I was talking with Tom Miller at TMM today and I was asking him about which carb to buy. He strongly suggested the Lectron is the best bang for the buck but be warned that maintenance is high and it won't idle very good.

He also added that he had a stock carb mod for $95 that would work as good as a FCR 39. Has anyone tried this carb mod with TMM? If this mod does 50-75% of what a FCR will do, it would be worth doing.

One other thing he mentioned that caught my ear is that 4-6 hp. gains with a Lectron, FCR or any other carb is bogus. He says that a different carb will efficiently utilize what hp. is already there but will not increase hp.

I am seriously planning on some kind of carb mod for my 440. I would hate spending $500 on a FCR and notice nothing. Any constructive input on this issue would be appreciated.

 

I have a Lectron on order and it will be here Monday. I will let you know how it goes. My builder said I would love it worry free we'll see. A few guys on here have them and like them a lot. You have to grind the thumb lever a little to open up all the way. Move the air box forward and make a bracket to support the end of it, mount it at 2 o' clock. I refuse to have a twist throttle so FCR is out.

 

He says that a different carb will efficiently utilize what hp. is already there but will not increase hp

This is incorrect.

A larger carb is capable of flowing more air/fuel mix to the engine (if it is capable of using it). Thereby allowing it do develop more HP...

I think what he was trying to convey is that simply adding a big carb without the supporting mods to work with it won't gain you much & can actually hurt performance.

The moral is to match your parts. Don't run a huge carb with a completely stock engine.

Don't run a wicked tricked out engine with a stock carb.

You get the picture.

I have a mildly "tricked" engine, when I added my FCR, power was increased across the board from the stock carb, not sure by how much, but it is certainly noticable.

Bolting an FCR 39 onto a stock engine certainly will not get you 4-6 HP. But can easily gain that for you if the stock carb is restricting your setup.

 

You do not have to use a twist throttle with the FCR...

Actually the FCR is the cleanest carb swap there is for the 400EX.. No mods, no grinding, no moving the airbox, no compromises, no wedging it where it won't fit. Mounting a carb @ 2:00 is asking for trouble.

With the FCR, simply get a cable for the thumb throttle. That's what I did.