On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 22:51:54 GMT, "Elle"
> wrote:

>"Leon" > wrote
>snip
>> Elle is right, horsepower is the only unit that makes sense to use.
>> For example, the typical civic needs 70HP to do 100mph and 90HP to do
>> 110mph. Try to use torque to describe the same and write half a page
>> of meaningless equations.
>
>Hey, where'd you get the numbers? I'm not disputing them; I'm just curious.
>
>I remember researching the horsepower for cruising (ya know, normal speeds),
>and I think it was around 20 to 30 hp. But as big an issue is how well a car
>accelerates. That's when the horsepower becomes an important metric and
>crude measure of how well a car will accelerate.
>
>Torque and RPM certainly both have their place in discussions of what one
>wants an engine to do, but I'd never dismiss hp the way Joseph chooses to
>do. For now, anyway.
>
http://www.pumaracing.co.uk/topspeed.htm
Extremely accurate calculations, I've verified them against various
FWD cars.
--
Leon