The Waddell brothers ran one for years on their LSR Mazda (RX7 body w/SBC). They did well with it and won a HRM Top Speed Shootout or two with it. But when they came back a couple of years ago they were running a Holley. Not sure why they switched. I think they have a website so you could ask them. I don't know the site name but it might have something like "Underdog Racing" in the title. Worth a Google. I've always found them to be helpful and friendly.
About every 6-12 months, this exact same thread pops up on a number of different web forums.
How's come it's always answered by guys who've Heard, or maybe Seen, but literally ZERO guys who are running one, or have experience running one? These damn predator carbs must be the most mysterious things never to hit the mainstream!!!
The ONLY one I have seen in person was the guys at Maxton who ran one on that crazy SBC-swapped Mazda RX7. They said they ran it because "that's what we had lying around" and told me "it's not the best, it's not the worst, but it's working OK for us" and that was about it.
I'd really like to hear from guys running one currently!
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Worked on one when it was a "Kindiguretor" ( what the guys called them back then) made by Kindig. They work the same as a Variable venturi 1983 Ford VV carb. It has very high air speed very simple and the fuel did not just slosh out work very well for mud runners an stuff not to many tuing tools to use on them. WOT a Holley kicked its butt but not many people tuned them well so there was a Market I think you can still get them New
Last edited by JeffMcKC; October 25, 2011, 04:30 PM.
Reason: brain fart on the Ford word and new
2007 SBN/A Drag Week Winner & First only SBN/A Car in the 9's Till 2012 First to run in the .90s .80s and .70's in SBN/A 2012 SSBN/A Drag Week Winner First in the 9.60's/ 9.67 @ 139 1.42 60' 2013 SSBN/A Drag Week, Lets quit sand bagging, and let it rip!
About every 6-12 months, this exact same thread pops up on a number of different web forums.
How's come it's always answered by guys who've Heard, or maybe Seen, but literally ZERO guys who are running one, or have experience running one? These damn predator carbs must be the most mysterious things never to hit the mainstream!!!
The ONLY one I have seen in person was the guys at Maxton who ran one on that crazy SBC-swapped Mazda RX7. They said they ran it because "that's what we had lying around" and told me "it's not the best, it's not the worst, but it's working OK for us" and that was about it.
I'd really like to hear from guys running one currently!
if they are cheap at swaps and basicly a huge one barrel, would this be a good thing to grab to make a throttle body out of?
Ran one many years ago. Bought it new and fiddled with it for a couple years. It would have been good except sometimes it would start and run great. Next start it wouldn't start well and ran horrible. May have been the one I had. Never tried another. Pretty simple design and easy to make changes to.
I ran Predator carbs for years when I was off road racing. They were very simple to tune. They had 5 different cams you could install to change the fuel metering. They made an add-on bowl extension if you needed more capacity. It also added an additional fuel inlet. For the street, you were supposed to mount them sideways. When you did, it made the drivability a little easier.
I never put the engines on the dyno, but I did not feel any reduction in peak power over the Holley. They did make a huge difference in throttle response. They were so agressive on tip in, if you had a loose converter they were hard to drive. The real advantage for my use was they would not spit fuel out the vents in rough terrain. I used to carry spare needles and seats for Holleys in the glove box. I had to change them all the time.
Many of our mud race customers run them. IMO, they are better for this type of use than any other carb out there. Even with every off road component made for a Holley, they will still dump fuel when used hard on rough terrain. The Predator will not do that.
my uncle ran 2 of them on a tunnel ram on his jet boat that was a terror in the lake of the ozarks, til it was tied up at the end of a pier and a boat came screaming by causing a wake and sank his boat. That was the first time I saw those carbs in person, they looked like a cinder block on top of that manifold
I don't know if this sheds any light or not, but here's what I know:
It's basically an air valve carburetor. The concept has been around for years. Remember those old English cars with the domes on top of their carbs (MGBs etc)? Brand name was SU, and I think Zenith made some, too. Those were essentially the same technology that Kendig (later Predator) expanded to make one that would flow a ton of air and corresponding fuel.
Rather than me typing for an hour, I suggest you Google "air valve carburetor" for the theory of operation. Besides, my old memory is a bit fuzzy as I haven't made a living messing with English cars since 1972.
Stitch - Seems like it WOULD make a good throttle body. No clue how you would attach sensors but I'm pretty sure it could be done.
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