How to explain torque? (engines, diesel, Civic, Honda)

[victimofGM]

I struggle to explain the feeling of driving a car with low horsepower but high low end torque to someone who has only ever driven these small engines with good horsepower but low torque especially at lower RPMs. How would you explain or describe this feeling of how it accelerates?

[M3 Mitch]

Good low end and midrange torque means the car, or bike, moves out immediately even if it's not in the lowest gear that would not over-rev the engine, the way it would be being driven on track.



"Grunty" is not really a word, but is one way to describe it.



So many kids anymore have little or no experience driving a manual, the imports with CVT or many-geared automatics will bring revs up when the loud pedal goes down, so in these cars the lack of torque is "masked" by this.

[victimofGM]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Good low end and midrange torque means the car, or bike, moves out immediately even if it's not in the lowest gear that would not over-rev the engine, the way it would be being driven on track.



"Grunty" is not really a word, but is one way to describe it.



So many kids anymore have little or no experience driving a manual, the imports with CVT or many-geared automatics will bring revs up when the loud pedal goes down, so in these cars the lack of torque is "masked" by this.

What I liked about the torque engine was even though it was slow accelerating (late 1970s car) the acceleration was constant. Some cars accelerate hard at dare stop but rate of acceleration drops off around 40 to 45 MPH. With some thrbo cars it’s accelerations is reversed. Slow from a dead stop and then a launch when the turbo kicks in. A steady rate of acceleration is more comfortable and confidence inspiring than the other two types of acceleration.

[notnamed]

So talking a diesel basically? "Grunty" on the low end of the tach, falls on its face on the higher end.

[robr2]

Torque is the slam you feel when you hit the accelerator.

Horsepower is how long you feel it for.

[Willamette City]

I had a friend back in the early 70's that owned a Mustang. I think the engine was a 289 with a 4 speed Hurst. He got rubber in all 4 gears. I guess that's a bit of torque!

[don1945]

Horsepower numbers are just something you brag about, torque is what moves the car down the track.

[brownbagg]

horsepower is how quick it takes to hit the wall in front of you
torque is how far you take the wall with you

[Roboteer]

Originally Posted by victimofGM

I struggle to explain the feeling of driving a car with low horsepower but high low end torque to someone who has only ever driven these small engines with good horsepower but low torque especially at lower RPMs. How would you explain or describe this feeling of how it accelerates?

I told my not-mechanically-inclined wife the following:

If you put a Honda Civic and a Toyota Corolla side by side at a stoplight, wait till the light turns green, and then floor both of them, the Honda will pull ahead of the Toyota.

But if you get the Civic and Corolla driving side by side on a freeway, both of them going 60mph, and then floor both of them, the Toyota will pull ahead of the Honda.

She bought the Honda.

[Rocko20]

Originally Posted by brownbagg

horsepower is how quick it takes to hit the wall in front of you
torque is how far you take the wall with you

Haha awesome