Riddle me this
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 491
Likes: 0
From: Houston, Texas
Riddle me this
If horsepower is so important then why do we shift gears when our engine is making peak horsepower?
Because, it's all about the torque baby, you shift when your torque curve takes a major dive, and that happens around your horsepower peak.
Horsepower is all in your head, it's not real, it can't even be measured directly.
If horsepower is the President of the United States then torque is the Grunts in the trenches, and we all know who does the real work.
:seeya
Because, it's all about the torque baby, you shift when your torque curve takes a major dive, and that happens around your horsepower peak.
Horsepower is all in your head, it's not real, it can't even be measured directly.
If horsepower is the President of the United States then torque is the Grunts in the trenches, and we all know who does the real work.
:seeya
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,516
Likes: 0
From: Lockport NY
Re: Riddle me this (Red94Vette)
... and that happens around your horsepower peak...
But I have an L98 dyno sheet here showing peak torque at 2800rpm (315) and peak HP at 4100rpm (210)...
That's a pretty good spread...But the curve is already pretty steep at that point...
Personally, I have more respect for the 1989 350 TBI Chevy/Caddy that put out 400 #/ft torque than I do for a ZR1...
[Modified by Rich B., 9:11 AM 6/5/2002]
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 491
Likes: 0
From: Houston, Texas
Re: Riddle me this (Rich B.)
Torque is easy to build but hard to hang on to in the upper Revs. It's easy just use a long intake runner, a small duration cam but a high lift that closes the valves early and traps the high cylinder pressure when the intake runner pulse is at it's strongest, use big cubic inches and high compression, and small diameter long tube exhaust to hlep scavange at lower rpms.
I built the engine described above. It put down 520 ft lbs to the rear wheels at 2800-3000 RPM, it ran 12.0's in the 1/4 mile at 113-114 MPH, it only made 300 HP at the rear tires.
I took the same shortblock and heads, put a single plane intake, 1 3/4" headers, and a .590 lift cam and now it runs low 11.0's.
A heap of torque in a narrow RPM band is nothing compared to a modest amount of torque all the way across your RPM range.
[Modified by Red94Vette, 9:23 AM 6/5/2002]
I built the engine described above. It put down 520 ft lbs to the rear wheels at 2800-3000 RPM, it ran 12.0's in the 1/4 mile at 113-114 MPH, it only made 300 HP at the rear tires.
I took the same shortblock and heads, put a single plane intake, 1 3/4" headers, and a .590 lift cam and now it runs low 11.0's.
A heap of torque in a narrow RPM band is nothing compared to a modest amount of torque all the way across your RPM range.
[Modified by Red94Vette, 9:23 AM 6/5/2002]
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
From: Greenville TX
Re: Riddle me this (Red94Vette)
If horsepower is so important then why do we shift gears when our engine is making peak horsepower?
Because, it's all about the torque baby, you shift when your torque curve takes a major dive, and that happens around your horsepower peak.
Horsepower is all in your head, it's not real, it can't even be measured directly.
If horsepower is the President of the United States then torque is the Grunts in the trenches, and we all know who does the real work.
:seeya
Because, it's all about the torque baby, you shift when your torque curve takes a major dive, and that happens around your horsepower peak.
Horsepower is all in your head, it's not real, it can't even be measured directly.
If horsepower is the President of the United States then torque is the Grunts in the trenches, and we all know who does the real work.
:seeya
Yes, you do shift when torque falls off. The question is whether your torque falls off at 4k or 6k, and where it starts. The torque from my LT4 kicks me in the butt about 2k RPM and goes strong all the way to the rev limiter.
