Pro Stock What If - Carb/EFI

[Mike Laws]

You can't put the genie back in the bottle, but what if NHRA had allowed carbs and EFI to go head to head w/no restrictions to either? Did they miss a nice opportunity here?

IMHO; spectator interest would have been high (hood scoop vs no scoop would have been fun). It would have brought out the best of both camps in the technical side of our industry and made for some good racing.

[GerryP]

I don't feel it would make one bit of difference. It would come down to who had the better tune up for that moment and spectators don't really have a sense for that kine of "inside baseball".

Pro Stock is so sterile from where it began that it's hardly worth watching. The only variety is in the body and paint colors. Just my opinion, but Pro Mod seems to be the main interest in door slammer classes.

[SupStk]

The only difference I would suspect is the aerodynamic advantage of not having the big scoop.

[hoffman900]

Open rules on EFI? EFI wins every time, at equal levels of prep.

[1972ho]

Which ever one would made for best et/mph and winning that’s what every would be running,just like the Chevy deal.

[ClassAct]

As much as WJ bitched about the scoop, I've never seen it. PS today is slower now than with carbs. NHRA wanted a NASCAR style class and that's what they have. It blows.

MMPS is so much better it's not even close.

Put the carbs and scoops back on and let's see. I'm betting the carbs would win, or NHRA would not have had a mandate for it.

[FC-Pilot]

If “If’s and but’s were candies and nuts, we would all have a merry Christmas”.

It would have been fun to see, but we have learned that in situations like that there will always be parody issues. Like back in the old small block vs big block days. Then you have all the whining! Nothing worse than watching grown men and women act like spoiled children. (Don’t get me started on the crap in pro stock bike). I like variety and competition, but am afraid it just would not have worked.

Paul

[hoffman900]

As much as WJ bitched about the scoop, I've never seen it. PS today is slower now than with carbs. NHRA wanted a NASCAR style class and that's what they have. It blows.

MMPS is so much better it's not even close.

Put the carbs and scoops back on and let's see. I'm betting the carbs would win, or NHRA would not have had a mandate for it.

NHRA mandated the carburetors or everyone would have been injected 30 years ago. Same goes with NASCAR.

They’re slower because NHRA spec’ed the entire system to be slower. NASCAR did the same.

If Pro Stock was a displacement / cylinder limit only, they would all be injected, 4 valves per cylinder, OHCs with pneumatic “springs”

[GARY C]

You can't put the genie back in the bottle, but what if NHRA had allowed carbs and EFI to go head to head w/no restrictions to either? Did they miss a nice opportunity here?

IMHO; spectator interest would have been high (hood scoop vs no scoop would have been fun). It would have brought out the best of both camps in the technical side of our industry and made for some good racing.

That was always my thought, when they only allow one thing and one brand they alienate fans of carbs and fans of other brands, I would watch just to see if the carb cars could out run the EFI and I have friends that are die hard EFI guys that would watch to see the carb loose. This would be the same for all parts pieces makes and models.

I am not a fan of any specific driver so the death of product competition and open innovation over the years has killed my interest for any of the major motor sports,the good part of it is I no longer have to pay for cable/satellite tv to get race channels.

[hoffman900]

You need to follow WEC/ALMS/LeMans for any innovation and that’s where the factories are really trying some cool stuff.

MotoGP and F1 are still pretty loose as well and the factories are doing cool stuff there.

For top level, most open rules, naturally aspirated, then MotoGP is your ticket. They’re 4.75hp/ci + , tractable circuit engines, and they only get seven person season before being penalized. That’s like a 2300hp+ pro stocker, that can last a 1000 miles between rebuilds, and put that power through a contact patch the size of a 50 cent piece.

Most of the US based pro motorsports series are heavily spec’ed.

[ClassAct]

As much as WJ bitched about the scoop, I've never seen it. PS today is slower now than with carbs. NHRA wanted a NASCAR style class and that's what they have. It blows.

MMPS is so much better it's not even close.

Put the carbs and scoops back on and let's see. I'm betting the carbs would win, or NHRA would not have had a mandate for it.

NHRA mandated the carburetors or everyone would have been injected 30 years ago. Same goes with NASCAR.

They’re slower because NHRA spec’ed the entire system to be slower. NASCAR did the same.

If Pro Stock was a displacement / cylinder limit only, they would all be injected, 4 valves per cylinder, OHCs with pneumatic “springs”

They should have gained SOMETHING with the loss of the scoop.

I'm not sold on EFI for drag engines. I should say N/A drag engines.

[hoffman900]

As much as WJ bitched about the scoop, I've never seen it. PS today is slower now than with carbs. NHRA wanted a NASCAR style class and that's what they have. It blows.

MMPS is so much better it's not even close.

Put the carbs and scoops back on and let's see. I'm betting the carbs would win, or NHRA would not have had a mandate for it.

NHRA mandated the carburetors or everyone would have been injected 30 years ago. Same goes with NASCAR.

They’re slower because NHRA spec’ed the entire system to be slower. NASCAR did the same.

If Pro Stock was a displacement / cylinder limit only, they would all be injected, 4 valves per cylinder, OHCs with pneumatic “springs”

They should have gained SOMETHING with the loss of the scoop.

I'm not sold on EFI for drag engines. I should say N/A drag engines.

They severely hampered the EFI system and put a rpm limit in place at the same time. That’s exactly why they didn’t gain anything.

[Zmechanic]

NHRA mandated the carburetors or everyone would have been injected 30 years ago. Same goes with NASCAR.

They’re slower because NHRA spec’ed the entire system to be slower. NASCAR did the same.

If Pro Stock was a displacement / cylinder limit only, they would all be injected, 4 valves per cylinder, OHCs with pneumatic “springs”

They should have gained SOMETHING with the loss of the scoop.

I'm not sold on EFI for drag engines. I should say N/A drag engines.

They severely hampered the EFI system and put a rpm limit in place at the same time. That’s exactly why they didn’t gain anything.

Yup they give them all the same ECU with limited ability to change. Similar to a restrictor plate. Allowing free reign on the ECU would have opened up a whole new dimension of development. But oh well.

If I've learned anything, it's that we all have our pet ideas of what went "wrong". But they are just that, ideas. Reality is it's much more complex and multi-faceted than any one person probably has a grasp of.

[ClassAct]

NHRA mandated the carburetors or everyone would have been injected 30 years ago. Same goes with NASCAR.

They’re slower because NHRA spec’ed the entire system to be slower. NASCAR did the same.

If Pro Stock was a displacement / cylinder limit only, they would all be injected, 4 valves per cylinder, OHCs with pneumatic “springs”

They should have gained SOMETHING with the loss of the scoop.

I'm not sold on EFI for drag engines. I should say N/A drag engines.

They severely hampered the EFI system and put a rpm limit in place at the same time. That’s exactly why they didn’t gain anything.

IIRC the RPM limit was in before the EFI. It killed the dodge. So take that out of the equation. Add in the hood scoop and you gain nothing, so why do it? The cars look like baked ass, and it seems like they have peaked as far as performance. They haven't gained any MPH in the EFI era.

Like I've said before, let them run what they want. But NHRA is a government. That's why it does what it does. It doesn't know any better.

[paulzig]

I would have liked to have seen twin 4500 EFi throttle bodies with up to 16 injectors allowed instead of the front mounted deal they have now.. Keep the hood scoop, RPM limit the same as it was...

Even if they mandated EFi who would pick the front mount single blade vs 2x 4500 TB's?