Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3
Torque for me. I started a similar thread a few months ago, but they are different enough.
I've thought about this often enough and I always come to the same conclusion. For the same power, more torque is better than more rpm. The engine has more power availible at any speed, hp=tq*rpm/5252. So a high reving engine gets its power from revs, thereby losing some of its low and mid range power. A torquey motor will still build power as you go through the rpms, but it will have alot more at 3k than a screamer will have at 4k.
Add to it the fact that the higher the rpms, the faster things break. And if they don't break faster they are an awful lot more expensive.
My thoughts are summed up by a quote that I've heard was made in a magazine about the corvette in the mid 80's. Any corner, any gear, any time. Or words to that effect.
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I agree for the most part too, but there is another quote/concept that is pretty valid. You want an engine to be torquey because that means basically more power, but....
"It is better to make torque at high rpm, because you can take advantage of gearing."
This is from a Corvette forum (thus has credibility as a GM site LOL), and I recommend this reading to anyone who is into cars and racing.
http://www.vettenet.org/torquehp.html
It does an awesome job describing why a LT1 vette is faster and more powerful than an L98 vette eventhough both engines make a rated 340 ft-lbs of torque.
So really the answer to the question....to rev or to torque? Both