View Poll Results: What do you preffer?
More Torque
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144
76.19%
More Horsepower
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45
23.81%
Voters: 189. You may not vote on this poll
Torque or Horsepower
#17
Originally Posted by Turbojunkie
So, what is better.
1. high torque curve from like 3k peak (like most evos) with a sharp drop in the curve let say for fun 300 ft lbs at 3k and dropping to 225 ft lbs by 6800 rpm
or
2. mild torque curve lets say 275 ft lbs at 3k with it dropping only to 245 ft lbs by 6800 rpm.
Assume most of your racing is 1/4 mile. Which is better?
1. high torque curve from like 3k peak (like most evos) with a sharp drop in the curve let say for fun 300 ft lbs at 3k and dropping to 225 ft lbs by 6800 rpm
or
2. mild torque curve lets say 275 ft lbs at 3k with it dropping only to 245 ft lbs by 6800 rpm.
Assume most of your racing is 1/4 mile. Which is better?
So to determine if 1 or 2 is better you'd need to find the best shift points, find the RPM ranges for each gear, calculate the area for each gear, and add the areas together. The highest total wins.
#20
Originally Posted by DaWorstPlaya
Given 2 identical EVOs (including gear ratios) that rev to 8000rpm. I'll take the one with higher HP and/or area under the graph. Torque and HP are related, you can't have one without the other. Remeber Torque breaks parts ....
#21
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Originally Posted by wEstSidE
WRC cars have restrictors. In reality they're making more than 300hp, they just claim that. They run like 3 bars of boost on those motors.
#24
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Originally Posted by EVOTEXAS
Understand that engines do not make horsepower at all. They make torque. Torque is a twisting force and engines clearly twist when they create power. Horsepower is simply torque measured over time.
A simple example would be putting a football team against a rack and having them push that rack. You can measure the amount of torque created by that team based on the weight of the object and a few other factors. Torque gets you to a speed and HP holds you there.
Twisty force
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#25
" Torque is the only thing that a driver feels, and horsepower is just sort of an esoteric measurement in that context."
"...nobody on the planet ever actually measures horsepower from a running engine. What we actually measure (on a dynomometer) is torque, expressed in foot pounds (in the U.S.), and then we *calculate* actual horsepower by converting the twisting force of torque into the work units of horsepower..."
Both of these are excerpts from the following Primer on Torque and Horsepower from where else but the Vette Net.
"...nobody on the planet ever actually measures horsepower from a running engine. What we actually measure (on a dynomometer) is torque, expressed in foot pounds (in the U.S.), and then we *calculate* actual horsepower by converting the twisting force of torque into the work units of horsepower..."
Both of these are excerpts from the following Primer on Torque and Horsepower from where else but the Vette Net.
Last edited by jfh; Mar 30, 2005 at 04:22 PM.
#26
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Originally Posted by SuperHatch
If a car makes 600lb-ft ... Also assuming that traction is not an issue
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#27
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Originally Posted by PDXEvo
Torque isnt a measurement of twisting force. Its a measurment of how much power it takes to move an imaginary object.
A simple example would be putting a football team against a rack and having them push that rack. You can measure the amount of torque created by that team based on the weight of the object and a few other factors. Torque gets you to a speed and HP holds you there.
Twisty force![lol](https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/images/smilies/lol.gif)
A simple example would be putting a football team against a rack and having them push that rack. You can measure the amount of torque created by that team based on the weight of the object and a few other factors. Torque gets you to a speed and HP holds you there.
Twisty force
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Torque is a force that tends to rotate or turn things. You generate torque any time you apply a force using a wrench. Tightening the lug nuts on your wheels is a good example. When you use a wrench, you apply a force to the handle. This force creates a torque on the lug nut, which tends to turn the lug nut. Torque is usually measured in English units such as pound-feet (lb-ft), although the international standard is the Newton-meter (1 lb-ft is equal to 1.356 Nm). Notice that the torque units contain a distance and a force. To calculate the torque, you just multiply the force by the distance from the center. In the case of the lug nuts, if the wrench is a foot long, and you put 200 pounds of force on it, you are generating 200 pound-feet of torque. If you use a 2-foot wrench, you only need to put 100 pounds of force on it to generate the same torque.
In a car, the engine converts the horsepower it generates into torque by turning the crank shaft. The combustion of gas in the cylinder creates pressure against the piston. That pressure creates a force on the piston, which pushes it down. The force is transmitted from the piston to the connecting rod, and from the connecting rod into the crankshaft. The point where the connecting rod attaches to the crank shaft is some distance from the center of the shaft. The horizontal distance changes as the crankshaft spins, so the torque also changes, since torque equals force multiplied by distance. Only the horizonal distance is used in determining the torque in an engine. When the piston is at the top of its stroke, the connecting rod points straight down at the center of the crankshaft. No torque is generated in this position, because only the force that acts on the lever in a direction perpendicular to the lever generates a torque.
#28
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I've heard two saying that I think sum it up pretty well.
"Torque is what gets you off the line, horsepower is what takes you down the track"
"Torque is how hard you hit the wall, horsepower is how far you take the wall with you"
"Torque is what gets you off the line, horsepower is what takes you down the track"
"Torque is how hard you hit the wall, horsepower is how far you take the wall with you"
#29
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Torque is applied force or effort, that is to say it is a static measurment. When that force is applied to the crank AND the crank turns the engine IS making HP or doing work if you prefer that term. Think of turning a head bolt with a torque wrench. At first the applied force turns the bolt and work is done, unless you twist it off the bolt eventually stops turning stops even though you may still be appling force (pressure) to the wrench. Torque must always = HP at 5252 RPM. After 5252 prm no engine has more torque than HP.
If you can find a simpler explaination buy it.
I will take HP. My logging tractors have torque and lots of it but I doubt they would win many road or drag races.
If you can find a simpler explaination buy it.
I will take HP. My logging tractors have torque and lots of it but I doubt they would win many road or drag races.
#30
I don't think that everyone quite gets it. en1gma's quotes are pretty good at summing it up. A good example would be a larger bike, with lots of torque, vs. a sportbike with comparitively mediocre torque and high horsepower. The larger bike will get off the line faster, but after a second or two, the sportbike will quickly catch up.