From: doug.bryce{at}sympatico.ca (Doug Bryce)

On Mon, 08 May 2006 10:36:46 +1200, black.hole.4.spam{at}gmail.com (Don Hills) wrote:

>In article ,
>doug.bryce{at}sympatico.ca (Doug Bryce) wrote:
>>
>>O.K. Now I'm puzzled. .   If hp/ton determines how fast you get to
>>speed, where does torque come into play?  A lot, if not all, of the
>>reviews I read/see on TV mention both (absolute) HP *and* torque
>>figures.
>
>Torque is the twisting force (translated by the drivetrain into force
>against the road) generated by each combustion cycle. Horsepower is how
>often this occurs. Very roughly, horsepower = torque times RPM (translated
>to distance traveled per minute). The reason torque is quoted is because it
>gives you an idea of the performance of the engine in real-world use,
>especially around town. Given two eninges which produce the same peak
>horsepower at high RPM but where one has much more low-rpm torque, the
>high-torque engine will be much more responsive and easy to drive around
>town. This is the difference between a small, high-revving engine such as a
>Honda S2000 sports car engine and an old small-block V8 - similar maximum
>hp, but big difference in low-end torque. Given a similiar weight vehicle,
>it's obvious which one will be easier to drive in real-world start/stop
>conditions.

Thanks Don.  I had always assumed that torque was more of a 'player' in how
fast you get to speed.

Doug

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