Difference Between Horsepower and Torque (With Table)

Horsepower is something very different from the impression the term gives you. It is a measurement unit that measures the power that can be produced by a car’s engine. It is not just an indication of the speed at which the car can run but also the power of the engine.

On the other hand, torque is related to the engine’s performance too, but instead of focusing on the power produced, the force that the engine produces on rotating steals the spotlight. In other words, if the torque that your car’s engine produces is high, then that represents the higher ability of the engine to perform.

Comparison Table Between Horsepower and Torque

What is Horsepower?

This is a term that all eager car buyers are well-customed to. We always hear people asking several questions about the engine’s performance. One key player to determine this aspect of the engine’s performance is horsepower.

It has acquired its name from the fact that it was the unit of measuring the power produced by a steam engine against horses. This is because (As has been clear to you by now) people during those days relied heavily on horses to commute, and James Watt was enthusiastic to prove to the world that steam engines were more effective than the animal. Despite the passage of time, horsepower continues to be a common term in “car parlance”. It denotes the power that can be produced by a car’s engine. In other words, it demonstrates the work that can be done by the car within a certain time. 

Horsepower is taken into consideration with torque to determine the engine’s overall performance in terms of acceleration as well. Acceleration, as we are familiar with, means the capacity of a car to gain speed within a certain time. So, the higher the horsepower, the higher is the speed of your car.

Furthermore, horsepower, though the most common, isn’t the only way of measuring an engine’s power. We also have brake horsepower that is used to determine the engine’s power, not at its crank but at the tires, and metric horsepower.

What is Torque?

Torque is another factor that should be on your list of priorities when talking about engine performance. It is the force that the engine produces when it starts. If the torque that your car’s engine produces is high, then that represents the higher ability of the engine to perform.

This force that is produced is produced by the engine’s crankshaft. Unlike Horsepower, this is not a standard unit of measurement in itself. Rather this is just a phenomenon that is measured by units of pound-feet or sometimes by newton-meters.

Since it is the force that is exerted on the ground, the tires of the car should have decent traction because if they don’t, then the car will spin and burn the tire instead of serving its actual purpose. Horsepower is taken into consideration with torque to determine the engine’s overall performance in terms of acceleration as well.

Acceleration, as we are familiar with, means the capacity of a car to gain speed within a certain time. However, it is naive to consider that the more the torque, the higher will be the speed or acceleration of the car. It is insignificant whether the torque is more or less. What matters is when it reaches its peak as when the torque reaches its peak, it can out-accelerate a car that has more torque but reaches its peak late.

Main Differences Between Horsepower and Torque

1. While Horsepower is in itself a standard of measurement, Torque is not and is measured in Newton-meters or Pound-feet
2. Horsepower demonstrates the power that a car’s engine can produce. On the other hand, the focus of torque is not the power but the rotational force that the engine’s crankshaft can produce.  
3. Horsepower is taken into consideration with torque to determine the engine’s overall performance in terms of acceleration. However, the calculation of torque is based on force and distance and is dependent on horsepower. 
4. Where a Horsepower is a unit of measurement, the latter is considered to be a phenomenon. 
5. We look into a car engine’s horsepower as that determines the top speed at which the car can run. In contrast, torque is more acceleration-oriented. It is insignificant whether the torque is more or less. What matters is when it reaches its peak as when the torque reaches its peak, it can out-accelerate a car that has more torque but reaches its peak late.

Conclusion

Whether we realize it or not, whatever it may be, technology has been and is translating our figment of imagination into reality- sometimes too expensive for us to afford, and sometimes just about right. One such aspect of our lives is the blessing of technology is a car. We can make the most suitable buy based on a plethora of parameters. Two parameters that are a must-check when buying a car are checking its horsepower and torque.

While both play a pivotal role in delineating the engine’s power, the former is a measurement that indicates the work that is accomplished over a considerable amount of time, whereas the latter is the force that the engine produces when it starts. Both horsepower and torque should be taken into consideration because they serve two diverse purposes and a smart buy is only possible when you figure out which one’s performance is more important to you.

References

1. https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1119/1.1607807  
2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1623003