Torque Vs. Horsepower
20-Mar-2006, 07:29 AM
#1
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Torque Vs. Horsepower
Which is better or more important?
well, from what i am reading is that they are very much similar and that our hp numbers are derived from the torque numbers which are pulled off the dyno. I was reading a few different test scenarios with two corvettes both with 340ft/lb of torque but one had 250 hp and the other had 300hp... the one with 300hp at the end of the 1/4 mile finished more than 1.5 seconds ahead of the other one even though they had the same torque curve and same tranny and same pretty eveyrthing much.
basically, the way it was explained is that both cars pull exactly the same, but the one with more hp pulls longer or something like that, does that make sense? Thanks..
btw... i am trying to weigh out the benefits of going with a gsr over a b16 as it has roughly 20ft/lb more torque than the sir does... noticeable in 0-100km/hr times? its going into a hatch!!!
well, from what i am reading is that they are very much similar and that our hp numbers are derived from the torque numbers which are pulled off the dyno. I was reading a few different test scenarios with two corvettes both with 340ft/lb of torque but one had 250 hp and the other had 300hp... the one with 300hp at the end of the 1/4 mile finished more than 1.5 seconds ahead of the other one even though they had the same torque curve and same tranny and same pretty eveyrthing much.
basically, the way it was explained is that both cars pull exactly the same, but the one with more hp pulls longer or something like that, does that make sense? Thanks..
btw... i am trying to weigh out the benefits of going with a gsr over a b16 as it has roughly 20ft/lb more torque than the sir does... noticeable in 0-100km/hr times? its going into a hatch!!!
20-Mar-2006, 11:33 AM
#4
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i think this topic was covered on H-T
and some guy said
"torque launches you from the starting line, hp gets you to the finish line."
that is why the corvette with higher hp beats the other corvette with lower hp even though both have same torque... they both start off same, but the one with higher hp gets to the line faster =)
one of the member also states, this is why although lots of american cars have big engines with tons of torque, but still ain't getting nice 1/4 mile time is because they lack in HP sometimes.... on the other hand, a car with lesser torque (well not too incredibly less) but with a lot higher hp will have a chance to achieve similar 1/4 mile time...
there are lots of factors involved as well... but in your question of hp vs torque, that was the defintion/examples i found on H-T
in addition to your sir vs gsr question:
in terms of just hp and torque, gsr will win... higher hp and higher torque, so ideally speaking, gsr would have better time. but then when it comes into tranny gear ratio... the sir has an edge because in a 1/4 mile, its all about acclerating... so the gsr has a disadvantage on the tranny....
and some guy said
"torque launches you from the starting line, hp gets you to the finish line."
that is why the corvette with higher hp beats the other corvette with lower hp even though both have same torque... they both start off same, but the one with higher hp gets to the line faster =)
one of the member also states, this is why although lots of american cars have big engines with tons of torque, but still ain't getting nice 1/4 mile time is because they lack in HP sometimes.... on the other hand, a car with lesser torque (well not too incredibly less) but with a lot higher hp will have a chance to achieve similar 1/4 mile time...
there are lots of factors involved as well... but in your question of hp vs torque, that was the defintion/examples i found on H-T
in addition to your sir vs gsr question:
in terms of just hp and torque, gsr will win... higher hp and higher torque, so ideally speaking, gsr would have better time. but then when it comes into tranny gear ratio... the sir has an edge because in a 1/4 mile, its all about acclerating... so the gsr has a disadvantage on the tranny....
20-Mar-2006, 11:33 AM
#5
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IIRC, torque is the amount of power it takes to rotate the crankshaft from a dead stop; horsepower is the amount of power that keeps the crankshaft rotating at the steady speed, and increase it.
That's why, for drag race, you need torque to get the car accelrate from a dead stop. For road race, you need horsepower to keep the engine working at a steady revolution and use it to increase the crankshaft rotating speed in order to increase the speed of the vehicle.
That's why, for drag race, you need torque to get the car accelrate from a dead stop. For road race, you need horsepower to keep the engine working at a steady revolution and use it to increase the crankshaft rotating speed in order to increase the speed of the vehicle.
20-Mar-2006, 11:37 AM
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Originally posted by Nova_Dust
IIRC, torque is the amount of power it takes to rotate the crankshaft from a dead stop; horsepower is the amount of power that keeps the crankshaft rotating at the steady speed, and increase it.
That's why, for drag race, you need torque to get the car accelrate from a dead stop. For road race, you need horsepower to keep the engine working at a steady revolution and use it to increase the crankshaft rotating speed in order to increase the speed of the vehicle.
IIRC, torque is the amount of power it takes to rotate the crankshaft from a dead stop; horsepower is the amount of power that keeps the crankshaft rotating at the steady speed, and increase it.
That's why, for drag race, you need torque to get the car accelrate from a dead stop. For road race, you need horsepower to keep the engine working at a steady revolution and use it to increase the crankshaft rotating speed in order to increase the speed of the vehicle.
your definition actually supports the quote i got from H-T
"torque launches you from the starting line, hp gets you to the finish line"
so torque pushes you from dead stop, then its hp's job to bring you to finish to keep the power increasing! haha
20-Mar-2006, 06:55 PM
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alright, fair enough.. i guess that seems to clarify it... i mean there is so much out there but is just techinical jargon and all that math... well, these examples really help a lot guys. thanks.
20-Mar-2006, 09:52 PM
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Too much torque for a FWD is no good as someone mentioned... nothing but spinning tires....
Torque is good for pulling, HP can do the rest!
if you have driven a VR6 thats a perfect car to feel what a good combo is like....
ive driven V8's and i can say the torque is crazy but dies up top!
thats my personal opinion... anyone can disagree with this.... thats why V8's dont rev past 6500 RPM ( some cars )
Torque is good for pulling, HP can do the rest!
if you have driven a VR6 thats a perfect car to feel what a good combo is like....
ive driven V8's and i can say the torque is crazy but dies up top!
thats my personal opinion... anyone can disagree with this.... thats why V8's dont rev past 6500 RPM ( some cars )
20-Mar-2006, 09:57 PM
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you guys talk about torque and horsepower like they are two opposite things..
horsepower is a function of torque and rpm... the power an engine produces is a product of its moment and how fast that moment is delivered
it is a lot easier to see in electrical motors as they are simpler in construction and there are less intenal losses. The formula comes very close to hp= rpm x torque
horsepower is a function of torque and rpm... the power an engine produces is a product of its moment and how fast that moment is delivered
it is a lot easier to see in electrical motors as they are simpler in construction and there are less intenal losses. The formula comes very close to hp= rpm x torque
21-Mar-2006, 09:03 AM
#14
Everything matters when you are talking about power in your vehicle...HP, torque, weight, transmisson. All of these affect how your car delivers power to the ground.
Technically your tires, wheels, suspension and even the cars body design can have an affect on performance.
So its not just about the numbers.
Technically your tires, wheels, suspension and even the cars body design can have an affect on performance.
So its not just about the numbers.
21-Mar-2006, 11:37 AM
#15
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Originally posted by hdave
"horsepower sells cars, torque wins races"
- i forgot who said that
"horsepower sells cars, torque wins races"
- i forgot who said that
the benefits of the gsr over the b16 is the gsr is a more powerful motor period.
21-Mar-2006, 01:28 PM
#19
What you also need to remember is you are dealing with maximum torque and horsepower numbers. I really don't like to focus on the max numbers, rather I like to see the curves (or lack of curve when dealing with torque) on how and when power is delivered.
My max torque is at vtec engagement (5250 RPM), not so beneficial for start from dead stop, lucky first is a very short gear.
My max torque is at vtec engagement (5250 RPM), not so beneficial for start from dead stop, lucky first is a very short gear.
