dynoed my engine however many years ago, I used an OOTB Proform 850. About the only thing that was done carb tuning-wise that day was go two steps down on the jets which did not result in anything except leaning it out a half a point. No spacers were tried, no air bleeds were changed. No clue how much power it was leaving on the table but I'd guess it was a significant amount. The BSFC numbers were higher than what they should have been for the amount of fuel it was observed consuming. Whether the dyno apparatus was not calculated properly or something inherent in the engine combo itself was mismatched will forever remain a question unless I decide to go back and re-do it.

Can I find hidden power with EFI? Probably not but I like to think that I've gotten farther with it than I ever did with a screwdriver and either my ear or the seat of my pants. I've had it on my big block Coronet for a while now and I am confident in saying that it runs light years better than it ever did with a carb. I hold no illusions that it makes more power but it does seem to run crisper and cleaner. Take that for what it's worth.

I don't want to get too far off topic here but some of this background info is relevant.