Comparing the specs of most popular performance fuel pump upgrades from AEM, Bosch (044). Walbro (255 GSS342), Deatschwerks (DW300, DW200), Aeromotive & Denso by fuel flow and current draw to see which is best. 

Short Version – The Winners

Stock wiring & drop-in – Walbro GSS342/GSS341/GSS340 – ***Power potential: 662bhp @ 35 PSI

Comments – The superior technology of the Walbro is highlighted in this test. Amazing fuel flow while at the same time drawing low amps. Unless you are going for crazy power it’s hard to justify going to the hassle of rewiring your car when the Walbro 255lph pump does such an good job.

New wiring^ & new plumbing – Bosch 044 – ***Power potential: 812bhp @ 35PSI

New wiring^, drop-in – Aeromotive Stealth 340lph – ***Power potential: 742bhp @ 35PSI

eBay

Compare prices and buy performance fuel pumps on eBay

Walbro 255 – GSS342 Click Here, GSS341 Click Here, GSS340 Click Here

Bosch 044 – Click Here

Aeromotive Stealth – Click Here

***See table (bottom) and Superstreet article for horsepower calculations & raw test data

Why is Current (amp draw) Important?

Flow is obvious. The more fuel a pump can flow the more power we can make.

But current draw. This is the big factor.

Many of the big names say their fuel pump flow tons of fuel. Unfortunately what they don’t tell you, is that you may have to completely redo your fuel pump wiring if you want to use it. And this is obviously a big problem if you just want a drop in upgrade.

^Why would a fuel pump circuit rewire be required?

You or your tuner have to make your own judgement for your car.

My opinion is this.

If I have a car with a 15 amp fuse for the fuel pump circuit, I would not be comfortable using a fuel pump that requires more than 12 amps to deliver the fuel flow I need on a regular basis. I would prefer more headroom, say 4 amps, and this is especially true on older cars whose wiring has probably seen better days and perhaps has a higher resistance than it had when it left the factory. I would prefer to play it safe and give the cabling an easy life as possible.

The last thing I want is for wiring to get hot and possibly melt/start a fire, again, this is especially true on older cars. Higher resistance in wiring means the cables could get hot if they are working close to their limit for extended periods of time. This is my opinion, you have to make your own judgement for your specific situation and requirements.

Fuel Pump Efficiency – The real tech

Bringing flow and current together we get to the real quality performance fuel pumps. Any company can put a big electric motor on a fuel pump that draws a ton of current and flows loads. The intelligence and tech know-how comes from building a fuel pump that can work with standard wiring and flow the fuel a ton of fuel.

The Data

*Data collected by Turbo & High Tech Performance magazine and their amazing performance fuel pump test

Raw test data is included in the table at the bottom of this article

Part 1 of the original test is here http://www.superstreetonline.com/how-to/engine/1404-fuel-pump-shootout/

Part 2 is here http://www.superstreetonline.com/how-to/engine/1405-fuel-pump-shootout-part-2/

Performance Fuel Pump Comparison Test – Winners

Stock Plumbing & Wiring

Factory Wiring Drop In Replacement – Walbro GSS340/GSS341/GSS342

Wiring Upgrade & New Plumbing

Turbo with wiring upgrade and extra plumbing – Bosch 044

Wiring Upgrade, Stock Plumbing

Turbo with wiring upgrade, drop in replacement – CNT Racing/Aeromotive Stealth 340lph

Normally Aspirated Engine, with wiring upgrade – CNT Racing/Aeromotive Stealth 340lph

Notes:

RC Engineering noted in the test that on paper the non name and fake fuel pumps gave good figures, however they noticed that the fuel flow through the pumps was not stable even at constant voltage and this could lead to fuelling problems especially if the pumps were being run close to their limits. Their advice was to stick to the genuine branded fuel pumps which all gave steady fuel flow.

Fuel Pump Testing Method

In fuel pump tests Turbo & High Tech Performance Magazine measured current draw & fuel flow in 5 PSI steps from 45 PSI up to 100PSI.

Key Takeaways

With regards to efficiency and power handling, there is a clear winner and that is the Walbro GSS342/341/340 fuel pump.

This fuel pump gives a huge increase in fuel flow over the standard fuel pump on most cars while drawing around the same amount of current. You can use the car’s original wiring and the pump is a drop in replacement for the car’s original fuel pump. It does not get easier than that.

If you are happy to rewire your fuel pump with thicker cabling and you are happy to add some extra plumbing to your fuel system so you can fit an inline fuel pump, the Bosch 044 fuel pump came out top for turbo vehicles

For normally aspirated engines the Aeromotive and the CNT Racing fuel pumps came out on top, and both these pumps are designed to be drop in replacements (but check if this is true for your vehicle if you are not sure)

Other Performance Fuel Pump Tests

There are a few performance fuel pump tests on the internet which give the fuel pump specs, but in my experience they do not measure the current draw and this is crucial, especially if you are wanting to use your car’s factory fuel pump wiring.

Direct Injection

These performance fuel pumps are designed for fuel systems which designed to deliver fuel at 45PSI, if you have a fuel system which injects fuel directly into the combustion chamber, these fuel pumps are not for you.

Performance Fuel Pump Specs – Test Data

The right hand column BHP/AMP gives an indication of how efficient the pump is, the higher the number the better.

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