Can someone explain the difference between horsepower and torque? (more in comments)

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RedLineRevs

I know that:

HP = TORQUE X RPM divided by 5252

I also know that at 5252rpm, the HP and TORQUE will be the same and that after 5252rpm, the HP will always exceed the TORQUE but I still don’t know the difference between them. There has to be some people here that know their sh*t :)

07/07/2015 - 23:37 |
4 | 0

Torque is twisting force, HP is speed force. torque moves you, HP allows speed.

07/07/2015 - 23:48 |
3 | 1
benjamin1047

torque is how hard the wheels can turn (pull)
horsepower is how fast they turn
or in more amusing way
horsepower is how fast you hit the wall
torque is how far you take it

07/07/2015 - 23:49 |
3 | 0

Thanks that’s what I wanted, just a simple explanation instead of all this math :D

07/08/2015 - 00:00 |
4 | 0
Eldest12345

Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall. Torque is how far you go after hitting the wall

07/08/2015 - 00:01 |
9 | 0
Anonymous

The whole ‘horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how far you move it’ analogy is only partially correct, I’ll try and explain it by what you’ll feel through your butt dyno. Torque is a force and power is a measure of work done over time. When you put your foot down you feel torque pushing you forwards. Torque is how hard you’re pushed into your seat. Power is how long you’re pushed into the seat for.

This means that you can have a petrol engine with a huge amount of torque at the bottom of it’s rev range to get you going quickly, but when you take it to the redline the torque and therefore the power drops away and it becomes less willing to rev. Conversely, your average Honda will sustain it’s torque for longer, up to it’s much higher redline. In that case you’ll feel pushed into your seat a bit but you’ll be held there as the revs increase. Hope that makes sense.

EDIT: Going back to that analogy, the amount of momentum dictates how far the wall moves. #physics’d

07/08/2015 - 00:39 |
6 | 0
RedLineRevs

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Great Answer, Cheers

07/08/2015 - 01:04 |
0 | 0
911er

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Mechanically seen torque is the moment of force (N * m). Power is work per time. Both are connected via the relation: P = 2PiM*n ; with P being power,M being the moment and n being revolutions per minute. Power can also be described as torque per time (Nm/s). Just making sure you get where it’s coming from ;)

07/08/2015 - 23:21 |
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Anonymous

super simply horsepower affects top speed and torque affects acceleration….keep in mind this is super super simply.

07/08/2015 - 02:43 |
0 | 0
Raehs Puetz

Torque is a twisting force. Horsepower is a calculation of how much work an engine does over time. My auto tech teacher liked to rant about how hp doesn’t matter because it’s not a measured force, but is calculated.

07/08/2015 - 04:04 |
0 | 0