Originally Posted by
Owen61
The MAX has these large, forward CFM motors. These cause pitch-up under thrust and so necessitated the introduction of MCAS to fix it.
Not a 737 expert so will leave the rest of your question for someone else to answer, but I do know enough to correct the misunderstanding above. MCAS has nothing to do with thrust-pitch coupling: it was introduced to address aerodynamic effects of the MAX’s LEAP engine pods, which are larger and mounted further forward than the CFMs. At high angle of attack, the airflow impinging on the under-surface of the pods induces a pitch-up moment which must be counteracted to meet certification requirements relating to stick force gradient. No doubt the CFMs are worse than the P&W in that regard: just not bad enough to need counteraction in the way the LEAPs do.