HP vs. Torque

[Archangel]

What I want to know is what exactly is the difference between hp and torque?
I know its a matter of preference and its a trade off, but which is preferable?
People always talk about hp, but i've heard that torque is what really matters when it comes to power.
Basically, anything you could tell me about this topic would be helpful.

Okay, I know this is a very broad question(s), so if you wanna just post a link or a site where i could find this info id appriciate it (cause ive searched, and can't find diddley-squatt on this topic). Thanks again.

[dave2u]

I`ll be curious to read this thread myself m8 cos i`ve never been really sure either.

[Freak Leash 240]

Archangel,

 I'll be more than glad to fill you in on that. If you want a simple answer, then it's "TORQUE!"... It's the one most important when it comes to power. Torque is the actual force which the engine puts to the ground to move the car. Horsepower, on the other hand, is actually a measure of torque x RPM's divided into 5252... so even horsepower is dependable on the torque.  Here's a link to an article that puts it very easily:

www.racingextreme.com/main/articles/1000/torque/index.shtml

It's not a matter of preference and neither is it a trade-off... Basically, a more torquey engine would have to work less to produce power, hence the ever popular 'SR vs. KA-T" if you look at dyno charts from both engines, rated at, lets say 220hp both, the KA will reach peak HP much sooner than the SR, thanks to a more agressive torque curve.  So, if you race a SR vs. a KA, both turbo and same HP ratings, the KA powered is always gonna be faster, this was actually proved by Rob Fees, with his KA-T that has over 100,000 miles on it!

YaY for the KA! thats muh babay! <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

[ca18guy]

Well no point in me trying to explain it, so i'll leave these link's if your interested, pretty much the same as Freak said....

http://www.revsearch.com/dynamometer/torque_vs_horsepower.html

http://www.sgran.com/mustangs/hp.html

[Gold240se]

TORQUE!!!

[Chokudori]

uhh, TORQUE AT HIGH RPM!!!

(Edited by Chokudori at 11:33 am on Oct. 18, 2001)

[vancouvers14]

did you guys read nov 01 superstreet, where they refer to the ka as &quot;crappy&quot; because it was torque-happy, and didnt have an hp curve like a honda?

[Jeff240sx]

Well. &nbsp;SS mag is a honda and 300zx loving mag. &nbsp;And by honda, they praise the vtec of the motor. &nbsp;Vtec allows the 2nd cam lobe to take over at high rpms, so that the horsepower isn't lost at the end of the rpm band. &nbsp;Sure, the KA can get to the max hp faster by sheer torque, but at high end, our car's lose it. &nbsp;And honda vtec doesn't. &nbsp;
So in a stupid magazine that has little love for Nissan, 180 hp and 130 ft-lbs of torque are great (type-R). &nbsp;But in a real world, I'd take the torqueor our KA.
-Jeff

[ca18guy]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Quote: from Jeff240sx on 11:54 am on Oct. 18, 2001
Well. SS mag is a honda and 300zx loving mag. And by honda, they praise the vtec of the motor. Vtec allows the 2nd cam lobe to take over at high rpms, so that the horsepower isn't lost at the end of the rpm band. Sure, the KA can get to the max hp faster by sheer torque, but at high end, our car's lose it. And honda vtec doesn't.
So in a stupid magazine that has little love for Nissan, 180 hp and 130 ft-lbs of torque are great (type-R). But in a real world, I'd take the torqueor our KA.
-Jeff</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

I can't remember one 300zx being in Super Street... how do u figure they love the 300zx?

haha, interesting enough, super street's editor drives a sr20 s14 (he's name is ricky chu of V-Spec performance).

[vancouvers14]

since when is ricky chu the editor? &nbsp;i thought it was jonathon wong? &nbsp;whoever is in charge, doesnt matter. &nbsp;that magazine reads like its been written by a preschooler. &nbsp;and the mods they recommend are so off.
they actually printed that the denso plugs give 50hp on certain engines.

[my240likenoother]

corect me if i wrong but tourqe is good for the low end and the hp is for the top end right??

[LanceS13]

that's pretty much the idea
this is the page that didn't link that ca18guy posted <a href="http://www.sgran.com/mustangs/hp.html" target='_blank'>http://www.sgran.com/mustangs/hp.html</a>
It gives a pretty good idea of how torque and hp are related.

[MingMing]

yea i'm pretty sure torque helps how fast u accelerate and i thinq the hp helps ur top speed...

[EVOtekS14bDIFter]

In LAYMEN'S terms:

Torque: &nbsp;What GETS your car going.
HP: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; What KEEPS your car going.

[DuffMan]

Ok, here's the real deal. Torque numbers are completely meaningless for any type of racing.

Why? Because torque is modified by gear ratios. Torque at high RPM's is more valuable than torque at low RPM, because it allows you to stay in a lower gear. When you think of the torque of a car, you are looking at its peak torque at the flywheel. This number is worthless because it is at the flywheel.

What's more is that cars with high HP to torque ratios usually have high redlines, which allows them to be geared at higher ratios. This basically just increases the torque of the wheel on the ground.

For an example compare a Civic SI with a 240sx (ugh, I know but stick with me). The civic weighs a bit less but it only has a measly 111ft-lbs of torque. Yet it would generally beat the 240 in a strait line. It's high redline allows gearing that actually causes it to produce &nbsp;more torque to the ground than a 240sx.

Since HP is basically torque times RPM, cars with torque at high RPMs get good horsepower. It isn't a perfect measure of performance, but it is a lot better than just plain torque.