i was trying to explain to my friend what torque is but i couldnt really get the point accross on what it is. it seemed a little hard to explain and it kinda made me wonder if i know what it really is. how would YOU explain what torque is? thx

-strongtyer

 

Torque is basicly the power and engine puts out. Most people think that horsepower is what makes an engine powerfull. Horsepower u want for speed, Torque u want for raw power
this will tell u all u need to know
torque

 

Torque is what you feel horse power keeps you accelerating. Torque = quick hp = speed.

 

Wow! I actually get to use some of my physics here!

I would say that Torque = Force x Distance (Really its 'Force cross Distance' - cross is breaking up the force into components and only using the perpendicular component)

The magnitude - or measurement - of the torque is :

[perpendicular component (of the force being applied)] x [the distance between the object’s rotation point and where you apply the force].

In toher words - more torque = more power - right?

Now to define power.....

 

WOw is right! You lost me man [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

so is torque like how fast you can "get" your horsepower? what is the relation between horsepower and torque? you hear ppl see a car burn out and they will say man that has a lot of horsepower. should it really be torque? i got lost in that physics stuff and im even taking physics. hmm... anyways, thx for the replies

 

Torque is a twisting force, Horsepower is torque over an amount of time.
What you really want to describe is an engines power and at what rpm range it produces that power. Diesels make their power at low rpms so people say they are torquey. They just produce their power at low rpms. They are producing an immense twisting force with every stroke and so need to be reinforced with heavy blocks, cranks and rods. A high reving turbo fourbanger could put out the same horsepower but at a much higher rpm. Each stroke would have much less twisting force but it would produce the same result because of the extra rpms.

 

torque is what gets you going, horsepower is what keeps you going. torque is what wins races, and is what people should be concerned about instead of hp. imo.....

 

well said hp is over done people are always talking about hp but completely over look the most important aspect. the keys to a well built engine are torque, quick reving, and a high red line.

 

Torque=Force*LeverArmLength
HP=Torque*RPM/5252. torque in foot pounds

As someone said, torque is twisting force. Think of Torque as a force acting on a lever (torque wrench). You can have zero HP with high torque at zero rpm. HP is the product of torque and RPM. Generally, HP goes up with rpm. Torque may or may not go up with rpm depending on the engine type and the rpm range.

I hope this helps[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
BryceGTX