Scott Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 lol, torque is what makes your car accelerate not BHP. BHP is what determins how much force the engine can fight against with regards to wind resistance etc. I took on an M3 (last shape) about a year ago turning off a roundabout onto a motorway. We both gunned it and i had him by about 3 car lengths by the end of second. As i got to the end of 3rd i gained nothing and by the time i was near the top of 4th he reeled me in and passed. Didn't have a de-cat then though. Just realised, i meant in the MR2 not the Supra. Scott =op Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanchan Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Personally, I think the Supra is too fat to be a sports car. I agree it's better looking than an M3 - but I think of the supra as a very fast saloon / coupe, but one that's got crap rear seats and boot space. Agree about the first bit. The MR2 is a sports car. The Supra's more of a GT car. I'd love to go to Switzerland with it one day, when I can afford 3000 miles worth of fuel in a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewie Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 lol, torque is what makes your car accelerate not BHP. BHP is what determins how much force the engine can fight against with regards to wind resistance etc. Scott =op LOL!! I can tell you're not an engineer with a definition like that! Power is a the product of torque x rotational speed. It's still torque, not as you say BHP. You need high torque at the high speed range to ensure you can overcome the cars mass, rolling tyre resistance and wind resistance. Performance engines deliver max torque at the top rev range to ensure they can still accelerate at high speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 erm i am actually. Mechanical engineer for the last 10 years. I have over simplified it granted but its the torque that defines how fast you accelerate. Thats why the 200 bhp civic will be left standing by 180bhp cupra. If you want a full explanation then i will give it but i'm on my phone just now. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 What i meant was i was typing on my phone lol. I'm on my Lappy now... Ok, torque is a measurable force. BHP is simply a calculation. Torque is the area under the graph therefor the more Torque your car has the faster your car can accelerate through the rev range (once the rotational mass of the engine is taken out of the equation). At first when revving the engine the first thing holding you back is the rotational mass, hence the reason diesels down't accelerate as fast to begin with but once they get going they are pretty hard to beat (See 535 BMW's). My statement wasn't meant the way you took it. I was simply stating that everyone takes BHP as the be all and end all with what car is the fastest to accelerate when in my opinion its about the 4th most important. The first is torque, then the rotational mass, then the driver and finally BHP. Just my opinion of course Just an edit to say i've moved BHP down to 5th on my list as the suspension setup would come before the driver lol. Scott =op Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewie Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 10 years! Is that all? You're a mere puppy. 27 years designing fuel injection systems. In my Professional opinion I'd say it was power to weight ratio with a sub 1 tonne chassis. Better acceleration, handling, braking and economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Oops missed out weight. Bhp drops to 6th lol Took me a little while to find 2 cars matched on BHP/Ton with one having more torque but here goes... Seat Ibiza Cupra Weight 1119kg 180bhp 235nm Torque 7s 0-60 Power weight = 161bhp/ton Ford Focus RS Weight 1362kg 221bhp 320Nm torque 6.6 0-60 Power weight = 162bhp/ton The reason why a diesel acclerates so well at low revs, very very very high torque. Nothing to do with BHP. I read somewhere the last time i discussed this that the more bhp you have the faster your car's engine can actually accelerate its rotational mass if that makes sense. Therefor the lighter your internals flywheel etc and the more bhp you have the faster your car will rev (in neutral) from 1k to 8k revs hence the reason why a porsche GT sounds like an F1 car lol. Must be boring people by now lol Edit again, yeah just a pup. I'm mainly a machinist in rolls royce but i do a bit of inspection too. Scott =op Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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