Edelbrock MPFI vs. Howell TBI Fuel Injection

[CommanderChaos]

Is the Edelbrock MFI system worth the extra money over the Howell system using a stock 2bbl manifold?

Who has t he Edelbrock MFI system?

[FSJ Guy]

They are entirely different animals. If you go with a MPFI system, you are replacing your stock intake manifold.

[CommanderChaos]

I know you replace the stock manifold with the Edelbrock. I just wondered how the performance of the Edelbrock system compares to the Howell with the stock 2 bbl manifold. Is it worth the extra money? $1,350 for Howell and $3,100 for the Edelbrock.

They are entirely different animals. If you go with a MPFI system, you are replacing your stock intake manifold.

[SnowShoe]

Is it worth the extra money? $1,350 for Howell and $3,100 for the Edelbrock.

Nope !!!

[CommanderChaos]

Hmmm....I was hoping you could elaborate on that a little bit. What experience do you have with each of the systems?

Nope !!!

[Eugene 1]

I would use the Howell becuase from what i understand and have read it uses Gm parts which would make them available just about anywhere. I also like the ezefi see link below

Rich is a regular on the Moparts board

http://fastmanefi.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW6ZOpPs9dA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIzLh81dYiI&feature=related

I like it because it is a learning system it makes changes on the fly automatically to give you the best performance and mpg

[Walt]

I guess you have to ask yourself: If I dump three grand worth of edelbrock fuel injection into my rig, will it then be worth at least $3001?
I know mine would not...
Will a newer MPFI system make that 40 year old engine design run significantly better than the TBI?
Probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference without checking your bank ballance.

[FSJ Guy]

There was a guy in Colorado that put the Edelbrock system on a 401, IIRC. He absolutely loved it.

[Walt]

Here's another way to look at it...
$3000 will go a long way towards transplanting a modern drivetrain into the jeep.

[tgreese]

My understanding - the main motivation in modern cars for MPI over TBI: emissions. Certainly the MPI will give you better power and economy than TBI, since you have better mixture control, cylinder by cylinder. But I expect that, in terms of fuel economy, you'll never make back the cost difference, and the difference in performance will be minimal.

Plus the Howell stuff is made of commodity parts (except for the ROM), so parts availability should be no problem.

The Howell stuff is just a hacked GM system. I think they don't even offer spark control, so their product is basically an electronic carburetor. I recall that you can modify the Howell setup to provide spark control - somebody here has done it. An alternative is to go Megasquirt: then you're looking at really cheap, and you can add spark control, coil-on-plug (distributorless), whatever you want. Last I looked, the Megasquirt won't do sequential MPI, but maybe it will now. MPI is still possible, even without the sequential feature.

[sappy76]

I'm running a Howell system and it does everything I would want it to do. Could I eek out another mpg w/ spark control, maybe. I use my truck as a winter driver and even hooked up a cheapo remote starter. Nobody can believe it when I press the button from 50 yards away and it starts right up. I personally could never justify the Edelbrock system. I needed the other $2000+ to put into other areas of my truck, like lockers, tires, interior, a/c, etc...

[Walt]

Oh, that's right, howell doesn't control the spark. Now I remember why I didn't consider them for TBI.
If you're going to all that trouble, definitely get a GM TBI based system that controls the spark too!

[myk]

An alternative is to go Megasquirt: then you're looking at really cheap, and you can add spark control, coil-on-plug (distributorless), whatever you want. Last I looked, the Megasquirt won't do sequential MPI, but maybe it will now. MPI is still possible, even without the sequential feature.

FYI-Megasquirt 3 will do squential injection and COP and almost anything else you can think of. It's definitely diy (steep learning curve) material but I wouldn't have it any other way, best way possible to learn EFI imho....if your not in a big hurry.

Mike

[Twinpinion]

The Edelbrock system is better for high-horsepower engines and engines with heavy mods like turbos, nitrous, and superchargers. It's more flexible and adjustable. If you plan on eventually adding a really wild engine the Edelbrock system is the way to go. It's really more of a race system.

The Howell system is likely a better system for the majority of FSJs. It's more of a street system. It's simpler to install and easier to use but it won't support a big HP engine and doesn't really have the adjustability that the Edelbrock system has.

You will see virtually no performance difference between MPI and TBI in most cases. Assuming that both systems are functioning properly.

[jeepsr4ever]

Hey Twinpinion where you been?