I was hoping someone could shoot me a quick explanation on what "stage" stands for and the differences between these stages...sorry for the noob question but I can't find my answer on the net.

 

Do you mean "stage" as in a Roush stage 1,2,3 or something else?

 

Stage for what?! Typically, the higher the # the more aggressive the "*whatever." *[read: cams, cars, clutches, etc]. You need to be more specific.

 

Stage 1 is generally for daily driver use.Stage 2 is for street and track.Stage 3 is for mostly track use.The difference is in the RPM ranges of the usefull power curves.For instance,A stage 1 motor with cams,head work,and exhaust will idle well and have good street manners.A stage 2 with comparable mods will still idle but will be somewhat lumpy and will be a little harder to drive well.It will have to rev a little higher to take off on a hill but the power will hold out a little further up the tach.Fuel economy won't change much between stage 1 and 2.Stage 3 can be a downright bit@h to drive.The idle will be rough and the wife will refuse to drive the car at all.The new powerband will run from around 2500 to 7000 rpm.These are all generalalities and every engine builder will have different characteristics but just to give some idea.