Hp vs. Torque

[tkoforpresident]

Ok guys, i dont fully understand the concept of horsepower and torque. The 3.4 is basically a truck engine right? which is why it has a good amount of torque or something. but what does that mean exactly that the 3.4 is good for towing? What is torque specifically, and what is horsepower specifically? If you had a car with all hp and almost no torque what would that be like? What would it be like if you had almost all torque and no horsepower?

Thanx

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

Did you ever have R/C cars when you were a kid? The offroad ones with the HIGH/LOW switch? High is hp, low is tq.

Cruisin' at 10mph, and flooring it, suppose your tires slip. That's torque. With all hp, you would build smoothly into the acceleration, instead of snapping your neck when you floor it at a roll. I guess simply put, torque is muscle, horsepower is speed..

Diesels have a ton of torque, so they aren't bogged down as much by the extra weight, so they are good at towing

Or a drill. Some drills go very fast, but if you hold the chuck with your hand, you can push the button all the way down, and the drill won't move. HP. Other drills may go slow, but if you hold the chuck with your hand, it is impossible to keep the chuck from turning, because it has adequate torque

[mestupryan]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

what helped me best understand was torque= low end power, horsepower=high end power

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

k i sorta get it.

So the torque is the power to get the wheels turnin while the hp is kind of the acceleration speed?

[camaroman1181]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

k i sorta get it.

So the torque is the power to get the wheels turnin while the hp is kind of the acceleration speed?

kinda..

HP = [(Torque) * RPM]/5252

Because of the above formula, HP will always be less than torque under 5252 RPMs and greater than torque over 5252 RPMs. Depending on lots of physical factors, an engine will be set up to either rev lower and produce more torque, or rev higher to produce more HP. Deisel engines usually red line below 3k RPMs, thus they typically are rated at double the torque of their HP. Cars like the S2000, that rev to 9k.. they have a nice HP number for thier displacement, but dont accelerate all that well in the lower RPMs. They are optimized to perform in the higher revs, thus their torque production suffers in the area where pushrod engines thrive. Depending on the type of engine you are looking at, as well as the intended use of the engine, you will probably design and build it to optimize HP or Torque.

Read this link if you want to know the ins and outs of the two.. pretty decent info and goes into a lot more detail with definitions, formulas, and describing the differences in HP's...

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t389990.html

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

ah that clear things up a bit. Thats why i can kee up with a toyota celica in the early goings... cuz its got almost no torque at all.

[greasemonkey]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

^ Bingo. But they make more horsepower than you (at least the GTS) and will take you top end.

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

^ Bingo. But they make more horsepower than you (at least the GTS) and will take you top end.

exactly, ah that clears things up now.

So thats why the 3.4 make so much power down low.....

and why i can usually stay with anyone straight off the line.

thanx guys

[greasemonkey]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

Ya American cars (pushrod engines mainly) tend to have more low end power because we really don't (or shouldn't) be driving all that fast over here. So they design the cars to get their heavy asses off the line, but can't MPH for sh!t.

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

whats the other kind of engine besides pushrod?

[camaroman1181]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

exactly, ah that clears things up now.

So thats why the 3.4 make so much power down low.....

and why i can usually stay with anyone straight off the line.

thanx guys

ehh.. the 3.4 makes more power down low cause we have one of the worst intake designs ever. i wouldnt say our cars were designed for low end torque, as much as they were poorly designed to move air in the higher RPM's. unless you boost it, the thing just doesnt flow enough above 4500-5000 RPMs.. I've found shifting between 5000-5500 proves the quickest times with my car (manual trans)...

now, if you do the AL head and intake swap.... thats another story..

[Smoke Panther]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

horsepower is basically torque over distance.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/horsepower.htm

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Hp vs. Torque

good read, thanx smokey.