Horsepower

[EMB1230]

Why do people make such a fuss/brag about horsepower so much? Is it not true that torque is what really matters when it comes to engine power?

 

[shane96ranger]

Why do people make such a fuss/brag about horsepower so much? Is it not true that torque is what really matters when it comes to engine power?

Torque gets you going gets you off the line, horsepower keeps you going. It is important to have a good balance of both in a race application (and correct gearing). Torque is more important if you are intending to pull something. That's why (at least around here) people always brag about how much torque the new Powerstroke, Duramax, and Cummins lineups have.

Basically, it really depends on the application as to which is more important. However, I agree...a lot more people just focus on horsepower. I also get a kick out of people who think that what the speedometer says (in mph) has some sort of bearing on how fast it is.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I also get a kick out of people who think that what the speedometer says (in mph) has some sort of bearing on how fast it is.

My truck struggles to maintain 55mph so I would say it is pretty slow in the grande scheme of things...

I agree, there is a balance for your application. A engine that is all torque and not much hp isn't the greatest race engine, like the opposite makes for a crappy tow rig.

 

[EMB1230]

Torque gets you going gets you off the line, horsepower keeps you going. It is important to have a good balance of both in a race application (and correct gearing). Torque is more important if you are intending to pull something. That's why (at least around here) people always brag about how much torque the new Powerstroke, Duramax, and Cummins lineups have.

Basically, it really depends on the application as to which is more important. However, I agree...a lot more people just focus on horsepower. I also get a kick out of people who think that what the speedometer says (in mph) has some sort of bearing on how fast it is.

Cool, thanks for the explanation, I do also know with larger displacement comes not so much HP but lots more TQ. as is the case with the early Vulcan & Essex 3.8L. Both had 140 horses but the 3.8 had 55 more ft lbs of Torque

 

[trail B2]

Horsepower pulls hills accelerates and carries loads.Torque is a mathematical formula devised on a dyno[horsepowerx5252 divided by the RPM]there is no device measuring the twist of the crank shaft to figure it.If two trucks are geared properly and the same weight the one with the most horsepower is always faster in all situations and all loads.

What torque really means to me is economy, comfort, drivability and longevity.I love my Duramax because the motor will do what I want without running it very hard and it's good on fuel.Another good example is the 2.9 and 4.0 if you look at the specs the horse power difference is small but the torque difference is big.There is no one ripping out 4.0s and putting in 2.9s the drivability is the thing thats different.A high torque motor does the work that's needed in RPM that's comfortable economical and slow enough that the motor will last a long time.

 

[gwaii]

Horsepower pulls hills accelerates and carries loads.Torque is a mathematical formula devised on a dyno[horsepowerx5252 divided by the RPM]there is no device measuring the twist of the crank shaft to figure it.

actually you got that a bit backwards.the dyno measures torque....then a formula is applied to consider the rpm,calculating horsepower.

torque is a force measurement,horsepower is how much work can be done in a given time using that force.

 

[scotts90ranger]

yep, as usuall gwaii is right...

everything depends on application. An engine like the 4.0 has a low torque peak, which puts the HP lower than other engines in the same class, this setup is more usable in a truck application for towing or wheeling, etc... A car engine on the other hand has a high torque peak to get high HP numbers and a high top speed, they are usually set up with a cam to peak near 6000rpm where a truck cam is set up to peak from 1500-3000.

drive your car/truck according to the engine in it, I drive my Justy way different than I drive my explorer, my truck drives closer to the justy because the peak is higher in the rpm range. I have to cruise in the Justy/truck at near 3000rpm, the 4.0 in my explorer likes the 2000rpm range.

 

[adsm08]

the dyno measures torque....then a formula is applied to consider the rpm,calculating horsepower.

torque is a force measurement,horsepower is how much work can be done in a given time using that force.

That's about how it was explained to me.

"Torque is what you can do. Horsepower is how fast you can do it."