Re: smokey yunick


Posted by T.O.O. on May 17, 1998 at 19:18:30:

There's some history between myself and Smokey, and we continue to argue about several topics.
One is Smokey's insistance that L/R ratios be 2 - 1 or greater. Another is piston pin offset, and the proper direction (or does it really do anything besides make pistons cost more). The homogeniser that Smokie built almost twenty years ago was using a combination of waste heat to not only pressurize the intake, but the heat also was used to "vaporize" the gas. Now you have to remember that when Smokey started working on this project domestic cars were using carburetors, and the few fuel injection units were all throttle body injected, and, therefore, subject to "wet out" as the mixture traveled the often complex route to the intake valves. Compared to the type of atomization that was available in those days, heating the mixture did cause it to become a vapor, and somewhat more homogeneous....at a price. The actual power output was down considerably, and regardless of what Smokey says, positive manifold pressure is "boost" in my book. Now with this "non boost", the performance end was better than stock, but the mileage claims were proven to be no better than any hand built and well tuned engine. The emission numbers were not there either. Smokey never invested in the equipment to allow one to analyze the chemicals that comprise the exhaust, and once the engines were tested carefully, the output was pretty nasty.
I don't want anyone to think that I dislike Smokey, I was offered a proposition in the mid '80's to allow the domestic after market and publishers to "make" me the "new" Smokey, and I declined. This is just one issue that has occured between the aftermarket and myself that has caused me to retreat. You must understand that almost everything you read is politically motivated and is often part of a long range plan to dominate certain markets.
Smokey is smarter than anyone I've ever met in Detroit, in fact, GM engineers still call Smokey to this day to get his "read" on projects, and he's deservedly well compensated for his consulting. Smokey is self tought, and his practical experience is enough in itself to place him in a catagory all his own. He is indeed a legend.
As many people my age were fortunate enough to be "Smokey Followers" early on, once we understood the basics, we were able to start our careers and progress from there. Some of the lucky ones were able to work on racing programs and fuel economy / emission programs simultaneously, and combined with practical experience, the results have been efficiency beyond belief.
I'll end this here: Reading about anything that Smokey has shared is worth while, but, as I've said before, don't stop asking questions, because there's not a person alive who has it "figured out".
.........................................T.O.O. .......................................