Question about torque.

[5thGenCamaroChick]

Can someone explain torque to me in simple terms? I was lurking over at the mustang forum (yeah, I like those too, it's all good) and there was an article about whether or not the 2010 Mustang is faster than the Camaros and Challys (I know, done to death). Anyways, one of the posters pointed out that mustang had more torque and weighed less. Specifically:

"camaro LS and LT (v6 models) has 273 ft-lbs
the SS will do 408 and 395, (with LS3 and L99 respectively)

mustang v6 has 240 ft-lbs (dont call them a torque monster for nothing)
mustang gt has 325 ft-lbs (with the 2010 tune)
shelby GT500 has 480 ft-lbs

Chally SE (v6) will have somewhere around 232 ft-lbs (if they use the 3.5L)
chally RT has 404 ft-lbs
chally srt8 has 425 ft-lbs"

So based on this am I to assume the lower torque number is better? I will allow that I really don't know much about cars, and really didn't care to learn until I got Rosalee. Now I'm interested and need some learnin'.

BTW, the current results on the mustang forum were...

Question: Can the 2010 Mustang compete with the 2010 Camaro and Challenger, dollar for dollar?

1. Yes, the price makes up for the power difference. = 49 votes

2. No, it's still going to be slower, model for model. = 97 votes

3. I don't care, it's still better than no increase in power, and I want the 2010 mustang. = 21 votes

Here's the link if anyone's interested. http://www.mustangforums.com/forum/2...g-compete.html

I really do like the new 'stangs and Challys (nowhere near as much as my Rosalee, though). I was behind a red 2010 stang yesterday driven by a very young teenage girl. She had put bumper stickers (not magnets) all over the back of that gorgeous new car. Shame, really. The only other one I've seen in person was grabber blue. Not a fan of the color. I like the sequential tail-lights though.

[1320junkie]

I am trying to figure out a way to answer this so that you will understand how a torque curve works...in my world though lower torque is not better.. below is a saying that may help

"Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how far you take the wall with you."

[nick at night]

torque is rotational force. horsepower is almost the same as torque axcept horsepower is relative to time.

[Banshee]

HP is what gets you from point A to B, torque keeps you there.

Horsepower is how fast my Camaro can hit your Japenese car, torque is how far I can push said Japanese car.

[Brokinarrow]

Not an expert by any means, but my understanding of this was the more torque a vehicle has, the more get up and go it will have Could be wrong.

[bdg]

Torque gets things moving and horepower picks up speed. The heavier the car the more torque you will need to get it moving.

[Morepwr]

In simple terms.....More torque = good!

Torque gets things moving and horsepower keeps it going.

On a street driven car, more torque makes the car feel quicker because it gets you off the line quicker.

Case in point - most trucks have lots of torque because they are used to haul and tow things and you need the torque to get it all in motion.

This isnt a super definition, but gets you the idea of what torque does.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by bdg

Torque gets things moving and horepower picks up speed. The heavier the car the more torque you will need to get it moving.

thats what i was trying to get at, thanks

[SlingShot]

By definition torque is a twisting or turning effort...... The more torque you have the better.... Big numbers is good ....

[ACDC1710]

That question is a hard one to answer and explain you can do many searches and all give similar answers but still all hard to wrap your mind around. Torque - is basically the rotary force being produced by the bottom end of your engine to do work or basically get all the weight and rest of your drivetrain to start moving. Horsepower - is basically helps to do the work quicker or accelerate. Comparing a diesel to a gas engine can somewhat give you a lil better idea. A gas engine has lighter parts or less rotating weight and usually has higher horsepower than they have torque. A diesel engine has heavy bottom end parts resulting in less horsepower than torque. The diesel can pull trailers, and do more work but gas engine can out accelerate the diesel.

[nick at night]

TORQUE=POWER

HORSEPOWER=SPEED

[ElAntonius]

Torque is the rotational force that the engine can apply. Horsepower is (Torque * RPM)/5252....which means that the current horsepower you are making is based on both how fast your engine can spin and how much force it can apply.

The general wisdom goes: "Horsepower sells cars, Torque wins races"...that's somewhat true, although it can be misleading.

Now, horsepower is really an estimate of the engine's actual power delivery characteristics...lets put it this way...

Imagine you are in a race to remove a bolt using a wrench. To win, you'll need to be strong enough to turn the wrench and loosen the bolt, and you'll also need to be able to spin the wrench fast enough to remove the bolt faster than the other guy.

Torque is your ability to muster enough strength to turn the wrench, while horsepower is a combination of that strength, plus your ability to move the wrench around quickly. It doesn't matter worth squat if you can't turn the bolt quickly because you aren't strong enough, so high torque allows you to maximize the speed you can turn your arm at.

All things considered, higher torque is really the number you most care about for immediate acceleration...torque is what gets you nice 0-60 times, while horsepower dictates what your trap speed is in the 1/4 mile.

Edit: Also, the L99 has 410 lb*ft of torque. It makes less horsepower mostly due to the lower redline of the L99 as compared to the LS3.

["prima"Donna]

Thanks, guys for explaining torque...

I must admit that I knew what HP meant, but not necessarily what torque meant...

I just knew, from my "gearhead expert" son, that the Camaro torque was very good...

Now I know WHY...

[5thGenCamaroChick]

Cool, got it, thanks. Still the question about the numbers though. Is a lower number better than a high one, as suggested by that mustang forum post?

ie: the v6 camaro has 273 ft-lbs and the v6 mustang has 240.