Torque Defined
by Adian Yein Khalid

What is Torque? You often read of it in magazines and car reviews, but I believe that car journalists have bastardised the meaning.

Torque is an equation of Power:
Power (hp)= Torque (lb/ft) x RPM / 5252

Look at that and what do you see??

Power is simply torque multiplied by the revs the engine is pulling. Therefore, the higher up the rev range you can provide torque, the more HP it makes.

Hence, torque is no big mystical thing.

However...

When auto magazine writers write about a car with "torque", they are taking the simple liberty to equate the term "torque" with pulling power at low rpm.

Another example then, study our local Malaysian Mini Bus: It can transport 30 people with relatively no stress. This is due to it's diesel engine producing prodigious amounts of "torque" between 500rpm to only 3000rpm. If a car reviewer were to put this in words, they would say the Mini Bus has more torque than Pam Anderson has silicon implants.

But did you know that it probably has only as much horsepower as your daily-grind 1.6 Satria GLi? Why?

This is because it produces the torque at 1500rpm, whereas your Satria produces less torque but probably at 4500rpm. And from the above equation, you learn that this relates to the Satria having more horsepower... which equals a higher top speed, and faster acceleration at full throttle.

If you want a good example of so called "torque", then check out the Ford Ranger 2.6 TDi: in 4th gear at 90kmh, side-by-side it will out-accelerate your Satria 1.6 anyday, full stop no arguments. That is torque!

But put the same two vehicles side by side in a standstill traffic light sprint, and do a 0-100kmh test, and the Ranger will lose. That's horsepower...

Another example: floor your standard boost 4G93 turbo car, and you will feel yourself brutally flatten into the seat. That is torque!
But, side-by-side with say a Lotus Elise, and the Elise will win. Haha that's low-weight!

So think about all that's been said, and you will understand that torque in reality is a function of power!