Torque Explained – Understanding Your Car’s Engine
If you’ve been driving for long, you intuitively understand the meaning of horsepower. As a rule of thumb, the more horsepower, the more significant your vehicle’s engine output and overall performance. But, what about torque? You’ll often hear the word used in commercials for heavy-duty cars and trucks, but you may not know what it means. In this article, I’ll give you a quick explanation of what torque is, how it works with your car’s horsepower, and what parts and systems contribute to it.
What Is It?
Let’s approach it from a simplistic (though practical) perspective. At its foundation, it’s often defined as “twisting power.” The factors involved include the pressure that must be exerted (listed as pounds) and the length of a contributory object (listed as feet). Imagine that you were using a 1-foot wrench to turn a small pipe. In order to turn that pipe, you apply 35 pounds of pressure. In this case, you’re applying 35 pound-feet of torque. It’s important to realize that this topic is actually very complicated. So, what I’m explaining here is merely a bird’s eye view.
How It Works With Horsepower
Let’s use another example to illustrate how the 2 concepts work together. Picture driving a Ford 150 truck while towing a load that’s attached to the back. You’re about to reach the foot of a significant incline. In order to scale the hill, you hit the gas pedal and thereby increase the engine output, or horsepower. As the output increases, it generates force which is sent to the tires.
Now, think about how the tires turn. They’re connected to the front and rear axles. In order to spin the tires, the axle must turn. Assuming your Ford 150 is rear-wheel drive, the engine’s horsepower is being sent through the drive shaft, which rotates the rear axle. That rotational force that is turning the tires is the torque. And that’s how it works with your engine’s horsepower to propel your car.
What Contributes To It?
We’ve already implied in the section above that the engine is where the initial force is produced. Then, the drive shaft and rear axle contribute to the “twisting power” need to spin the rear tires. But, technically, every component involved in your engine’s combustion process contributes. Your transmission, gearbox, and crankshaft do, too.
Last Thoughts
If you visit a dealership, you’ll likely see the torque specs listed on each vehicle’s window. For most drivers, it’s basically a tool for comparison. For example, a truck with 550 hp is more powerful than an SUV with 450 hp. If you’re hauling heavy loads, you’ll normally just compare the hp numbers to make the best choice. Torque works similarly. Most motorists won’t care much about it, and those who do will be content to compare specifications side-by-side. If you’re truly interested in the topic (and frankly, that’s a little odd), you’ll find fantastic resources online. But, it’s not exciting reading, so consider yourself warned.
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