Torque vs HP

[Laban]

This has probably been brought up here a couple of times, but i saw this post by BBY and i thought that i would try and clear things up, not that i'm a master of this by any means, but here it goes:

Torque=Acceleration
HP=Top Speed

Torque is what gets you moving, Horsepower is what keeps you there...BBY

HP is the rate of producing torque:

http://www.mustangsandmore.com/ubb/DanJ ... eVsHP.html

Quotes:

Since, for an engine, horsepower is the rate of producing torque, we can
convert between these two quantities given the engine rate (RPM):

HP = (TQ*2.0*PI*RPM)/33000.0
TQ = (33000.0*HP)/(2.0*PI*RPM)

where:

TQ = torque in ft-lbs
HP = power in horsepower
RPM = engine speed in revolutions per minute
PI = the mathematical constant PI (approximately 3.141592654)
Note: 33000 = conversion factor (550 ft-lbs/sec * 60 sec/min)

"What this all boils down to is, as far as maximum automobile acceleration is
concerned, all that really matters is the MAXIMUM TORQUE imparted to the
ground by the tires (assuming adequate traction)"
--
"At first glance it might seem that, given two engines of different torque output, the engine that produces the greater torque will be the engine that provides the greatest acceleration."
--
"This is INCORRECT and it's also where horsepower figures into the discussion."
--
"It's the TORQUE applied by the TIRES to the GROUND that actually accelerates a car, not the torque generated by the engine.

HORSEPOWER, being the RATE at which TORQUE is produced, is an
indicator of how much *potential* torque multiplication is available.

IN OTHER WORDS, HORSEPOWER DESCRIBES HOW MUCH ENGINE RPM CAN BE TRADED FOR TIRE TORQUE!!!!!"

Though high torque is usually (and incorrectly) used to describe high hp@low rpm engines.

 

[BlueByYou2000]

I agree 100% with this. And this is exactly why you see guys that are getting beat out of the hole (with clutch kits installed) by stockers. It is because they are not hooking up the power. All the Torque/HP in the world does you no good if you cant hook it up.

The Tires to the Ground quote is the same as Track to the snow/ice/grass in the case of snowmobiling. Check out this post I did on a realted subject last year. http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=25307

Since this post, I have found great gains with the stock weights as well. Food for thought...BBY