SandmanBlue might tell you the same; since you asked him, I defer to his response.

The answer to your question depends upon which section of the torque and horsepower curves you're operating; that is, the slope of the curve, whether positive or negative, and how many rpm's the shift involves.

Also, an important aspect of your scenario resides in DOWNSHIFTING: When you down-shift, the lower gear multiplies the torque delivered to the wheels! Therefore, although you may downshift and reach an rpm with a lower torque output than before, the torque multiplication of the transmission more than compensates for the loss.

At the risk of angering further my critics, I'll discuss operating on the far downhill slopes of the horsepower and torque curves. In this region, increased load (e.g., hillclimb) tends to reduce rpm's. Since we're on the downhill (negative) slope of, for example, the torque curve, the lbs-ft of torque produced by the engine actually INCREASE with a DECREASE in rpm's in this region. The result? The increased torque compensates for the increased load (enabling an equilibrium between torque and load), to a point--that point being the torque peak where the curve transitions from negative to positive; if you don't downshift at that point, you'll stall--decreased rpm's result in lower torque on that portion of the curve.

Confused? Me, too!

Tree Farmer

 

430EX,
Give credit where credit is due. Sure Ford would love for people to think the Powerstroke is their Diesel. It's the best engine they have. But that is an International Harvester !!!!
Best damn trucks ever built & I've got one
c-ya,

------------------
Andrew Thomas

'99 Scrambler 400 & '99 Trailblazer, both with RCR mods.

 

Torque: is a measure of force. Effort devoted to twisting or turning.
Horsepower: is a measure of time. Energy required to lift 550lb. 1 foot in 1 sec.

[This message has been edited by r34 (edited 12-09-1999).]

 

Tree Farmer Huuuuuuuuhhhhhh.

With head tilted to left........................................I got it!!!! ten minutes later.

Andrew I think that was the best move they could have made.Those triton motors are car motors,No torque And worthless in trucks.Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

v-10 triton 8 mpg Pa leaaaaaase!!!
Our Diesel-Granpa 1986 ford 1st one 328,000 miles not a pannel undented.

Friend's all Ford.
89,92,96extened,99king cab. Did 85 with trailer up hill.Rides like it's on rails.Comffy!


What do yea think TF
Torque=
1-A measure of the effectiveness of such a force that consists of the product of the force and the perpendicular distance from the line of action of the force to the axis of rotation.

Hourse power=
1 : The power that a horse exerts in pulling
2 : A unit of power equal in the U.S. to 746 watts and nearly equivalent to the English gravitational unit of the same name that equals 550 foot-pounds of work per second.



[This message has been edited by trx430ex (edited 12-09-1999).]

 

Car and driver showed the 6.0L Chevy 3/4 ton to outperform the Triton v10 in the Super Duty 3/4 ton in acceleration and towing accleration. The Chevy could tow the heavier Ford quicker than the Ford could tow the lighter weight Chevrolet. I wasn't impressed with Fords V10. I prefer that old 460 over it.

The Ford PowerStroke is another story. I think it is the best diesel available. Its better than the Cummins I think. Definitely more powerful. What is a Super Duty without that diesel anyway? That thing really makes the truck! Funny how popular Dodge became when they updated their Ram in 93 and started advertising it every 30 seconds. Now that Ford doesn't have a 10+ year old truck and Chevy popped out a new model, Dodge is on the back burner once again.

------------------
Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

Andy,
Actually the Cummins has a broader power band. So as far as Diesels go it could be more desirable. The inline 6 is actually a more popular design than the V-8 Deisel.
The Powerstroke has a higher peak torque. That's what they advertise. The Cummins has also been out longer in everything from straight trucks to Bulldozers & boats and have the parts to make them put out 700+ lbs of torque! Now that would tow a boat. On the other hand the Powerstroke is smoother & much quieter.
Plus it's an IH!!! Like my '69 IH
The Dodge thing is funny. 6 yrs ago no one knew them. They take an old design from the 60's update it presto, great truck. Dodges best motor is the Cummins & Fords is the Powerstroke. Chevy uses Detriot & Mitsibushi Deisels I believe.
But if ain't an IH, it's just a car...
c-ya,

------------------
Andrew Thomas

'99 Scrambler 400 & '99 Trailblazer, both with RCR mods.

 

trx430ex, yeah, kinda.

Actually, a good horse can lift a load greater than 550 lbs at a rate of one foot per second.

And, yes; one horsepower, 550 ft-lbs/sec, is about 746 watts (easily remembered: 746 is half of 1492, the year Columbus discovered America!).

Back to the basics: Force = Mass X Acceleration. Since torque is radial force, earlier comments by others about torque's relation to acceleration seem plausible.

Force, applied through distance, equals Work. One pound force, acting through one foot distance, produces one foot-pound of work (not to be confused with a pound-foot of Torque).

Power is Work with respect to time, as in 550 ft-lb per second equals one horsepower.

Energy is . . . oh, never mind!

Tree Farmer