View Poll Results: What’s going on here?
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Throttle body pricing?
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 274
Likes: 68
From: Okemos, MI
Throttle body pricing? What’s up with the pricing on throttle bodies?
Taking for example 92mm DBC units with TPS and IAC sensors, there seem to be two tiers — about $100-200, or $400-500:
CX Racing: $90
Speed Engineering: $100
Jegs: $166
FiTech: $192
ISR Performance: $200
Holley Sniper: $229 (a slight outlier)
Nick Williams: $399
Motion Raceworks ICON: $449
FAST Big Mouth: $529
I have found no apparent or claimed distinction between them. Am I missing something, or are the more expensive ones just gouging? Why would/should I pay more than $400?
As an aside, Holley’s 102mm costs an extra $10 — which is fine. But then there’s a 105mm with “low RPM taper” (not explained anywhere on the product page) for another five hundred dollars. WTF?!
To be clear, I have money. I’m not just a poor guy bitching about parts he can’t afford. At the same time, I’m not an idiot — I spend money when it makes sense. I am just stumped about what could possibly make the more expensive tier worth a hill of beans. Can anyone explain?
Taking for example 92mm DBC units with TPS and IAC sensors, there seem to be two tiers — about $100-200, or $400-500:
CX Racing: $90
Speed Engineering: $100
Jegs: $166
FiTech: $192
ISR Performance: $200
Holley Sniper: $229 (a slight outlier)
Nick Williams: $399
Motion Raceworks ICON: $449
FAST Big Mouth: $529
I have found no apparent or claimed distinction between them. Am I missing something, or are the more expensive ones just gouging? Why would/should I pay more than $400?
As an aside, Holley’s 102mm costs an extra $10 — which is fine. But then there’s a 105mm with “low RPM taper” (not explained anywhere on the product page) for another five hundred dollars. WTF?!
To be clear, I have money. I’m not just a poor guy bitching about parts he can’t afford. At the same time, I’m not an idiot — I spend money when it makes sense. I am just stumped about what could possibly make the more expensive tier worth a hill of beans. Can anyone explain?
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 274
Likes: 68
From: Okemos, MI
65 views and zero replies or votes. Cool! 😕
FWIW, I bought the Speed Engineering one for my LS3 swap. If it ends up giving me trouble that is resolved by upgrading to something more expensive, I'll come back here and say so.
If it works perfectly, I might not remember to come back, but if you're wondering, feel free to reply here -- that'll remind me to follow up..
FWIW, I bought the Speed Engineering one for my LS3 swap. If it ends up giving me trouble that is resolved by upgrading to something more expensive, I'll come back here and say so.
If it works perfectly, I might not remember to come back, but if you're wondering, feel free to reply here -- that'll remind me to follow up..
We wont even tune a cheap throttle body anymore. Seen WAY to many issues with them and its not worth fighting one all day and it still not work. If your tuning your on vehicle and want to fight it thats different but dont expect a shop to tune it. Its also relevant to how modified you are, 100% stock engine with a junk throttle body might not have issues or you may not notice them as much. The quality control of them is all over the place.
2 examples here...Put 2 Holley TB’s on my nephews build a few years ago. Would not tune for nothing. I talked him into going to a Nick Williams…the tuner had it running perfect in minutes. Not kidding.
One of my subs that works for me has a turbo single cab Silverado. It was a N/A truck for a year before going turbo. He put heads, cam, intake, headers on it and a Holley TB. Same deal as my nephews build, couldn’t get the idle right and anything around the idle table was a mess. I convinced him to spend the coin on a NW TB. His tuner said the same thing. So he got the NW and it’s night and day. He thanked me every day for weeks. Both of these vehicles are drive by cable, Gen3 engines, fwiw.
One of my subs that works for me has a turbo single cab Silverado. It was a N/A truck for a year before going turbo. He put heads, cam, intake, headers on it and a Holley TB. Same deal as my nephews build, couldn’t get the idle right and anything around the idle table was a mess. I convinced him to spend the coin on a NW TB. His tuner said the same thing. So he got the NW and it’s night and day. He thanked me every day for weeks. Both of these vehicles are drive by cable, Gen3 engines, fwiw.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 274
Likes: 68
From: Okemos, MI
Thanks for the feedback, all. We'll see how tuning goes; maybe I'll get lucky. But if it's a PITA, hopefully I'll remember this! It sounds like the Holley in particular is definitely junk.
If anyone has specific experience with the Speed Engineering 92mm, I'd love to hear about it.
What's the underlying problem? Consistency of the the built-in IAC and TPS?
If anyone has specific experience with the Speed Engineering 92mm, I'd love to hear about it.
What's the underlying problem? Consistency of the the built-in IAC and TPS?
Without a doubt some price gouging is going on somewhere, even if it's just raw material costs. That being said, the new Holley billet is better than a Sniper or Chinesium TB.
Last edited by wannafbody; Jul 27, 2023 at 09:31 PM.
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Teching In
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 3
People obviously don't know what price gouging means. These higher priced throttle bodies may or my not be better, but they are definitely not engaging in "price gouging". That being said, Matt Happel had good luck with a Warr throttle body on the 8's for 8k build, but plainly stated he could have made just as much HP with a stock one.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,291
Likes: 3,616
From: Central Cal.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 274
Likes: 68
From: Okemos, MI
Okay, please define “price gouging” as you understand it. To me, it means artificially inflating prices just for profit’s sake, while delivering a product that is not sufficiently differentiated from cheaper alternatives to justify the higher price.
From what I have read here so far, it sounds like it’s probably not gouging.
Also, the “it’s not gouging” option has all but one of the votes. Which means nearly everyone agrees with you that it’s not gouging, so I don’t understand why you think people don’t understand?
From what I have read here so far, it sounds like it’s probably not gouging.
Also, the “it’s not gouging” option has all but one of the votes. Which means nearly everyone agrees with you that it’s not gouging, so I don’t understand why you think people don’t understand?
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 3
Okay, please define “price gouging” as you understand it. To me, it means artificially inflating prices just for profit’s sake, while delivering a product that is not sufficiently differentiated from cheaper alternatives to justify the higher price.
From what I have read here so far, it sounds like it’s probably not gouging.
Also, the “it’s not gouging” option has all but one of the votes. Which means nearly everyone agrees with you that it’s not gouging, so I don’t understand why you think people don’t understand?
From what I have read here so far, it sounds like it’s probably not gouging.
Also, the “it’s not gouging” option has all but one of the votes. Which means nearly everyone agrees with you that it’s not gouging, so I don’t understand why you think people don’t understand?
Price gouging is the practice of increasing the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. Usually, this event occurs after a demand or supply shock. This commonly applies to price increases of basic necessities after natural disasters.. Basic necessities being the key term here. Aftermarket throttle bodies, etc. don't fall within that category. BTW, not trying to be a jerk , I only mentioned it because I see people throw that term around way too often.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 274
Likes: 68
From: Okemos, MI
Anyway, the basic necessities part was an example. Price gouging can happen with any kind of product or service. That said, it’s less problematic when applied to luxuries rather than necessities.
To be a bit pedantic: cars are generally considered a necessity in most US cities, and most cars don’t work so well without a throttle body. (And before you say it, yes, I recognize that nobody needs a car with so much horsepower that it needs a 92+mm throttle body — I’m just having some fun here.)
What’s up with the pricing on throttle bodies?
Taking for example 92mm DBC units with TPS and IAC sensors, there seem to be two tiers — about $100-200, or $400-500:
CX Racing: $90
Speed Engineering: $100
Jegs: $166
FiTech: $192
ISR Performance: $200
Holley Sniper: $229 (a slight outlier)
Nick Williams: $399
Motion Raceworks ICON: $449
FAST Big Mouth: $529
I have found no apparent or claimed distinction between them. Am I missing something, or are the more expensive ones just gouging? Why would/should I pay more than $400?
As an aside, Holley’s 102mm costs an extra $10 — which is fine. But then there’s a 105mm with “low RPM taper” (not explained anywhere on the product page) for another five hundred dollars. WTF?!
To be clear, I have money. I’m not just a poor guy bitching about parts he can’t afford. At the same time, I’m not an idiot — I spend money when it makes sense. I am just stumped about what could possibly make the more expensive tier worth a hill of beans. Can anyone explain?
Taking for example 92mm DBC units with TPS and IAC sensors, there seem to be two tiers — about $100-200, or $400-500:
CX Racing: $90
Speed Engineering: $100
Jegs: $166
FiTech: $192
ISR Performance: $200
Holley Sniper: $229 (a slight outlier)
Nick Williams: $399
Motion Raceworks ICON: $449
FAST Big Mouth: $529
I have found no apparent or claimed distinction between them. Am I missing something, or are the more expensive ones just gouging? Why would/should I pay more than $400?
As an aside, Holley’s 102mm costs an extra $10 — which is fine. But then there’s a 105mm with “low RPM taper” (not explained anywhere on the product page) for another five hundred dollars. WTF?!
To be clear, I have money. I’m not just a poor guy bitching about parts he can’t afford. At the same time, I’m not an idiot — I spend money when it makes sense. I am just stumped about what could possibly make the more expensive tier worth a hill of beans. Can anyone explain?
Everything about the Icon TB was 1000x better than the cheap TB I didn't have to screw around with it I just bolted it on and the engine fired right up. Buy a good TB once and be done with it