From: black.hole.4.spam{at}gmail.com (Don Hills)

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.

--
Don Hills    (dmhills at attglobaldotnet)     Wellington, New Zealand
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