I hear alot of people say I have 500hp & 500tq. How is that possible if you lose horsepower from the engine to the wheels? How much horsepower loss is normal? Can it be reduced?

 

There are two horsepower number commonly thrown around in conversation. Horsepower at the flywheel/crank (bhp) and horsepower at the wheels (rwhp). Bhp is what the engine makes by itself. Rwhp is what is measured when the car is strapped to a dyno. Rwhp is always less than bhp because some of the energy the engine creates is used up turing the accessories, driveshaf t, and (primarily) the transmission. You lose about 15-20% horsepower before it reaches the wheels. You can lessen the loss by having lighter-weight rotating parts that require less energy to start spinning and keep spinning.

 

Oh ok, I was told that I lose about 30% from the flywheel to the wheels.

 

its typically around 15% for a manual transmission and slightly higher around 20% for an automatic...but each car varies