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Torque, horsepower, driveability Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Fri, 13 Aug 2004 12:15:46
In Reply to: Why do car companies only increase displacement?, J, Thu, 12 Aug 2004 14:04:14 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
And no, they don't always just increase displacement. Look at Saab, three years ago you could get a 3.0l, now only 2.3.
Manufacturers do a lot more than just increase displacement - they add variable valve timing, extra valves per cylinder, improved engine management, and yes, sometime better breathing exhausts. But many of those add horsepower, and the funny thing is, despite wanting horsepower, people really want torque.
Improving the exhaust flow really helps most with high flow rates, and that's at high revs. Great for a few more HP near the top end, but does nothing for low end performance.
Honda and Toyota both have high-revving engines with very little torque. The Honda 2000 engine comes to mind 240 hp and just 162lb-feet, and the HP peak is at a stratospheric 7800 rpm. Lots of HP, but about as much torque as a 1.8liter VW Jetta. So unless you like burning clutches, the off-the-line performance is weak. And to get that horsepower, you need to shift a lot to keep the engine on-song, and it's not very quiet.
Hey, all well and good for an open roadster or a sports car. But most folks who buy family sedans aren't going to want to run up to 7000 rpm, much less listen to that. It's torque that gives good off-the line performance, that gives good passing power without downshifting, that gives good driveability without the transmission shifting all the time.
A good solution for more torque is more displacement. As the saying goes, "nothing beats cubic inches." Still true.
Yes, there is a market for high-revving cars, but it's pretty small. Heck, most folks that buy Saabs would be upset to spend $30K+ on a car that needs to rev to 6500 rpm to produce power. Yes, it works for Maserati and Ferrari, but they sell a couple of thousand cars a year.
posted by 192.249....
, Fri, 13 Aug 2004 12:15:46 <-- Viewing This Message
, Fri, 13 Aug 2004 09:24:24
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