horsepower question? car guys please help....?

Question

will there be a noticable difference with a car with 148 hp or 173hp?
148 is a 2.2l DOHC 16 valve 4 cylinder 5600 rpm/ 152 lb torque
173 is a 2.4 l variable valve timing dohc 4 cylinder 6200 rpm and 163 lb torque.
is there rally a noticable difference .
cost for 148 is 15,340
cost for 173 is 18,990.
is it worth it and why?

the car in question is a 2007 pontiac g5
the 148 is base, the 173 is gt ?
so all other specification for the car (weight) would be equal... just trying to figure out which to buy..
I also am married so of course my husband says we need more hp!!!
I would drive it.. and i currently drive a 99 kia... so i figure whats the diff... the 148 will probably have the same as what i am driving now?

Answer 1

More Torque will provide you faster acceleration
More Hp provides you topspeed

So if you want to win sprints the more the better of both.

Answer 2

There is a fair difference between 148 and 173hp - and you would definitely notice a difference between an engine with 148hp and one with 173hp... however, would you notice the difference between cars? The issue here is that there is more to the performance sum when talking about a car. In terms of "get up and go" alone you will have to consider the car's weight and ability to transfer the power to the road.

So, if the 148hp car were 2500lbs, and had RWD with an very effiencent manual tranmission, and the 173hp car was a 3500lb FWD automatic, the former would feel much MUCH faster as well as actually being faster.

The second issue, which you mention, is the torque of the engine and what this means to the power band. In the case of the engines mentioned, the first is a lower revving engine that probably has more power low down, while the later revs a little higher and ultimately produces more hp. Though the higher HP in this case also has a higher torque peak, and neither one of these are exactly "high revving" engines. If the first engine is really balanced towards having alot of low end power, it might feel faster than the 173hp engine, though this would just be seat of the pants and not reality.

As far as the difference being worth it, this comes back to the question of the car. The engine is but one part of the equation. The 2.4L engine sounds like a newer engine due to the variable valve timing, and as such it's probably in a newer car. That could easily justify a higher cost.

In the end though, it's worth it if the added gains add up to you. Are you willing to pay that? If so, it's worth it. If not...

PS - just to add... HP is just a measure of Torque over time. So a car with 400hp and 100lbs/ft would indicate an engine that probably revs very high and produces alot of power, but in not capable of moving alot of weight. It would be well suited to a lightweight sports car. An engine that produced 100hp, but with 400lbs/ft would indicate an engine that produced almost all of it's power very quickly, making it capable of moving a decent amount of weight, but having a very low total power ouotput (probably well suited to a tractor or tow vehicle).

Answer 3

Hey Cookie,

This is an interesting question Both motors though described differently are essentially the same. One is just .2L bigger than the other. While the one has 25 more horsepower than the other the torque is nearly the same. Note that the revolutions per minute is higher for one than the other. For exact comparison the torque and horsepower graphs should be compared (since the stats are given at differing rpms). If you were racing you would definitely be able to tell the differences in the torque and horsepower, however if you are commuting the smaller motor will do just as good as the larger one. Torque is just as important as HP when talking about the power of a motor.

Weight and handling of the cars can also affect the noticable difference.

Answer 4

This is a problem. The 173 is a very different engine than the 148. Variable valve timing is handy but only kicks in at higher rpms. Any engine is going to have a sweet spot but are you going to drive around at that engine speed? You will have to test drive each at normal speeds (what you normally do 98% of the time) and decide which is suited for you. You wouldn't buy a car that has 5000hp but will blow up in 6 weeks.

Answer 5

Horsepower is an equation or one could say it's a by product of torque.
Looking at the numbers that you are giving, it would seem that to get that extra 25 horse's you gotta wring the things neck at 6200 RPM.
The 2.2 liter engine is going to be a lot more friendly to drive with it's power coming in 800 RPM lower.
I don't know what Pontiwreck is advertising as the red line for the 2.4 engine but, 6200 RPM is right up there, so to see that horsepower you need to abuse the car.
Not your typical every day driving.
Never mind that the only time you will ever see that power is with the accelerator peddle at WFO.
The only way $3650 beans more will be worth it, is at trade in time 5 years from now.
But by that time you'll have used that amount up in extra gasoline and tires.

Answer 6

there will be some difference. the question is, what do you want in your car? What is more important 30 hp or probably better gas milage? My corolla make 130-140 i think, and it has no trouble excellerating. If i took it to the tack I'd want something better. But when driving around town, its great, and it gets 40 miles to the gallon. I'd say take the 148 hp engine and invest the 3 grand in mutual funds. 173 hp can't make you money.

Answer 7

no doubt your Kia has around 130 HP so the 148 will be just fine and give better mpg

think of it this way---85 HP in that car would be enough to do just fine, so with fuel injection the 148 will have extra zip--it's not a race you're in -it's day to day driving--plus you'll be more relaxed when you get to your destination this way than if you were
speeding around--a sophisticated lady, not a nut. good luck

Answer 8

By today's standards, 173 hp is pretty boring and useless... However, YES.. it does make a BIG difference and you'll feel it.

Only YOU can tell if it's worth it. For someone who is looking for transportation from point A to point B it wouldn't make a squat of difference.

If you like to go with more pickup, then go for it.

But again... 173 is NOTHING. That's what my Mustang GT had back in 1983.

.

Answer 9

For acceleration / pulling power, torque. For top end speed, horsepower. You decide how much you want to punish the engine for top speed and a loss in fuel economy.

Answer 10

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