HP or Torque

[martinbo]

Originally Posted by Audi4Life

holy crap...ure afrakin' genius...

Ummm, thanks Audi4Life but - sorry to say - I'm not. If I was genius I'd not be spending all of my time here on GCZ talking about cars!

[NarutoRamen]

I haven't voted because I beleive there should be a balance between both torque and hp.

[Deutsch]

Torque. I can feel it and use it everday.

[ImmerBesser]

Torque, no question about it.

[YoungWarrior]

I know americans like torque but in a racecar high hp is better than high torque. Just look at F1 cars. Another example is the M5's engine. If that motor was in a lighter car it would show up plenty high torque sports cars.

Torque for pulling and cruising, HP for racing.

[BMW_Dude]

For me Torque, it gives effortless acceleration!

[Zonda]

This is a wonderful thread! Not only is here some great info but this is the first "HP vs Torque" thread I've ever encountered that hasn't been taken over by noobs and ignorant thirteen year olds who believe so strongly that this and that is the best and no matter how little sens it makes they still wont change their minds for the better.

I've always been a little of a torque man mostly because of the sweeter sound but nothing beats a good mix of the both. I still haven't fully understood the full meaning of HP to 100% but I'm getting there.

Edit: this is my 612th post I'm as powerful as a Carrera GT, lol.

[Just_me]

I like both. A combination of both is the best solution.

[Snake Vargas]

Well, I don't mean to be arrogant by quoting myself, but I haven't really changed my views from what I said in another thread:

http://www.germancarzone.com/showthread.php?t=3753

Originally Posted by Snake Vargas

....
neither torque nor power are the whole story.
....

IMO, what's more important than either figure is the time over which torque and power are produced - power and torque by themselves are merely two methods of measuring what is more or less the same thing. What you want is lots of torque throughout a large rev range, and the peak power will come somewhere in that rev range. If you can get a peak torque (or 90% of peak torque, or whatever) at a relatively low point in the rev band, and peak power at a relatively high point in the rev band, then all the space in between is useful rev range for you to drive in.

Importantly, this must all be seen in light of the transmission. Never forget the transmission - it's not just something that sits in between the engine and the wheels, it's a force multiplier. That way, if you can get a well coordinated set of gears with a wide useable rev range, then you'll get the best real life performance.

In a way, that means I recant my choice of torque. I guess I am really sitting on the fence.

Oh yeah - high hp in a way is sort of useful for race cars - given the limitations on the physical size and existing types of transmission, having high hp generally means that you have some sort of useable torque produced over a large rev range, and the high power figure comes from the equation:

horsepower = torque x rpm / 5252

Well, I got that from another web site. They used horsepower and foot-pounds as units, but the idea still stands even if the exact proportions don't: horsepower is a function of torque and rpm.

[polo2007]

Torque in low speed 0m to 130m u can feel Torque ..hut Hp in high speed is very important !