Tq. vs. Hp explained

[Installshield 2]

I've always said that a nice long power band and average horsepower are what accelerates you. My speaking of a car with more horsepower will always out accelerate a car with more torque is a complete generalization, but it still pretty much holds true. You can't use the BMW as an example, because it still has more horsepower than torque, although your point of a massive powerband is correct. Although the race between the BMW and RX-8 would be completely driver dependant.


Horsepower is a generic term to describe torque/time regardless of gearing. It's what allows us to compare one car to another. You can't compare one car's torque rating to another's without knowing the RPM it occurs at and what the gearing is, which is way too complicated. And you're right of course, peak power doesn't mean squat. But I still hold strong on the point that making torque twice as fast is just as good as making twice the torque. And there are so many examples of cars with more horsepower that will out accelerate a car with more torque. And to make more torque, you just need shorter gearing.

You are right...there are pretty much no examples of real driven cars that illustrate what I was pointing out...but I just wanted the math behind it to be known...

So take for example the first cars we mentioned...one has 200hp and 100 lb/ft of torque....the other has 200lb/ft and 100hp...Now concerning their power curves, which is where it gets wildly theoretical...if you declare that each curve is equal in area, yet oscillated about the y(power/torque) axis...meaning the curves peak at a mirrored time in rpm...you mathmatically have an engine that can do an equal amount of work at accelerating a car...but it would take different gearing for each of the two curves in order to do that work in the same time interval (production efficiency)...

which is why I pointed out that it was theoretical, yet still not exactly true that hp is the only important part...but the reality is what you are talking about...you can't build two mirrored power curves like that...So its pretty much just a theory..

 

[Installshield 2]

My car dyno's at 211whp with 153lbs of tourque N/A.

Out of curiosity...what do you have done, and what does that k20 dyno at stock?...thats a great number man, something I will never touch (obviously)...and what direction does a the engine rotate?...I know the older honda's rotated opposite what most engines did...or maybe it was the new engines...whichever way, I love to play with the idea of swapping one in...haha...what side is the gear box on?

 

[ghost]

Out of curiosity...what do you have done, and what does that k20 dyno at stock?...thats a great number man, something I will never touch (obviously)...and what direction does a the engine rotate?...I know the older honda's rotated opposite what most engines did...or maybe it was the new engines...whichever way, I love to play with the idea of swapping one in...haha...what side is the gear box on?

Hondata K-pro
AEM CAI
Skunk2 Cat back
Nology Hotwires
DC Race Headder


They usually dyno stock 178whp and 125lbs of tourque.

As far as engine rotation I have no clue. I do know that the Kseries engines get tourque at a lower rpm than the popular B-series. Gear box is on the same side as the pro, but the tranny is cable driven.

 

[Installshield 2]

The torque thing from what I know comes from the K20's being larger displacement wise...and because of the variable I-VTEC system, rather than the older VTEC...which was simply on or off at a particular rpm...the new heads can switch at different times depending on load, engine speed, etc...

cool man thanks...does the header wrap under the engine like a Protege?...or does it come off the back like an S shape...in which you never see it?...that could also be an indication of its rotation, but at the same time not really..haha...

Nice car man...and great numbers...I knew they had a cable shift linkage, but they pretty much have the best feeling FWD transaxle, as far as shifting, of any car I have ever driven...the hard part would be fitting it in there with all the accesories the protege has...the steering rack, the pumps etc...would all need to be from a protege, so it would take some very tricky mounts to get it in place so belts could still power them...who knows, just thinkin'...

thanks for the info...