Do you want more horsepower than torque or both in a race car to make it faster?

Answer 1

You need both, but if you have to choose one over the other, hp is more important in a drag race. If you have two cars that are exactly the same in every aspect except one has 300hp and 200tq and the other one has 200hp and 300tq and they were to race a 1/4 mile drag, the one with 300hp and 200tq would win. Tq gets you going but hp is what keeps you going at higher speeds and gets you to those speeds faster.

Answer 2

Bottom end acceleration is based on torque and weight of car as well as traction and weight transfer. Basically divide weight of car by torque and the one with the least weight per pounds of torque will be the quickest off the line. Horse power is for top speed. This gets more complicated. In theory the same car with everything equal will go faster with more horsepower. But, drag co-efficiency, power per weight ratio, rear end gears, rpm maximum and stability of car at top speed as well as manufacturer limiting the ECU will dictate top end of the vehicle. I would bet on the Honda, that's if the hp and torque are actually dyno proven and not the way a lot of people estimate by adding a "spacer" that claims to add 15hp, then adding headers that claim another 25hp, the adding an intake that claims 35hp etc... and adding all the BS hp to the existing claims of the manufacturer because all this bolt on junk alone won't add even 25% of the claimed horsepower.

Answer 3

having both is ideal,but torque is what moves your vehicles weight around. if you have a heavy car or truck your going to need more torque to launch the weight of the vehicle. although you need the horsepower to get the speed. horsepower is produced with rpm, so if your off roading you would consider more torque because you need to be able to pull hard through mud or up steep hills. if you race the 1/4 mile you really need horsepower with a lot of rpm's and a light weight car or truck so that you can get more speed. Honda civics can produce over 500 hp from a 4 cylinder but have little torque. the car also doesn't have really much weight to haul around. i know a guy the rebuilds engines for a living and races his own dragster on the weekend and all he talks about is torque. my opinion would to try to have both, more torque with high gear ratio and less gear changing and horsepower to be able to whine out each gear to get the speed.if you really want detailed info. try calling the number below.

Answer 4

Both.
If you are racing in a straight line for a 1/4 mile race, the more torque is better.
The more torque, the faster acceleration. The more horsepower, the more speed. For example. 50HP and 200 torque means about a 80mph top speed and 0-60 in 6 seconds if it is a 3000 pound car.

Answer 5

Not to oversimplify your question, but you need both. Torque will get the bulk of your vehicle moving and horsepower will make it go faster. Peak torque will occur at a lower RPM than peak horsepower.

Answer 6

you need BOTH... and typically a car with lots of horsepower will have a lot of torque too...