jd89

what carb is better the weber or the holley? right now i have the holley carb and intake but someone told me the weber is better so i need some help what do you guys think?

Jeezus

iTrader: (4)

What are you going to be doing with it? DD is better with the holly, but power is greater in the Webers.

Jaime Enriquez

Buy the Weber 48 IDA or a 55 DCOE....don't bother with a Holley. I've daily driven a 48 ida fed streetport for 4 years +....you can't go wrong.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

It's all a matter of matching the right size carb to the car and tuning. If you buy a carb and just slap it on and hope for good performance you're really kidding yourself.

You should spend some quality time jetting it to meet your driving style, porting, exhaust, and altitude.

Instead of buying another carb, try working with the one you have. Find someone who's good at tuning holleys and go on the Dyno with it and a jet/air bleed kit. You'd be amazed at how much power you get out of tuning. In the end, dyno time and a jet kit costs less than another carb and you can get quite a bit out of it.

But if you're determined to go with another carb, tell us more about your plans for the car. What are you going to do with it? what are you using it for? what conditions do you drive it in? (does it get cold where you live, would you need something that has better cold starts?) and are you planning to do any tuning or jetting on the new carb, or are you just looking for something to slap on and go?

Jon

BridgePorted12A

iTrader: (6)

Not to hi-jack the thread, but I have been doing research on both and have the same question, what carb to go with. I will be autocrossing the car/having fun with it. Live in the northeast, so the car will see colder temps. I would like to make as much power as possible w/out going FI. Looking to buy a Weber 48 IDA. 1/2 bridge, full RB exhaust BTW.

Ryan

Jeezus

iTrader: (4)

...Or the 45 DCOE, I think his car is stock. Those carbs listed are way too big. If I had a bridgie or SP I would definitely say it.

jd89

i need more hp, and a buddy told me that the weber was better so i just wanted to know which one i could pull more hp out of. I'm about to buy a msd 6a box and a light weight RB flywheel all my mods are in my sig.

Siraniko

iTrader: (13)

If you're going to spend $$, do it wisely. IDA is the way to go. here's why:

1. Less moving parts, less than a holley or a nikki.
2. Parts are easy to find. Any VW shops carry parts for it.
3. Its been around for over 3 decades. In addiiton, 48 IDA is used widely such as in VW bugs including V8's. So there is a market for it in case you deice to sell it later on.
4. With a change of venturies, it can be used on a stock motor, street port, bridge and p-port. Well, I kinda lied on a bridge and p-port but for less than $200 it can be modified to a 51 ( I know the shop where Racing Beat sends their off-the-box IDA).
5. parts are easy to find.

So in summary, a 48IDA will fit any application and you only have to buy it once.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

You "need" more hp yet you haven't made any attempt whatsoever to turn your carb.

By your posts you sound like you're 16 dude. "Give me more hp I just want to slap something on and don't want to work for it, which is better"

I don't think anybody has done side-by-side dyno tuning of one carb vs. another except maybe some of the shops that aren't posting their results. I honestly don't think that you'll get "more hp" out of one compared to the other on a stock port engine, the carb won't be your limiting factor for making hp.

So basically, you can make your holley, or a weber, dellorto, mikuni, edelbrock, or even modified Nikki meet the demands of your stock ported engine if you spend enough time tuning it properly. That is, of course, assuming that you don't slap a carb on there that's too big or two small for your application, in which case, yes it will limit you somewhere.

Your current carb is perfectly fine for a stock, or mild street port engine. RacingBeat aren't a bunch of idiots, they know what they're doing. They sell both Holleys and Webers, and each has its own set of characteristics that make it a unique experience to own, tune and drive.

If I were you, instead of listening to a friend who give a flat-out statement that something is "better" without justifying what "better" is or giving facts to back it up, I'd continue your research into what makes them different. The first thing you're looking at is the difference between a 2bbl and 4bbl carb in how they run and how they tune.

In the archive there is lots of information and some great articles by Sterling which talk about carbs. 2 barrels may be seen as better for certain types of competition since they have one good "sweet spot" that you can tune for the rpm/load you're at the most on that track, and they have cool things like changeable emulsion tubes and jets that you can change with less hassle. For the street and variable tracks like autocross, 4barrels might be better because they potentially have two "sweet spots" and offer more streetability with their better cold starts and two-stage design.

I'm not a carb expert, and I'm not going to tell you which carb is "better" for you, but I think you're approaching this like a n00b. "Better" or "more hp" depends on your approach towards it. Someone who just slaps on a Holley will have less hp than someone who spends some time jetting/tuning their weber, dellorto or even Nikki, and vice versa.

No matter which carb you have, if it's not too restrictive (limits top end, like the stock Nikki) or too big (makes it hard to tune for bottom end because you don't get enough velocity at lower revs/loads) then you can get the most out of it by spending some time with it, understanding how it works and adusting it to fit your car, your driving style and your altitude.

Give it the proper fuel pump it needs, with a good quality regulator and gauge, and get a jet kit and if possible a book or three on tuning it. Visit as many websites as you can find that talk about your carb and keep an open mind. Not everyone is "right" about their assertions, and in many cases people who say one thing is "better" are usually speaking from a very unique, situational personal experience. Make your own opinions instead of using others, and for God's sake, take the time to tune and to learn!

Jon