exdeath
Lifer
Sorry man, but hes right... Torque is *force* not *work*. work would be torque x radians. Power would be torque x radians x seconds, (or work x seconds) as a result of torque. That's why horsepower = (torque x revolutions x minutes) / (conversion factor of 5252).
The conversion factor is simply to express rotational power as linear power because 1 HP = 33,000 ft-lb/min in a straight line. One ft-lb torque over a distance of one revolution = 1 ft-lb x 2pi = 6.28 ft/lbs so in order to get 33,000 ft-lb/min (or 1 horsepower) from a torque force you would have to apply 1 ft-lb of torque at 5252 RPM. In other words a 1 HP wench would have to rotate 5,252 times in one minute with a force of 1 ft-lb in order to finish pulling the same load the same distance that a single horse pulls in one minute of work.
To put it simply though, torque is what pins you to your seat, horsepower is what overcomes wind resistance and friction at high speeds.
Of course there is nothing wrong with making a maximum possible constant torque through your entire power band... You get your bottom end torque for launching hard, and still have the same torque up high to make high RPM horsepower necessary for turning the tires at high speeds through the upper gears. This is what roots and screw blowers do and thats why top fuel cars are all blower driven and not turbo.
