Date: 29 Sep 1998 06:46:19 GMT From: nopenopsam.com (nope) Subject: Re: Horsepower or Torque? Which is more significant?
In article <360fdabe.2138197nopsam2.ibm.net>, dsa44nopsamnet says... > >I am soon to part with my 92 nissan maxima se with 3.0 v6 and 190 hp >and 202 ft/lb (I think) torque. > >I am considering the saab 9-5 with 178 hp v4 turbo with 207 torque at >1800 rpm. (The v6 turbo is almost $3000 more!!) > >I have loved the responsiveness of the nissan v6 and didn't want to >settle for a lower horsepower engine in a new car. > >Isn't torque more significant in terms of performance? Just because >the saab has a lower hp engine doesn't mean it will be less >performance than I am used to...right? > >No flames, please...I am somewhat clueless on these technical items. >Thanks,DSA Best way is to drive both cars (which I assume is of relatively similar performance), particularly on the same routes you normally go on. That way you only get a qualitative analysis to your head but it's far more meaningful than looking up HP/torque figures at a fixed RPM -- they don't tell the whole story. The entire engine power curve is much more meaningful, but it's not easy to get this data, especially if it's a newer car. You also have to consider gear ratios -- many cars do not have ratios well suited to their engines, for the sake of fuel efficiency.
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