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Holly Sniper

3K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  67CustomStang 
#1 · (Edited)
So Im looking at the Sniper vs the Summit 500cfm 4V for my 65 C - code.

efi vs carb...blah blah blah, thats been beat to death.

What I want to know is the long term reliability and the life expectancy of the Sniper vs a Holley carb.

Most everyone sells the Sniper 2v for $1160, CJPP has a $75 of coupon this weekend.

Also, Summit has 10% off all Summit branded products this weekend, so now is a good time to buy.
 
#3 ·
If they don't have a rebuild kit for these yet, I would expect those to come out at some point unless they have built this thing as a throw away box. I can't imagine them doing that though.
 
#5 ·
Without knocking the Sniper EFi at all (it's fantastic!) I'm actually going back to a Summit M-series carb for my Cougar. The simplicity and quality of it is pretty hard to beat. I'm probably going to give up 1-2 mpg to the EFI setup, but if anything, the peak power should be the same or better.

I don't anticipate much fuss, because like the 4100 (and 4010 Holley) upon which it's based, these carbs don't really have many problems. But if it were to fail in some unexpected way, I could buy three or four of these right now and still have less money invested than in one Sniper. That settled it for me.
 
#6 ·
While I've always been happy with my summit branded parts, I went with the sniper for two reasons.

1. It's made in America (some people don't care)
2. I have more faith in Holley to have the parts I need to fix it 15 years from now than I do in Summit's Chinese supplier.
 
#8 ·
The quality of parts made in other places can be less than those made in America. At least in America you know that there won't be lead or other stuff on the parts and that they won't break easily. Also, Holley is a well-known brand for their parts. I do recommend you go with them.
 
#7 ·
While AJ isn't wrong here, I'd like to point out that the Summit carb takes a lot of standard Holley parts! If the casting for the body of it is good, then you should be set for life. Jets, springs, etc. should all be readily available from Summit or Holley.

It *is* inexpensive, but it's not a garbage carb at all. All that Autolite/Motorcraft/Holley development history really shows in its construction. Ask anyone that runs one.
 
#10 ·
Sorry for the misunderstanding, AJ! I agree; finding one-off unobtanium electronic bits and bobs is not always easy.

On the other hand, it looks like Holley has a smash hit with this setup, so I wouldn't be surprised to find them supporting it pretty well, down the road. Sniper's a good system.

I think reliability will be good with either. Ten years should not be a stretch. Twenty would probably be okay too. Thirty+ years though? Would you have a bolt-on EFI system made in the late 80s on your car? By then, you'll probably want another solution, if they even let us run gasoline powered cars anymore. ;)

I suppose if you want something to bolt on that you could count on lasting for another 50+ years, you'd best go with the carb. Rebuild kits for them will definitely be around. But for the immediate and foreseeable future, the Sniper's got a slight advantage when it comes to fine tuning, all-around driveability, and not giving a rip about the temperature, humidity, or altitude. It ought to, for the extra cost!
 
#11 ·
I'm in the same boat, and about to order EFI. I was sure I wanted the Fitech unit when I first started researching. However, after all the research I've done, I've changed my mind to the Holley. Both use of the shelf sensors, but I'm more concerned with parts like ECU's and controllers in 10 years. From what I've found, their tech support is second to none. For an extra $100, that's worth it to me.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I'm surprised to see that the MSI unit is never really discussed when the EFIs are brought up. Always seems the discussions are Fitech vs. Sniper.
I was talked into the MSI by my builder because for 2 reasons.
1) he didn't like the idea that more of the electronics were built into the throttle body and with the MSI he can keep it protected from heat in the glove box
2) he likes the idea of having the hand held unit that quick connects into the unit to calibrate/setup. He has someone that seems to know the ins and outs of the MSI unit really well

He has worked with them all, he just seems to have a preference for the MSI
Why the lack of love?...curious
I understand that Holley now owns MSI
 
#15 ·
I'm assuming you mean the MSD Atomic? I looked at that when I was deciding on an EFI solution and there were several reasons that I decided against it.
1) It was, at the time, much more expensive. I have no idea how the price compares now.
2) I didn't like the idea of having an external ECU. Another box to mount somewhere didn't appeal to me.
3) The fitech that I wound up with also has a handheld controller. The sniper does as well, but Holley hadn't come out with the sniper yet at the time
4) I had bought an MSD transmission controller for my 4R70W transmission and it never worked correctly. It absolutely would not read the range sensor, no matter what I did and when I tried to find support for the TCU there was none available, anywhere.

That last one was what soured me on anything MSD. I blew several hundred dollars on a trans controller that now sits in a box in my garage that neither MSD nor holley, their new owner, supports. I probably wouldn't use anything MSD if you gave it to me. If it works for you, that's great, and its awesome that it does, but you wouldn't catch me using one.
 
#12 ·
I bought the FiTech at the point where Holley realized they got caught with they're pants down. If your enjoying your Holley Sniper system you have FiTech to thank. FiTech support in retrospect has been decent, we were all learning together. If my FiTech were to puke I'd probably buy the Holley this time.

I bought the FiTech because I live in a "non attainment area" emissions wise and have percolating fuel during the summer months. I think a carburetor with an in tank pump and a return line could be made to work effectively with corn gas.

I expect in 10 years our cars will be illegal or have a Mr Fusion instead of a gas tank.:grin2:
 
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#14 ·
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