Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Horsepower is directly related to torque calculated over time. This is why dyno's (dynometer) although show readings in HP or KW, actually measure the amount of torque the car takes to spin the rollers or hubs. (chassis dyno)

This is straight out of a history book:

The term horsepower was invented by the engineer James Watt. Watt lived from 1736 to 1819 and is most famous for his work on improving the performance of steam engines. We are also reminded of him every day when we talk about 60-watt light bulbs. The story goes that Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted a way to talk about the power available from one of these animals. He found that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute. He then increased that number by 50 percent and pegged the measurement of horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. It is that arbitrary unit of measure that has made its way down through the centuries and now appears on your car, your lawn mower, your chain saw and even in some cases your vacuum cleaner!

POWER:

1 Horsepower = 0.7456999 kilowatts = 0.0007456999 megawatts = 745.6999 watts = 42.44498 BTU/minute = 0.7074163 BTU/second = 178.2659 calories/second = 33000 foot-pounds/minute = 550 foot-pounds/second = 76.04034 kilogram-metres/second = 1.0138712 PS (Pferdestaerke is Metric Horsepower)

There are other combinations of converting units of power, but would NEVER be used in the real world.

Example using the above:

"A Nissan R32 Skyline GTR with the twin turbo RB26DETT engine is rated @ 280PS, which equates to approximately 276BHP or 206kW."

This is why the ongoing debate of "HP versus torque - which is better?" is always such a silly thing to be talking about, since HP or KW is torque expressed over time. This why having a car that has torque being produced early and in the middle of the rpm range will always accelerate away from a car that has it's peak torque being developed higher in the rpm range despite both cars having the same HP...

  • Replies 45
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

This is really serious stuff. Maybe we can turn it into an election issue, you know............ street marches, petitions, bumper stickers, politicians giving interviews on TV, all that stuff.

This could be the really BIG issue at the next Federal election horsepower or Kw, let the people decide.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Mixing things up - installed some leather recaros to match the leather seat covered rear seats. Interior looks pretty schmick now except for some slight wear on the steering wheel which I will monitor and address if it becomes worse or actually noticeable!  
    • Didnt realise RB's had more then 1 head.
    • I'm normally copping my own abuse from neglecting my daily drivers. "Those suspension bushes will last a bit more", "Don't worry about the oil leak, just keep topping it up". The project cars I'm always doing things slowly on them as I'm wanting them to be done better, and neater, and nicer. Luckily I don't have to deal with 18 year old Matt's "Learning to wire" stuff in the project cars. And there's only one piece of wiring I'm displeased about in the Landcruiser, and it's about to be cut out... However, the box loads of parts that have been going through this place lately for the Landcruiser... Brake pads Brake Rotors Full handbrake overhaul Wheel Bearings Seals Swivel hubs Steering Boxes Half the suspension joints Shocks Air bags (Ones to go in the rear springs for towing) Water pump Timing kit Lower timing case Harmonic Balancer Radiator Lots of other little seals and shits Gas struts for the bonnet New power window switches And god knows what else I've forgotten... Ha ha ha I have my fingers crossed the pinion seals don't start leaking on the diffs, that the transfer case doesn't leak, and the gearbox input shaft doesn't leak, nor the rear main seal. As they're about the only seals I haven't replaced in the driveline! I'm seriously eyeing off buying new caliper rebuild kits front and rear brake calipers... I'll probably recheck all the valve clearances soon too, and hopefully, it should be all good and sweet to haul some long distance trips again!
    • Every time I pull my 3x gauges out of the console and see the crack-addict way that I did the wiring, and I just can't bring myself to tear it all apart and "make it nice", because it is currently working. In fact, the last time I was in there I probably made it worse.
    • The best part is when you own the car long enough that you look back and find your OWN ham fisted amateur shit!
×
×
  • Create New...