I just got my new Summit catalog and have noticed that every Holley carb is a Summit bucks item. I was just wandering if getting rid of the DEMON brand hurt Summits carb sales. I buy almost all my parts from Summit but since they stopped carrying DEMON and I found DEMON carbs on ebay at much better prices that is where I will be shopping for a carb.

 

I was very dissapointed in them dropping demon. Most ppl I know though don't run demons due to the cost. I've seen varied dyno tunes on them versus holley. I doubt it hurt summit too much. It depends on summits main core of buyers. If it is experienced tuners I would think so since they have to be tuned out of the box. If it is weekend warriors that don't get into jetting and engine/carb tear downs on a weekly basis I doubt it would hurt them. I'm still trying to figure out my demon jetting. I wish there was a easy formula based on cam profile and horse.

 

Obviously, not as much as keeping them did. I heard the failure/return rate was outrageous so they are gone.... Sounds like a smart move!

 

The thing is this is contrary to everything I have heard and read. On most forums the Demons seem to be far superior in quality. I have a lot of experience with Holleys and have always cussed them. When they are tuned right they runn good but getting them to hold a tune has always been a problem. I wander if the failure\return rate you mention is a true indicater or if it was the inexperience of the buyer that caused the problem.

Wade

 

I think most carb problems (even "holding a tune") can be attributed to the holder of the last wrench that touched it....

I finally got my 850 Holley back together last Oct. or Nov. and I haven't touched it since. I had a little Holley 1850 on a tired ol 350 a couple of decades ago. I pulled it out of the box, slapped it on the intake and didn't touch it again for years.

Brett

 

Why is everyone so quick to say that Summit "Dropped" Demon.
Perhaps it was the other way around...
If Summit runs their business similar to the catalogs in my industry, then they charge the vendors (like Demon) to be in their catalogs.
Since Summit is undoubtedly the largest Speed Parts catalog, I'm sure that they demand big bux to participate in the catalogs.
Perhaps Demon refused to pay the cash and walked away.

Just my 2 cents......

Stu

 

Ouch!!

 

I thought you farmed out your carb work Wade.....sorry bout that.

If you have yet to buy your carb, try one with annular boosters. You'll love it!

 

Nah if it is going to screw up I would rather it be me being the one to screw it up. I have gotten Holley's to work pretty well in the past I just like the look and the extra's that the DEMON offers. I have read posts by you and others about the annular boosters and plan on going that route as well.


Wade

 

Interesting thread. Living fairly close to Summit, I stop in often to make my purchases. And I, like you and many others, prefer Demon carbs. So when looking for my Demon, I asked the sellers at Summit why they dropped the products. Their explanation was that they had too many returns of Demon carbs, and there were various reasons for the returns. Some early ones had "quality control" issues, as the fuel line inlet threads were stripped or too tight and caused leaks. This was corrected later, but many carbs had to exchanged. Other reasons for dropping Demons were not because of faulty product, but beause of the marketing or labeling (carb CFM ratings). Barry Grant does not rate carb cfm like Holley or Edelbrock. People who had other brands (mainly street cruisers, a large customer base) who switched to Demons got a big surprise as the carbs were "too big" for their application and returned them to Summit. (A 650 Demon actually flows more CFM than a 750 Edelbrock). Barry Grant would not change the carb ratings to compare with the numbers people expect from another brand, but recommendations for carb use are stated in his catalog..........anyway, Summit decided to drop Barry Grant as a vendor when issues could not be resolved. This was their side of the story. I'm sure BG has their side to tell.
P.S. I bought my 825 Mighty Demon at Jeg's

 

I love BG and their customer service. I for one am sad to see Summit not selling BG.