[ItBites]

EFI can produce more max power than a carb. Period. The reason is in the physics. All other things being equal, cylinder filling is a function of manifold pressure. As we all know with higher manifold pressure, more power is produced (assuming correct mixture - remember this)... Thus blowers and turbos, but let's stick to normally aspirated engines for the time being to keep life simple.

For a normally aspirated engine, tha max pressure available is atmospheric pressure; lets call that 14.7 psia for now. If you could get 14.7 psia in the manifold (after the carb or EFI throttle blades) with the intake valve open, that would result in the max power out of the engine (again -assuming a proper fuel mixture).

Since a carb requires a vacuum (lower than atm presuure) in the manifold in order to provide significant velocity at the carb venturi(s) in order to properly mix the fuel, the manifold pressure at WOT cannot be or approach atmospheric pressure. As the manifold pressure rises, the velocity through the carb is reduced and the fidelity of the "signal" to mix the fuel becomes unstable and ineffective. This is simply the nature of carburetion. It requires higher velocities which must be obtained by providing restriction (venturis) and resultingly lower manifold pressures in order to produce those velocities.

EFI on the other hand can allow the manifold pressure to approach (it will not equilize to atm pressure or no flow would occur at all) atm pressure without the associated reduction in fidelity of the "signal" to add fuel since the "signal" comes from a computer. The computer can be programmed to recognize the right mixture, even as manifold pressure just approaches atm pressure. Effectively think of the intake valve opening to a giant box at 14.7 psi with the fuel pre-mixed at the right ratio for max power. With this simple analogy, it is clear that the sheer fact that the carb MUST create a restriction in order to increase the flow velocity to get the venturi signal means it CANNOT produce that same power possible from EFI.

Now, does this usually happen in practice? No, but the answer to the question of which system is CAPABLE of producing more max HP is EFI. System design and tuning play an important factor in the result (DUH). But with the best possible design for each system, EFI can produce more power.

BTW, frankly, unless you can explain the physics behind why you've seen EFI make less power than carbs, do not shoot back your anecdotes. Unless you've figured out how to break the laws of physics...