[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by The Razor

What effect does torque have on performance?

Torque = acceleration up through the rpm range. Very crudely,

[Acceleration] = [Torque] x [Tranny Gearing] x [Axle Gearing] ÷ { [Tire Radius] x [Car Weight] }

There's more to it, but aside from mentioning that torque does not remain constant over all your rpms that's enough for this discussion.

Is it off the line quickness?

Only partly. You add a lot to that from flywheel/clutch or torque converter rotational inertia and from torque converter stall ratio, though those effects only exist for very short lengths of time.

My question revolves around how my 05 stock with 210 hp and 240someodd ft/lbs of torque match up against a s2000 with 237 hp and 170 ft/lbs.

You also need to know the weights, gearing, and tire dimensions for both cars in order to be able to compare them. See the above equation.

The S2K has a much higher revving engine (8000 or more), and makes its power way up in the rev range. IOW, it has relatively much better high-rpm torque that works well with numerically higher gearing in either the tranny or the axle or short tires or some of all three.


Norm