poll: who likes their weber?

[archemitis]

you either love them or hate them. i like a fairly low mileage hitachi,compared to a brand new weber. tuning issues, fuel delivery issues, parts availability.

 

just my opinion. who has actualy got theirs dialed in just right? even the posts where people got their jetting good, they still seem to complain about one thing or another. bad fuel mineage, bad topend, or lowend power. all kinds of stuff...

 

im currenely screwing with a fairly new one on an ea81, and im thinkin about stickin this reman hitachi on it.

 

whats your opinions?

[Qman]

Nothing better than a Weber. Tuning is crucial though. Installing a new one os the best bet but costly. I would never go back to a Hitachi after putting a Weber on. In "Beauty" I get 20 mpg all the time. Now, I know people are saying that is kind of low. However, that is with a motor running near 150hp and driving it like it does. So, 20 is good!!

 

One of the biggest issues with Webers is that to get the optimum performance they can not be the only mod. Slightly bigger exhaust is a must. Not 3" exhaust but a good 2" system is a huge improvement over the stock stuff. Stock Subaru exhaust is a double wall system that measures about 1 3/4" inside.

[MorganM]

Efi 2 Win !_!

[mcbrat]

I like mine... I'm running with a 2.25" exhaust (1.75" at heads, then Y'd to the 2.25". no cat, and a Magnaflow muffler.

 

with the snorkel on, I can't get enough air to the engine at high RPMs.

 

I've had better luck with this used weber off a Opel Manta, than I did with a new one, but the new one was my first weber...

[edrach]

I'm with qman on his thoughts. Only problem I have with mine is that in my unlifted Brat, the regular air cleaner doesn't clear the hood and I had to go with the low profile air cleaner. I believe it does cost me top end power. I'm thinking of having carbs unlimited check and re-jet mine for optimum performance with the new engine.

[CHIM]

I love my webber!, Out of the box no problems. I had the issue with the filter being to tall tho.

 

Im going to put a scoop on it tho so i can run the bigger filter again.

 

But anyway thing runs like a raped ape!

 

~CHIM~

[Snowman]

Whether or not a Weber is for you depends a lot on climate. Mine was problematic beyond belief during the winter up here, and even during the summer, elevation changes were not welcomed.

 

 

Like Qman said, tuning is crucial. If you run the car in relatively constant conditions and you have the time to dial it in right, I'd say go for a Weber. I learned the hard way after spending $400 on a new one that they don't like climate change. The Hitachi is pretty good at dealing with temperature and elevation extremes, so if you see a lot of that, your actual performance may be better with the Hitachi.

 

Something else to consider is an SPFI conversion, which can be done for less than the price of a new Weber if you've got a good source for used parts.

 

Just my two cents.

[Qman]

The only problem with injection is that you are now tied to the computer and sensors. Which HATE water period. Ross from Idaho came to the Hatch Patrol camp out a few years ago and got his stuff wet. Didn't run worth a crap the rest of the weekend.Otherwise, ijection doesn't notice camber on trails. You can practically turn them upside down and they'll still run.

[swiftt]

I'm running a Weber 32/36 on my Gen1 Brat with stock exhaust, on a hydraulic lifter EA71. I had to lean out the secondary circuit and advance the timing two degrees to get rid of a 'stumble' under sudden, hard acceleration from stop. It's since passed DEQ with flying colors and is a pleasure to drive. I initially noticed a little pinging when running 87 octane and accelerating up hills and such, so I switched up to mid-grade 89 and it seems to have done the trick. If I keep my foot out of it and refrain from opening the second barrel up too often, I can consistently get 32mpg (I have a topper that sits flush with the cab roof and I'm sure this helps a bit too).

 

If you go with a bigger exhaust, be aware that even though you can get more horsepower, your peak torque is going to move higher into the power band. In my opinion, to have torque on the low end of the power band is a great advantage for off road vehicles as you can power over, and through, obstacles without raising the RPM and spinning the tires in limited traction conditions (especially in my Gen1 that's lacking a low range and has only 13" passenger car tires).

 

I also agree that carb setup is key with a Weber! I've run these carbs in different applications and have grown pretty familiar with them. I've run one on my MGB before and I have always run one on my BMW 2002. If there is an achilles heal, I would also say they are finicky when you drive at radically different elevation. I drove my beautifully running BMW 2002 from Portland, OR @ about 200ft above sea level, down to SLC, UT @ about 4400ft above sea level a couple years ago. When I got to SLC, it wouldn't even idle without a foot on the gas pedal. After readjusting the mixture, it was fine and caused little more than minor inconvenience. This could cause someone headaches if they make some dramatic (I would define dramatic as being something > 2500ft) elevation changes during the course of their daily commute though!

 

It's all give and take with compromise(s) based on what you're biulding your car up to do.

 

Regards,

[MorganM]

The only problem with injection is that you are now tied to the computer and sensors. Which HATE water period.

I've been going through all my grounds and other electrical connctions and packing them with dielectric grease. That helps with water issues.

[chef_tim]

I love the bottem end and the drivability, but I am one who has no topend and I'm getting about 14mpg:eek: . I've ordered a couple of sets of jets from Big Jim and I'm trying to be patient with it. I put a brand new one on Vickys car and it does better in the power band but she is only getting about 16mpg. Done crying for now, Tim

[BobBrumby]

yeh my (webber actually hooley 180) is heaps better than hitachi. i get about 75 extra km on a tank now. I have a little problem with dieseling but now i have learn to nearly stall it whe i turn off the keys. I also couldnot close the hood with the air filter i bough so I cut 2 8" plates of ally and cut out carb top shape, drilled a few wholes and bolted it them down arround the filter. Who says a street sign cant make a pimpin intake

[swiftt]

Have you tried an 'anti run-on valve' to eliminate your dieseling? Simple to install. You use the valve to replace the primary idle jet and hook up an ignition hot lead to it. When the ignition is turned off, the valve closes and no more fuel. No more fuel, no more run-on...

[BobBrumby]

where might i get one of these anti-dieseling valve for my holley? Like are they pretty common? I might ring this this holley performance shop see whats up. You got any idead of what cars this vavle was on?

[TomRhere]

The one I have was brand new when I put it on the EA-82 engine that was in my '82 BRAT, with D/R 4spd. Had issues at 1st, but it was due to getting to much fuel. A Fuel Pressure Regulator helped there. Did a bit of tweaking with idle speed and mixture screws to get it proper for the engine. Can't say much about the low-end torgue aspect, as this was the 1st EA-82 engine I owned. But, there was much improvement over the Hitachi that was on it. Top-end was real good, could cruise on the highway at 70 - 80mph, and still accelerate if needed. Last road trip in it, I got 31 mpg, not to shabby me thinks.

 

I've swapped the EA-82 intake and Weber over to the '84 with Auto. Need to do more tweaking of carb settings yet, and ignition timing, but it's running better than with old carb. When the engine is still on the cold side, it'll backfire thru carb when I hit the go-pedal, doesn't do it when fully warmed though.

 

I'm "Happy" with the Weber vs Hitachi............

[bratman2]

I have had my Weber ( actually a Holly Weber) for close to 4 years on my 87 Brat and it was a great improvement. Some tuning issues popped up the first year or so but nothing a screw driver and time couldn't cure. I have 2-inch exhaust from the Y back with el cheapo turbo muffler and didn't loose any lowend torque. Gas mileage runs high 20's and sometimes will break 30 when recalculated for the 195/14s on her. No Hitachi for me.

[ShawnW]

I think ya gotta remember to compare apples to apples here. A rebuilt Weber versus a 20 year old Hitachi carb is not a fair comparison.

 

For a street rig or anything that isn't going to see mud I don't see the point of the weber. I would go to EFI a long time before a weber as it compensates for altitude, handles smog inspection easier, and gets better mileage.

 

For an mud machine I might go with the weber but I would also rebuild the engine, scrap the exhaust and try SPFI with the grease tricks first. Id also relocate the oxygen sensor as this would be one of the first things to mess with the fuel system. Hiding the ECU up high and sealing things up isn't impossible.

[sportsterbrat]

If you decide against the weber I may be interested in it.

[RavenTBK]

As ShawnW said, its not comparing apples to apples, but..

 

I used to love my weber on the Brat... till its started doing whatever its doing that nobody really knows what its doing. Even with the big tyres, and such, it just plan ran a whole lot better than meh 79 GL. Power out the yingyang. Also compared to the coupe SPFI EA82s I've had the joy of driving.. just plain more get up and go.

 

It all depends on what you want.. good mileage, or good power. EFI strikes a good comprimise between the two.. being able to self adjust over a big band in the middle of the two extremes...but you'll never get close to either. A fresh rebuilt Hitachi would get you in good on the mileage end of the spectrum, but power would suffer. A fresh Weber can get you a medium sized band on either end, power or mileage, depending on how you tune it.

 

IMO, the Weber is the most flexible answer to all of the above. Hard to tune, whatever mine's doing, and other difficulties aside, the Weber 32/36 still gets my vote. :cool: