The EFI myth
Couldn't have said it better, just didn't have the time to type all that.. Thanks for saving me the trouble... Of course no ones mind will be changed.. But you already knew that...
Thanks! Things are rarely black and white, so I usually wind up typing too much.
I'm OK with not changing minds - some folks know carbs better and are more than comfortable with them. Some folks grew up with EFI and know them better and are more comfortable with the electronics. That matters a bunch.
I go by the rule that whatever makes you drive it more is the right choice.
Some folks also enjoy the wrenching/tuning part a lot more - and want it to be a certain way, nothing wrong with that either.
Drag racers vs 4x4 vs road race, vs daily driver also all change the calculus.
As much as I love how my Fitech runs (now), I could see how it might not be the best for a bracket racer - but there are bracket racers who can make them work exactly how they want them to as well.
Lots of folks just can't justify the cost, or don't have the means to pay for an EFI system either - nothing wrong with that too.
If I had a consistent source of fuel that didn't evaporate at the hint of heat, I might even think differently too.
As far as power production, there's lots of nuance there too. Port fuel injection means less time for the fuel to atomize and cool the intake charge which can actually reduce power - engine masters actually did this test by moving where the fuel is injected from. But port efi allows intake manifold geometry and 'perfect' distribution - so is the power loss from the closer injection overcome by power gain from better distribution? Depends how bad the distribution was. At the same time, there are geometries which are 'impossible' for a carb that can way out-power any losses from moving the injector closer.
TBI is like an electronic carb - has lots of the same drawbacks, and some benefits, but should make equal power if all things are kept equal. Then again, computers allow us to do more with the timing curves and adjust for conditions that are less-than-perfect and so sometimes will be 'faster'. Those same abilities are also easy to screw up, and wind up slower too...
