what is torque?

Answer 1

Christa-

I revewed all of the current answers that you received. It also sounds like you are asking what the difference is beween Torque and Horsepower.

Lets do a little Automotive 101:

The literal definition of torque is: A measurable amount of twisting force applied to an object meant to tighten, remain tight or move an object.

In the automotive industry the term is applied differently when you are asking about the "Pound Feet of Torque" developed by your engine.

Torque Applied: is the effort required to move an automobile from a position of standing still and being able to sustain the energy until a point is reached where torque is no longer applicable.

So here is the Mechanics Terms.

The portion of your engine that you use most of the time is the Torque Energy or Torque Band. This is the energy used to bring your car from a stop to any given speed. Horsepower then takes over when you are beyond the optimal Torque Band to continue to accelerate the vehicle.

So Torque is the energy that gets your car moving. Hosepower is the energy that keeps your car going and allows you to accelerate faster.

Here is another example. Gasoline engines are capable of producing good torque. This allows them to be used efficently at a higher range of speeds and common applications.

Diesel engines are better suited to low speed high torque applications like Big Rig Trucks, Bull Dozers and other such heavy equipment because their Torque Band is in a lower RPM Band in their engines.

This means that in order for a Diesel Engine to compete with a Gasoline Engine, it must be compensated through the gear ratios in the transmission and final drive assemblies on this type of equipment.

Does this mean that a Gasoline engine is more efficent at producing the energy? NO!

Diesels are more efficent at producing the same amount of energy, they just do the same amount of work slower. The upside to this is, they also use less fuel to generate the same amount of power, thus have the potential to generate more power over a longer period of time; and maintian the power for longer periods of time before they require re-fueling.

I know this answer was probably more than you bargained for, but I don't believe in giving partial answers on a legitmate question.

But now you know!

I hope I helped you out!

Answer 2

Torque is a force that tends to rotate or turn things. You generate a torque any time you apply a force using a wrench. Tightening the lug nuts on your wheels is a good example. When you use a wrench, you apply a force to the handle. This force creates a torque on the lug nut, which tends to turn the lug nut.
English units of torque are pound-inches or pound-feet; the SI unit is the Newton-meter. Notice that the torque units contain a distance and a force. To calculate the torque, you just multiply the force by the distance from the center. In the case of the lug nuts, if the wrench is a foot long, and you put 200 pounds of force on it, you are generating 200 pound-feet of torque. If you use a 2-foot wrench, you only need to put 100 pounds of force on it to generate the same torque.

Answer 3

Torque is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate.

As you know, an engine’s output is rated in horsepower and torque. Torque is pulling power, and it’s best demonstrated as the grunt that gets you moving, while horsepower is what keeps you going.

Without sounding like your high-school physics teacher, torque is the twisting force created in an engine by rotating parts; horsepower is the measurement of how fast torque is being used. Horsepower and torque work hand-in-hand, as horsepower is calculated from torque.

For the average buyer, torque shouldn’t be a deciding factor unless you know you’ll be towing or hauling heavy loads. And that’s where high-torque vehicles will thrive, driving while towing a trailer or maxing out cargo capacity. It will be easier to accelerate and sustain speed with a high-torque car in any situation, but especially with heavy loads.

High-performance cars can also produce gobs of torque that greatly aid in acceleration. That feeling of your eyeballs being sucked into the back of your head in a fast car during heavy right-foot pounding is an example of excessive torque.

Answer 4

So, in an automobile engine, the rotational force is the amount of power from the engine to the transmission. Another kind of automotive torque is the amount of power transfered from the wheels to the ground.

An engine may provide huge torque, but little is actually transfered to the ground if the gear is too high for the car's speed. However, in low gear, a tremendous amount of torque is applied to the wheels, allowing a car or truck to pull tremendous towing loads.

Answer 5

Torque is the twisting force produced by the car's engine. Pistons move up and down and this reciprocating energy is transformed into rotating energy by the car's crankshaft. Torque is the force the engine actually produces, while horsepower is a function of torque and time (RPMs). Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Torque is a measurement of rotational force. Horsepower is a factor of torque.

Answer 7

Torque is a measurement of rotational force.

Answer 8

The moment of a force,a measure of it's tendency to produce torsion and rotation about an axis,equal to the vector product of the radius vector from the axis of rotation to the point of application of the force by the force applied. It is also a turning or twisting force,

Answer 9

torque is what you feel when you take off from a redlight and it pushes you back in the seat.