Look at the torque curve, not "torque-horsepower."

Children and students who love cars judge the specifications of a car on the basis of its 'horsepower'. At a young age, they would rather have a Porsche, Ferrari or Lambo than a classy luxury car like a Maybach or Rolls-Royce. You always worry about horsepower then, because you think horsepower is power. Because horsepower is power. In English we also say "horsepower", so you would think of it as such.misunderstandingMany people who are Many adults cannot explain torque and horsepower, which is why they will always be obsessed with horsepower.

When I was in primary school, I did not know the difference between torque and horsepower. I didn't know what torque was either, as I thought horsepower = "power" at the time. When I asked adults, they gave me very vague answers. The salesman at the Porsche dealership "Improv" told me - gently, but he treated me like a child and said, "00-kun! Torque is the power to drive!" And "The power to turn!" And. I thought he was an idiot because he thought horsepower was power, so he didn't understand that kind of explanation. He was my father's salesman, but he was just a salesman who didn't understand cars, who only memorised figures and catalogues. He's perfect for Porsche owners who drive for status. He wouldn't talk to me at all.

What is the true nature of torque and horsepower?

I first understood torque and horsepower when I was in high school. This is because I learnt about 'what is force' and 'what is work' in physics. If you don't know what force and work are, see the following article.

In simple terms, force is 'the power to lift a weight on the bench press' and work is 'the calories expended by lifting the weight'. The respective units are N (newtons) and W (watts). I think calories are in kcal, but haven't you ever heard in science that 1J ≈ 4.2 kcal, 1W = 1J/s, so you can see that watts and calories are the same story.

If you search for "difference between torque and horsepower" you'll find lots of explanations. Then you will see the explanation "torque = power, horsepower = work", which I think is half correct and half wrong. The units of power are "N". The unit of force is "N". On the other hand, if you look at the unit of torque in a car catalogue, it is "Nm", which means force x distance, which corresponds to work "W". In other words.torquealsoh.p.is also the true identity ofworkIt is. The differences between the two are as follows.

Torque = work per metre Horsepower = work per second

How to find horsepower

Horsepower is calculated by torque, tyre outer diameter and engine speed. If the tyre radius is $r$[m] and the engine speed is $x$[rpm], the tyre circumference is $2πr$[m], so the distance travelled per second is $$2πr×\frac{x}{60}[m]$$. If engine power is $F$[N], torque is $F[N]×1m=F[Nm]$. And the horsepower is $F$F[N]×\frac{2πrx}{60}[m]$F$. Now let's calculate specifically: the tyre circumference $2πr$ of a 225/55R17 is 679.8 mm. 6.8 m. The power of an engine producing 530 Nm of torque at 4250 rpm is 530 N. The power of an engine producing 530 Nm of torque at 4250 rpm is 530 N. The horsepower can now be calculated by substituting the bold and $$530[N]×\frac{6.8×4250}{60}[m]=255283W=255kW$$ horsepower at 4250rpm was found to be 255kW.

summary

Torque is the amount of work per unit distance, so numerically it is exactly the same as force. Therefore, in general understanding, torque = force. Force is mass x acceleration, and torque is considered to be directly related to the acceleration of a car. You say that diesel cars and supercharged cars feel torque, right? That's because there is a torque peak at low revs and you can feel the acceleration immediately. When you are pushed around by a macho person who doesn't have instantaneous power, or a person who is slender but punches fast, which one do you feel, "Oh no, this guy is strong! This guy is strong"? In the same way, you feel more power when a car accelerates without revving the engine.

In the next article, we will discuss tuning based on torque and horsepower.

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MAMORU SARAYA.