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Our average customer is usually just looking for something to get their car back on the road. In some cases, they may not be mechanically inclined and have no interest in performance. In other cases, the customer already has a car built for performance and just needs a carb to get their newest project on the road.

Whatever the case, a stock carburetor is always a safe and easy option for any stock 1200cc to 1600cc engine. Solex built their carburetors to be fuel efficient while still producing some usable power, and the EMPI reproductions modeled after them are the same way. So, if you just need something to get you back on the road, this is probably you’re the best option in terms of cost and ease of installation.

In terms of drivability in a stock vehicle, stock carbs are a great option because most aftermarket performance carburetors have dual barrel and are not ported for vacuum, so they’re more difficult to tune and can’t be used with a vacuum advance distributor. Having a vacuum advance distributor and a carburetor that can operate it makes pulling away from a stop a much more enjoyable experience as it eliminates the dreaded flat spot at take-off VWs are known for having.

I would not recommend installing any 30 or 34 PICT onto any engine with a displacement larger than 1776cc. Anything bigger than that and the carb won’t really be able to keep up without throwing efficiency out the window. Likewise, it’s not built for performance, so don’t expect to bump up jet sizes until you end up with a bunch of power.

Along with fuel supply, a carburetor needs air, and the 30 and 34 PICT carbs can’t supply enough air to mix with the fuel that a large displacement engine requires.

The rule of thumb when deciding between a 30 PICT and 34 PICT-3 series carburetor for your stock engine is that the 30 PICT carburetor is used on engines with single port heads (all Type 1 engines built up to 1970) and 34 PICT-3 is used on engines with dual port heads (built from 1971 on).

Solex 28 PCI and 28 PICT carburetors are not built new. A 30 PICT series carburetor can be used to replace an earlier style carb, but it comes with a different style fuel inlet and uses a 12v choke. For more information about the differences between the 30 PICT and 34 PICT-3 series carburetors we sell, visit this page.

We carry four stock replacement carburetors for Type 1 engines. They are all single barrel carburetors. Two are reproductions of the original Solex 30 PICT series and two are reproductions of the 34 PICT-3 series carburetor.

Brosol’s 30/31 carburetor is the most common replacement carburetor to find on stock 1200cc to 1600cc stock Type 1 engines. Many people prefer the Brosol over the EMPI 30 PICT-1 reproduction because it carries the Solex name (indicating a certain measure of quality), but it really comes down to preference. I’ve known people who ran the same Brosol 30/31 on their car for almost 100,000 miles and I’ve known people who couldn’t get it tuned at all. The two carburetors are jetted differently out of the box, but we have found that getting them dialed in is pretty much the same and they perform at about the same level.

See the charts below for jetting information on the Brosol and EMPI 30 PICT carburetors.

EMPI’s 34 PICT-3 reproduction carburetor is hands down the most popular carburetor we sell. A big part of the reason for that is that ’71 and later (dual port) engines are the largest displacement Type 1 engine VW made with the newest technology and the largest production numbers. The engines are readily available, so it is very common to see dual port engines swapped into 1970 and earlier cars. The 34 PICT-3 was designed for that engine, so it is very common that people put one right back onto it.

The biggest difference between the EMPI 34 PICT-3 and our 34 PICT-3 is how much vacuum it draws. EMPI’s 34 PICT-3 draws very little vacuum (enough to properly actuate the vacuum advance canister on SVDA distributors, but just barely) and our 34 PICT-3 draws just a tad more than is needed.

If you’re concerned about over-advancing, I would recommend the EMPI 34 PICT-3 over our JBugs brand 34 PICT-3 reproduction. Either way, we recommend checking and re-adjusting the timing on a vacuum advance distributor after installing a new carburetor.

Progressive carburetors are a great option if you want more power than you can get out of a stock carburetor, but don’t want to completely sacrifice fuel economy. Likewise, they are ported for vacuum, so they can be used without having to swap out your SVDA (single vacuum, dual advance) distributor for a 009-style mechanical advance only unit.

Progressive carburetors have two barrels, a primary and a secondary, that are designed to open at different times. The primary barrel opens as soon as you touch the accelerator pedal, but the secondary is staggered so it doesn’t open up until you really start to get on it.

This system gives you the power you need to get up to speed (such as when entering a highway or interstate) when the situation calls for it, but saves gas when you’re driving conservatively as the single barrel is the only one open under low-speed conditions.

The only downside to running a progressive carburetor is that they can be difficult to tune as the adjustments screws are difficult to access due to their proximity to the fan shroud when installed, but once they are dialed in they usually run great. That and they require the use of a special intake manifold.

We carry two progressive carburetor options and they can be used on any Type 1, 3, or 4 engine, but they perform best on Type 1s because they require a lot of pre-heat from the exhaust to function well. For carburetor recommendations for vehicles with Type 3 and 4 engines, see our section on dual carb setups.

The most popular progressive carburetor we carry is the Weber DFEV 32/36. It was not originally designed for air-cooled VWs, but has become an industry standard as pretty much the only single center-mount carburetor to offer decent mileage and power.

The Weber progressive was so popular that EMPI reproduced it, naming their version the EMPI EPC 32/36F (you can find the Type 3 version of the EPC 32/36F by searching part #47-0634-7 on our site).

Progressive carburetors are well suited for use on 1500cc to 1835cc engines that are either stock or built to cruise - not for all out performance.

There are two big differences between the original Weber carburetor and EMPI’s reproduction, the EPC 32/36F. The original Weber is more expensive than EMPI’s reproduction, but it is also a better carburetor.

They’re essentially the same exact casting, but the Weber product is held to higher standards of quality. For example, the throttle shaft on a Weber carburetor takes a very long time to wear out and develop a vacuum leak. The EMPI reproduction will likely develop a leak in the same spot in noticeably fewer miles due to the quality of the parts used to assemble it.

That is because the Weber carburetor has a bearing pressed into the housing at the end of the throttle shaft to ensure smooth engagement. EMPI’s carburetors use bushings, which wear out much faster.

The bottom line is that if you want the higher quality carburetor, go for the Weber. If you want something a little more cost effective that will still perform similarly well, get the EMPI. This is true across the board for all of EMPI’s reproductions of original Weber carbs.

The bottom line when it comes to performance is that air-cooled VWs are limited by the intake manifold design and the exhausts ability to heat it up enough to effectively atomize the fuel. You can only get so much out of a single center-mount carburetor for that reason.

However, you can still get decent performance out of a single carb set up with good pre-heat and a proper tune. All of the center-mount performance carburetors are synchronized dual barrels. Synchronized dual barrel carburetors can produce more power than the progressive carburetors listed above, but they score lower than progressive carburetors when it comes to fuel economy.

We carry five options for dual barrel carburetors: Weber 40 IDF, Weber 44 IDF, EMPI 40 HPMX, EMPI 44 HPMX, and the EMPI 38EGAS.

The biggest disadvantage to center-mounting an aftermarket performance carburetor is the lack of an electric choke. Without the choke, the carb will not have an easy time warming up. None of the carburetors listed below aside from the 38EGAS come with an electric choke, so expect to have a harder time warming up in the morning than you would with a stock carburetor.

The Weber 40 IDF is an extremely popular carburetor used on many different engines. It became popular in the 1960s VW drag scene, and has been the go-to upgrade from a stock carburetor ever since. It’s a much more torquey option compared to running a single barrel or progressive carburetor. It’s a dual barrel downdraft carburetor that comes with 28mm venturis pre-installed.

The primary difference between the 40 IDF and the 44 IDF is the size of the venturi. The 40 series comes with 28mm venturis and the 44 comes with 36mm. The 44 series also comes with velocity stacks. The 40 series does not.

Other than those two differences and minor changes to the jetting, they are essentially the exact same casting.

The biggest disadvantage to using this carburetor on a street car is the lack of an electric choke. No Weber IDF or IDA series carbs come with a choke, so getting them warmed up takes a few minutes longer.

Like the Weber DFEV 32/36 we mentioned earlier, EMPI makes a reproduction of the original Weber IDF series under the EMPI HPMX brand name. The HPMX series performs on about the same level as the Weber IDF series, but costs a fair amount less.

With that drop in price also comes a drop in quality control as well. We’ve found that EMPI’s HPMX carburetors perform relatively well once disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt, but they tend to need more TLC than the Weber carburetors straight out of the box.

Like the Weber progressive discussed above, the IDF series uses a bearing at the end of the throttle shaft. The HPMX series uses bushings at the end of the shaft, so it tends to wear out much quicker.

The HPMX series differs from the Weber in that they come with different jetting out of the box, 40 HPMXs come with velocity stacks, and they use a larger needle valve.

The 38 EGAS is a big carburetor. With two synchronized 38mm venturis, this carburetor can really jam fuel into the engine. Like the other dual barrel carbs, it will perform better than a single barrel, but it is ultimately limited by the amount of pre-heat you can get from your exhaust heat risers.

We offer this carburetor with our Type 1 Bolt-On Performance Kit because we have found that it gives you a noticeable bump in power when paired with the correct exhaust and ignition system. This carburetor is a great option if you want to keep your stock distributor because it has a vacuum port for the vacuum advance.

The 38EGAS comes baseline jetted for a 1600cc engine, but can be used on anything up to a mildly-built 1904cc engine if fuel efficiency isn’t a concern. With that said, the venturis that come installed in the 38EGAS are massively over-sized for a stock engine, so it really would be a waste on anything smaller than a 1600cc.

Every VW guy at one point or another has nursed the dream of building a big high powered engine with dual carbs, so they can tear down the street embarrassing Hondas and Mustangs. And it’s totally possible with one of our kits! But it’s best you don’t get ahead of yourself and spend $1,500 on a set of Weber 48 IDAs that make driving your car a pain in the butt.

Don’t expect to throw two huge carburetors on your 1300cc engine and expect to double your power output. In this guide, we split the dual carb kits we offer into two categories: street-able dual carb kits and dual carb kits strictly for racing/performance applications.

We consider “street-able” dual carbs those that can be installed in street cars (daily driver, weekend, mild performance, etc.) and provide an enjoyable driving experience. We carry street-able dual carburetor kits that can be used on anywhere from 1300cc to 2110cc engines.

The biggest advantage to running dual carbs is better throttle response and an increase in power.

The biggest disadvantage to running dual carburetors is the need for special tools (carb synchronizers) and the amount of time it takes to get your carburetors synced up and dialed in. The carburetors can fall out of sync after a few months, requiring you to re-sync them and adjust the linkage as necessary.

Something to note is that many of the carburetors used in our dual carb kits can be center-mounted as well, but can take longer to warm up due to the lack of a choke. Not having a choke still adds a couple of minutes to warm up time on a dual carb set up, but it’s not as bad because the carbs are on short manifolds sitting right on top of the heads.

Dual 40s are the go to option if you have a mild-performance street build and want to upgrade to dual carbs. They’re relatively easy to tune (aside from the lack of access to adjusting screws once installed) and have much better throttle response than running a single 40 IDF.

You can run dual 40 IDFs on anything from a 1600cc to a 1904cc engine when jetted properly, but you won’t see much of an improvement in power output at the lower end of that range. We do not recommend running dual 44s unless the engine is larger than 1904cc and/or built for performance.

The information listed above for Dual Weber IDFs applies to the HPMX series as well. You do not need the 44s for any engine with a displacement of less than 1904cc unless you’re rocking big heads, a cam, etc. Like the IDFs, these are well-suited for pretty much any mild-performance build up to about 1904cc.

For more information about the differences between the IDF and HPMX series, see the Weber/HPMX comparison found in the “Single Center-Mount Performance Carburetor” section above.

The Weber 34 ICT is the ideal size carburetor if you want to throw dual carbs onto your 1300 to 1600cc engine to get a little bump in power and improve throttle response. The 34 ICT is a single barrel carburetor with a 29mm venturi and ported vacuum. It does not come with a choke, but the carburetor body is small, so they warm up pretty quick, particularly when used in Type 2s and 3s.

We’ve seen a decent increase in power when installed onto a 1600cc engine when used with a well-functioning SVDA distributor. We have found that 34 ICTs are a common replacement for the dual Solex 32 PDSITs used on pre-68 ‘S’ model Type 3s.

These carburetors are only for massive engines that are built specifically for racing. We see no point in installing dual IDAs/EPCs on any engine smaller than 2180cc engine that isn’t used exclusively for racing/performance applications.

The reason being, IDAs/EPCs are ON/OFF carburetors. They are not designed to operate well under low-throttle applications like pulling away from a stop light. They want to GO GO GO, so they’re not very drivable under the average conditions we experience on a daily basis.

Making dual 48 IDA and 48/51 EPC carburetors run well on the street requires modification to the carburetor. It is possible to make them run decently for non-race applications once you add a 3rd progression hole, but you most likely would be fine running dual 44 IDFs instead of going through all the trouble.

Dual Weber 48 IDAs are the industry standard for carburetors when it comes to performance in VW racing. If the car isn’t fuel injected, you can be certain that they’re running 48 IDAs. The track record speaks for itself. Pretty much every engine builder out there putting together motors 2276cc and larger uses these carburetors and they regularly win races with them.

48 IDAs come with 37mm venturis pre-installed, but can accept anywhere from a 32mm to 45mm venturi to suit your application. The biggest advantage to these carburetors is their capacity for power output and how tune-able they are. You can replace pretty much every single little piece to get exactly what you’re looking for.

The biggest disadvantage is that you can’t really use them on street cars without having to send them out to a shop to be modified. And of course, they’re massive carburetors with no chokes, so getting them warm can be difficult in cold weather.

When developing the 48/51 EPC series of carburetors, EMPI sought to improve on an almost perfect design, and they succeeded in some respects. According to their site, EPC 48s and EPC 51s come with a third progression hole out of the box and an 11% larger float bowl than Weber’s 48 IDA series.

Like the IDAs they’re modeled after, these carbs are only for BIG racing engines. The EPC 48s come with 37mm venturis and the 51s come with 48mm venturis. Even with the 3rd progression hole, we do not recommend using these on any street engines because of their lack of a choke.

NOTE: The carburetors linked in this sheet do not come with any of the components necessary to install them – such as the intake manifold. If you’re interested in replacing your carburetor with anything other than a stock one that fits the factory manifold, you will most likely need to purchase a complete kit. You can find kits for any of the carburetors listed on this page by visiting our website.

Likewise, most of the carburetor kits (and even some stock carbs) we offer come with commonly used jets to help dial in the carburetor.