Horsepower vs. Torque
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,971
Likes: 7
From: Longwood Florida
HMMMM
Do you wanna a DYNO QUEEN ?
love the HP numbers.
or
A strip TERROR ?
big (usable) power... 60ft... 60ft.... 60ft.
You guys see the vette out run the F18 in the 1/4 mile ??
The fighter plane has WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY more HORSE Power.
but the vette left it from a DEAD stop.
Do you wanna a DYNO QUEEN ?
love the HP numbers.
or
A strip TERROR ?
big (usable) power... 60ft... 60ft.... 60ft.
You guys see the vette out run the F18 in the 1/4 mile ??
The fighter plane has WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY more HORSE Power.
but the vette left it from a DEAD stop.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,209
Likes: 87
From: Putnam county NY
2025 c3 ('68-'73) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
you really need to look at area under the curve. A diesel engine making alot of peak torque and fading out at low rpm will pull like mad then fizzle out.
If you can keep that torque value fairly high, and flat to a high rpm, that's who win.
So the guy who can maintain 300 lb-ft from idle to 6000 rpm (exaggerated for example of course) will beat the guy who makes a torque peak of 400 lb-ft at 1500 rpm and dies out at 3500 rpm.
Of course the Hp numbers most likely will not match what you are hypothetically looking at but that is just a result as the others have said.
If you can keep that torque value fairly high, and flat to a high rpm, that's who win.
So the guy who can maintain 300 lb-ft from idle to 6000 rpm (exaggerated for example of course) will beat the guy who makes a torque peak of 400 lb-ft at 1500 rpm and dies out at 3500 rpm.
Of course the Hp numbers most likely will not match what you are hypothetically looking at but that is just a result as the others have said.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,412
Likes: 792
From: Redondo Beach, California
Horsepower is the unit of work which is what you're really interested in. Work is expended to accelerate the car. To do more work you need more horsepower.
Consider buying a turbo prop jet engine. Are you going to tell a vendor that you want to buy a 25000 rpm engine? Are you going to ask for a 430 foot pound turbo prop engine? No. You are going to ask (for these numbers) for a 2000 hp engine. In the turbo prop application you really don't care exactly what the compressor shaft rpm is, or what the torque is. You want horsepower. It's horsepower that's going to power your aircraft through the air.
Consider buying a turbo prop jet engine. Are you going to tell a vendor that you want to buy a 25000 rpm engine? Are you going to ask for a 430 foot pound turbo prop engine? No. You are going to ask (for these numbers) for a 2000 hp engine. In the turbo prop application you really don't care exactly what the compressor shaft rpm is, or what the torque is. You want horsepower. It's horsepower that's going to power your aircraft through the air.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,010
Likes: 3
From: Moon Twp. PA USA
Originally Posted by pauvil
no always true glen242, what if your using a 9000 rpm cam shaft??
If I am wrong, show me a dyno sheet than says otherwise!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 5,877
Likes: 1
From: Park Ridge IL
Originally Posted by glen242
Every dyno sheet i've seen, engine or chassis, shows the HP (power) line crossing the torque line at 5252 rpm. I don't think cam or other internal parts will change the crossing point to other than 5252 rpm. Something about physics, I believe.
If I am wrong, show me a dyno sheet than says otherwise!
If I am wrong, show me a dyno sheet than says otherwise!
HP = (TQ * RPM)/5252
TQ = (HP*5252)/RPM
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 958
Likes: 0
From: shawnee ks
You need both period. The more power thru the usable rpm wins. Either a big flat torque curve or a high rpm hp car with correct gearing to multiply the tq and keep it in its powerband.It is better to make as much tq as possible thru your rpm range. With rpm you will see big hp with that engine too. In most serious race engines they will be very close in both. A turbo,supercharger or nos will add as much tq as hp thru most of the rpm. Only the last 1500 to 2000 rpm will hp increase as tq falls down.If you gear your car in line you can get the most out of both. Build for tq and hp will follow,Im not talking about truck engines with no cyl heads.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,441
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by 68/70Vette
Horsepower is the unit of work which is what you're really interested in. Work is expended to accelerate the car. To do more work you need more horsepower.
Consider buying a turbo prop jet engine. Are you going to tell a vendor that you want to buy a 25000 rpm engine? Are you going to ask for a 430 foot pound turbo prop engine? No. You are going to ask (for these numbers) for a 2000 hp engine. In the turbo prop application you really don't care exactly what the compressor shaft rpm is, or what the torque is. You want horsepower. It's horsepower that's going to power your aircraft through the air.
Consider buying a turbo prop jet engine. Are you going to tell a vendor that you want to buy a 25000 rpm engine? Are you going to ask for a 430 foot pound turbo prop engine? No. You are going to ask (for these numbers) for a 2000 hp engine. In the turbo prop application you really don't care exactly what the compressor shaft rpm is, or what the torque is. You want horsepower. It's horsepower that's going to power your aircraft through the air.
Last edited by shafrs3; Dec 20, 2005 at 08:01 PM.
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