[Evan Smith]

On just about all accounts EFI is, and should be, better than carburetion. Factory EFI offers better cold-start, better driveability, far better fuel control for emissions and better fuel economy. Does it offer better power, we don't know because the factory doesn't do back-to-back testing of EFI vs.carburetion. In testing I have done personally, I've seen little difference in peak power production if you have the right carb and manifold. In many cases the carb out-performs EFI. The problem with a Stocker is that you don't have an optimized induction, however, most factory EFI inductions (throttle body and intake) aren't designed for max power either. If any of you carb guys think that we can do magic and turn up the power "with a key stroke" you are completely ignorant and/or grossly misinformed. I recommend you do some serious reading, spend time dynoing these engines or better yet, build a EFI racecar yourself. The great power from modern EFI engines comes from the overall design which offers reduced internal friction, better head design, roller cams and rockers and better materials. It's not just a matter of having fuel injection.

The fact is, who cares what's on top of the engine because we run off HP-to-weight factors, so it's the HP factor that really matters. Like someone stated in an earlier post, anyone can have a tunable MSD with O2 capabilities and fine-tune their carbureted engine. How many of you EFI complainers have this, or data-logging, so you can take advantage of legal technology to build max power? How many have been to a chassis dyno? Very few I bet, because it's easier to complain rather than to work hard.

Here is another reality: Most of our engines only operate in a small rpm window as the car goes down track. So we're only tuning for maximum power in a very short rpm (say 2,500 rpm) window and therefore it comes down to the design of the engine and the tuning ability of the individual to extract maximum power. It doesn't matter if you have a carb or EFI, because the smart builder/tuners will always have the faster cars. This is because they understand air/fuel ratios and how to tune them properly. I spoke with Barry Grant last week at PRI (who by the way, doesn't sell EFI), and he stated that the ONLY way to tune properly (any engine) is by knowing the air/fuel ratio, period. With EFI there is no control of the air entering the engine, just like a carb, what EFI offers is more precise control of fueling--if you know what you are doing. On some EFI engines the intake is plastic and will resist heat soak better than cast iron or aluminum, but this is little consequence for the short duration of a drag race.

Lastly, any of you can sell your old car build a car with the current technology. Segregating cars is not the answer because we will just end up with a class for everyone who shows up at the track. It will be like 5-year old Tee-Ball where there are no winners or losers and everyone gets a trophy. This is racing. It isn't easy (nor should it be) and technology will always advance. With that, there are plenty of EFI cars that can be built on a budget. Just look at Lee Valentine, who built a 5.0 Mustang and ran a second under or more for less than $7,000.

Evan