it's all about the area under the curve. How much peak power a car makes is pointless if it only makes it for a few hundred rpm's. Your question is a little hard to answer because there could be so many variables that affect the outcome of a 1/4 race. But in theory, a car with more horsepower will always pull ahead in a race, should they just keep going past the 1/4 mile.
Horsepower vs. Torque: Which one wins?
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Last time I commented on this I got called a "Torquegeek" /images/graemlins/laughing.gif
Torque is the twisting force
HP is work done in a given amount of time
Translated - a lot of torque is needed to move heavy things, but high HP will enable you to sprint with it :thumb: You can use gears to multiply torque, but you need the ENGINE to make HP.
High Hp cars typically rpm higher and therefore use steeper gears. I was watching two street rotary Mazdas pull mid 8 second runs on the weekend - and those things have USELESS torque figures relative to hp - but they rpm high and make a lot of power. 8 seconds is fast by anyones standards for a street car.
On the Viper you have both sets of engines using the same gears. Therefore - as the gears are the same for both - the high torque at lower rpms will make more power than the high hp cars during most of the rpm range used. It's still the HP that counts - but it's at lower rpms.
Therefore - the problem is simply that some high hp cars are just not able to use the extra power they have on the top end - plus they do not spend enough time in the rpm zone where they make that extra power while the high torque of the lower powered cars is being used more effectively.
People that swear by torque to go quick are still actually relying on HP but at low rpms - and therefore go very fast on stock gear ratios. Their peak hp numbers may not look impressive - but in the rpm zones they use at the track - they make plenty of power!!!
The higher top end powered cars would go quicker than the high torque but lowered powered cars if they had steeper gears and closer ratios - assuming chassis and tires were matched. But stock gear for stock gear - the high torque wins - because it makes more hp where it matters.
SUMMARY: Torque moves an object but HP determines how quickly! Both are inter connected over a constant of 5252.... which is the rpm where torque and hp equal.
Signed TQ GEEK
Torque is the twisting force
HP is work done in a given amount of time
Translated - a lot of torque is needed to move heavy things, but high HP will enable you to sprint with it :thumb: You can use gears to multiply torque, but you need the ENGINE to make HP.
High Hp cars typically rpm higher and therefore use steeper gears. I was watching two street rotary Mazdas pull mid 8 second runs on the weekend - and those things have USELESS torque figures relative to hp - but they rpm high and make a lot of power. 8 seconds is fast by anyones standards for a street car.
On the Viper you have both sets of engines using the same gears. Therefore - as the gears are the same for both - the high torque at lower rpms will make more power than the high hp cars during most of the rpm range used. It's still the HP that counts - but it's at lower rpms.
Therefore - the problem is simply that some high hp cars are just not able to use the extra power they have on the top end - plus they do not spend enough time in the rpm zone where they make that extra power while the high torque of the lower powered cars is being used more effectively.
People that swear by torque to go quick are still actually relying on HP but at low rpms - and therefore go very fast on stock gear ratios. Their peak hp numbers may not look impressive - but in the rpm zones they use at the track - they make plenty of power!!!
The higher top end powered cars would go quicker than the high torque but lowered powered cars if they had steeper gears and closer ratios - assuming chassis and tires were matched. But stock gear for stock gear - the high torque wins - because it makes more hp where it matters.
SUMMARY: Torque moves an object but HP determines how quickly! Both are inter connected over a constant of 5252.... which is the rpm where torque and hp equal.
Signed TQ GEEK
yeah, im with tq. monster. /images/graemlins/laughing.gif
Ahhh - but it is torque at the WHEELS not the engine that matters most... :nod:Jerome said:
That's why a high rpm, high hp, low torque engine will invariably beat a low rpm high torque engine.... GEARING!
An 800hp 20,000rpm F1 engine will make around 210ft/lb of torque at peak hp.... that's pathetic!!! Say an 800hp blown V10 makes it by 5252rpm so torque is the same.
But to get the wheels turning the same speed as a high torque engine that peaks at 5252rpm - where the Viper engine uses a 3.07:1 rear end - the F1 engine needs an 11.69:1 gear to match that speed - and 11.69 x 210ft/lb = 2456ft/lb to road verses 800tq x 3.07 = 2456rwtq.....
wait a minute....
OH Goodness me - look at that! They're the same!!! /images/graemlins/supergrin.gif
So these two cars put down the same rwtq - even tho the F1 engine only makes a patheic 210 lb/ft at engine vs the collasal 800 of the V10. THEREFORE It really is engine AVERAGE HP that matters most - gearing will translate that into the rwtq that will motivate the car :thumb: :cheers:
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