HP/Torque - Random stuff

[StraydoG]

OK Im trying to further my knowledge here and what Ive come across is Horse Power does not matter as much as Torque. Been looking around at other cars and comparing the specs of stock FTO vs 'others'.

Im being pretty broad. Could a car with say half the HP but double the torque do well to a stock FTO? Can anyone enlighten me a bit or even just help with cars and just how the FTO sits compared? Looking for something thats NA, AWD if possible, still has good power and that can seat 4 people more easily.

[KJ_bob]

torque - no : The fto is more of a high reving engine with its fun coming from larger rpm and sometimes mivec (rev limit is at about 8000)

na still with good power - yes : its not a 6 litre v8 nor does it have a gient snail hanging off of it, so u have to put it into purspective. For an na it produces good power, is a relitively light car and is fun to drive

awd - no : tis fwd

seat 4 people easily - only if your a midet or your passagers dont have legs... or heads : space in the back is limited, though in saying that if your not traveling across the country its ok. But hey, there getting a free ride so how can they complain

Have you thought about a forester?

[Bennoz]

Torque is the ability to accelerate. A force x a radius.

Power is a function of torque x rpms - so in motor sport terms relates more to your acheivable top end speed.

A FTO with 130kws of power and 100Nm of torque lines up in a 1/4 mile drag against an FTO with 110kws of power and 150Nm of torque.

The FTO with 150Nm of torque will get off the line faster
The FTO with 130kws of power should end up crossing the line at a higher speed.

Who wins the drag? Well that depends. More than likely the FTO with the most torque - as it is likely to reach its top speed faster than the other FTO.... albeit the other FTO has a higher top end, it may not reach that top end speed before crossing the line.

Thats the best way I can try to explain it... if you can understand that, then apply the principles to other cars.

Think about a ute engine. Its primary function is to haul weight. It doesn't need to hit speeds of 250km/h, it needs to be able to take off with a ton of weight. Therefore the motor is designed to provide maximum torque at a useable, down low range. An engine of such design usually carries a large bottom end to the motor - big crank, big heavy flywheel. A force x a radius

A big V8, loads of torque, a big crank shaft with 8 pistons hanging off it & a big flywheel.. A force x a radius.

You start adding higher rpm into the equation & things change. To reach higher rpms, you need to start cutting that weight off, ie lower the amount of reciprocating mass in the flywheel and crank. Ever looked at FTO pistons & rods? Absolutely tiny & light weight. Now you've lost that low down torque, but have the ability to reach high rpms.

The single item that governs how all these differences work out at the end of the day? The camshafts. If you've got the ability to reach high rpm, then work with a camshaft that will maximise the power - aka a Mivec cam.

If you've got a heavy bottom end & want some torque, choose a cam to suit that application.

Most motor design tries to work with a mixture of both, to give the vehicle, both useable torque, but with good top end power.

Forced induction changes the whole equation again. Thats a lesson for another day, Im going blind at the moment.

[koolio1234]

here are some interesting readings on torque/hp:

http://www.allpar.com/eek/hp-vs-torque.html

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question622.htm



btw, what happened to the Bens big penis..??