88-95 chevy c/k pickups had the 350 TBI and the 96-98 chevy c/k pickups had the Vortec 350, but which engine is better the Vortec 350 or the TBI 350. which one is more dependable and reliable, which one has more "BALLS"(goes faster and burns rubber better), and which one would do better offroad?? I want a 88-98 era chevy c/k(nothing older), im thinkin of buying a 1989 chevy k1500 with a 350 TBI, would this truck have alot of power to have some fun or would a truck with a Vortec 350 be better? I thought i heard that the Vortec 350 was a bit better than the TBI 350, if this was the case is it possible to make a 350 TBI have more horsepower(how would you make it get more horsepower)??? Any help would be appriciated.
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GM 350 TBI vs. 350 Vortec? Which is better?
- Thread starter David
- Start date
Johnny Rotten
New member
The vortec is better in many ways...First you have true fuel injection...With the TBI you don,t....TBI mainly comes in only a two barrel(two injecters)the vortec does not have this limit..Wit the TBI you have a little lag on the throttle...Or when you press the gas it takes a little while for the tbi to catch up...Not the case for the vortec...On the other hand it is cheaper to swap the tbi on a regular 350 than changing almost the whole motor for vortec...The TBI is a poor mans fuel injection...I did the swap on my 76 350 engine for less than 700.00...I,m a rock crawler so i really don,t need alot of horsepower.The TBI is alot better than a carb,so I deal with it...Yes it does have less power due to the 2 injector setup...
1 Finger Willy
New member
go to the bone yard and count the TBI's on all the Gm products, that should give you a clue why they gave up on that bad idea,
turbocharged83
New member
They are both virtually identical blocks, the only real difference is the heads, the Vortec heads are excellent and used by many aftermarket enthusiasts as an "upgrade" to the very poor flowing TBI heads. Vortec will have a lot more horsepower and torque. If you want to upgrade a TBI motor, bolt on the Vortec heads.
Reliability should be about the same between either if they are maintained properly.
Reliability should be about the same between either if they are maintained properly.