more torque or horseower
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
whats better????????
Torque at higher RPM brings more HP and the engine pulls longer but has less grunt on launch, assuming the same gears of course.
So indeed the answer depends on where you take your pleasure...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,413
Likes: 9
From: The Old Dominion
You can change torque with mechanical advantage. You can not change horsepower that way. In other words: More torque on a high-end screamer is merely a rear ratio change away. More horsepower on an L98 with a 3,500 rpm operating window, there's no comparable way to increase it. You want more horsepower, you need to change things on the engine. This has been discussed many many times, though. And it depends on what you want. For acceleration, look at what race cars focus on.
Your question is pretty specific, though. You mention TPI and the LT1 intake. So which is better, the LT1 or the L98? When talking stock acceleration (not opti woes, etc), the answer is pretty cut and dry.
Your question is pretty specific, though. You mention TPI and the LT1 intake. So which is better, the LT1 or the L98? When talking stock acceleration (not opti woes, etc), the answer is pretty cut and dry.
Last edited by Aurora40; Apr 17, 2008 at 11:11 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,469
Likes: 275
From: Naples FL
I prefer torque over horsepower any day. Torque gets you out of the corner and on to the next corner. That's one reason the old L98 engines are so strong at autocross events.
A motor with lots of torque is also a lot easier to drive. If you ever get a chance try driving a high horsepower motor with a 10,000 rpm redline. It'll drive you crazy.
"You advertise horsepower - You drive torque."
Richard Newton
101 Projects for Your Corvette 1984-1996
Wheel and Tire Performance Handbook
A motor with lots of torque is also a lot easier to drive. If you ever get a chance try driving a high horsepower motor with a 10,000 rpm redline. It'll drive you crazy.
"You advertise horsepower - You drive torque."
Richard Newton
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Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,146
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From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
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Asking which is better is pointless, its a subjective question. I could think of combos that will make the same ETs and yet feel different to the driver.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
All changing intakes does is move your power curve around, youll need to gear/converter/cam the car accordingly. For a "driver", or street car GM got it right with the gearing/low end torque theme of how the TPI cars were put together. With smog/MPG requirements and EFI being somewhat new thats about the best they could do back in the day.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
You can have torque without horse power, but you can't have horse power without torque. Which is more important? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Now that we've done your physics homework get back to your remedial English.
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,382
Likes: 2
From: Kathleen FL
You could have a lot of torque (pulling power) and little horsepower, but then you're gonna have an engine with a very short diesel-like powerband that runs out past 3000 rpms.
On the flip side, you could have an engine with little torque and lot of horsepower with a redline of 9000 rpms, but then your engine will feel retarded at lower rpms, i.e. Honda VTEC motors. I would prefer to have both hp and torque.
On the flip side, you could have an engine with little torque and lot of horsepower with a redline of 9000 rpms, but then your engine will feel retarded at lower rpms, i.e. Honda VTEC motors. I would prefer to have both hp and torque.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,240
Likes: 0
From: Cleveland OHIO
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,230
Likes: 27
From: Athens Ohio
I have an 86 that I installed a LT4 exhaust system on about a year ago. It made a heck of an improvement in performance. This winter I installed l.6 roller rockers and a miniram manifold. I am quite happy with the improvement. I still have enough torque to smoke the tires and it comes alive at 3000 RPMs. I do run out of cam at 5500 RPMs.
It is a beginning. Heads and cam will come this next winter.
It is a beginning. Heads and cam will come this next winter.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 649
Likes: 3
From: Georgia
"101 Projects" referenced it many times.
I prefer torque over horsepower any day. Torque gets you out of the corner and on to the next corner. That's one reason the old L98 engines are so strong at autocross events.
A motor with lots of torque is also a lot easier to drive. If you ever get a chance try driving a high horsepower motor with a 10,000 rpm redline. It'll drive you crazy.
"You advertise horsepower - You drive torque."
Richard Newton
101 Projects for Your Corvette 1984-1996
Wheel and Tire Performance Handbook
A motor with lots of torque is also a lot easier to drive. If you ever get a chance try driving a high horsepower motor with a 10,000 rpm redline. It'll drive you crazy.
"You advertise horsepower - You drive torque."
Richard Newton
101 Projects for Your Corvette 1984-1996
Wheel and Tire Performance Handbook
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,641
Likes: 13
From: Slidell Louisiana
The I'd rather have torque than horsepower is from the cats that don't have horsepower.
If you have a highreving v-8 gears for the M6 cats or stall and gears for the A4 cats will more than make up for the low end, and having your engine still pulling past 6500 is a lot more fun than short shifting some tractor engine.
I went for both
MIke
If you have a highreving v-8 gears for the M6 cats or stall and gears for the A4 cats will more than make up for the low end, and having your engine still pulling past 6500 is a lot more fun than short shifting some tractor engine.
I went for both
MIke
