What do you brag about when you talk about your high-performance car? Most likely, you’ll talk about the engine displacement, number of cylinders, and the overall horsepower. Torque tends to take a backseat to horsepower when talking about performance and speed. On the other hand, if you’re discussing an off-road truck or SUV, the conversation will certainly include torque. For off-roaders, various angles and the amount of torque produced at low rpm are the important factors to them. When presenting a horsepower vs. torque conversation, which one is more important?Do you need horsepower and torque to drive a car? Yes, you certainly do, both perform different operations, but are extremely important to the overall function of your vehicle. To understand the difference between horsepower and torque, we’ve got to learn about each term and what they mean. It's also important to know that each aids in acceleration in different ways. Highlights About Horsepower And Torque Torque is the twisting and rotational force created by the engine that allows your car to accelerate Torque is responsible for making your car accelerate quickly Horsepower helps determine your car’s top speed EVs accelerate more quickly than ICE vehicles because they achieve maximum torque immediately What Is Torque? By Definition Torque is a rotating force produced by an engine’s crankshaft. The more torque produced, the greater the ability for the engine to perform work. The measurement of torque is slightly different from the measurement of work. In standard terms, work is measured in foot-pounds, but torque is measured in pound-feet, which is how science describes measurements that are a vector of the original term. Torque is a vector because it acts in a certain direction. The Rules Don’t Matter Don’t allow engine torque to be confused with torque applied to a torque wrench. A torque wrench uses the standard work measurement of foot-pounds, which is the static torque applied to the wrench to tighten head bolts. Engine torque is not static torque, which makes it much different than the force applied to a torque wrench. We Are Always Producing Torque In the torque vs. hp conversation, we almost always produce some form of torque. When you turn a doorknob, the force and energy used is torque. Despite the minuscule figures, there’s a certain amount of horsepower in this action as well, but not enough to register. Any twisting force that’s transferred into driving power is torque. What Is Horsepower? Watt’s Equivalency Scottish inventor James Watt found a great way to explain horsepower and how to measure it. He was an eighteenth-century inventor, which explains why he would use horses to create the term horsepower. Imagine if other animals were commonly used for work, the term might have become oxpower or donkeypower instead.The measurement of horsepower is the power required to lift 33,000 pounds, exactly one foot, in one minute. This means that horsepower is the speed at which a strenuous task is being accomplished. Getting Mathematical If you want to discuss torque vs horsepower, you’ll find the two terms need each other. In order to calculate horsepower mathematically, you need to know how much torque is present. The mathematical formula for figuring horsepower is:H = T x rpm/5252In this formula, H is horsepower, T is torque in pound-feet, and rpm is how fast the engine is spinning. The 5252 is a constant that makes things work, ensuring you don’t have some oddball number that nobody wants to hear around the water cooler. How Can Your Engine Achieve Higher Horsepower? In order for horsepower to be greater, the engine must generate more torque, operate at higher rpm, or both. You could generate more horsepower without producing more torque, but this requires the engine to operate at higher rpm. Generally, producing more horsepower also means producing more torque. How Are These Power Figures Measured? Powerflex Take It To The Dyno A special tool, called a dynamometer, is used to measure torque and horsepower. This tool looks a bit like a treadmill, but it’s made for the driving wheels of a car to turn the wheels of the platform. The car remains stationary. The dynamometer measures the force the car’s wheels exert while moving the rollers and then calculates how much horsepower and torque have been produced.This tool calculates the real-world power of an engine through the drivetrain and wheels, which is much more accurate and useful than measuring these figures directly at the engine. This means the dynamometer accounts for the power loss from the transmission, wheels, and other moving parts. Which Figures Are Listed? Most automakers list the maximum horsepower and torque for a vehicle. While this is typically what’s discussed in conversation, the aspect of these figures that isn’t discussed is the rpm at which peak figures are achieved. In most cases, peak horsepower and torque are not achieved at the same rpm.In a perfect engine world, the torque would reach peak figures at low rpm and sustain that output to the redline. This would allow peak torque and horsepower to match up at some point during the drive toward the top speed. How Horsepower And Torque Affect Acceleration Mazda Which Is Better For Acceleration? When discussing horsepower vs. torque and which is most important for acceleration, the answer might surprise you. Torque plays a much more important role in the acceleration of a vehicle and how quickly the car can get off the line when stopped. This is because torque results from the force the pistons generate and at what speed. The quickest vehicles generate high levels of torque at relatively low rpm, enabling a car to accelerate quickly. Think Mazda MX-5 Miata Mazda cracked the acceleration code several years ago by developing its SkyActiv engine technology. This technology allowed the small engine used in the MX-5 Miata to reach peak torque at extremely low rpm, resulting in neck-snapping acceleration off the line. Despite the low horsepower figures of the Miata, the quickness off the line has made this car fun to drive for more than 30 years. Mazda MX-5 Miata Powertrain Specifications Which Is Better For Top Speed Figures? If you want a car that continues to accelerate once it reaches the highest gear and delivers an exciting top speed, you want a car with high horsepower figures. Horsepower determines how fast a car can go and why some turbocharged engines can achieve higher top speed figures.In order to produce more horsepower, most automakers turn to larger engines with eight or more cylinders, turbocharging, or supercharging. Some modern vehicles also add electrified assistance through hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems, capable of delivering more power without increasing the number of cylinders. The EV Note Electric vehicles have entered the performance conversation because of their incredible quickness. EVs use electric motors, generally located on the axles, to generate power. The way EV powertrains are set up allows them to generate maximum torque instantly, which translates to incredibly fast acceleration. Tesla Model S Plaid The Tesla Model S Plaid is an exciting example of torque vs. horsepower working together instead of being discussed separately. This car generates enough torque quickly to rocket to 60 mph in only 2.28 seconds and has the horsepower necessary to reach the 175 MPH top speed. It can achieve 200 MPH, but that requires an expensive upgrade and some programming to be unlocked. However, that could be worth the cost for some drivers. Tesla Model S Plaid Powertrain Specifications Why Is Torque Important For Towing? Chevrolet Pulling A Heavy Load Requires Torque The difference between horsepower and torque is significant, but the two are dependent upon each other. Horsepower provides highway passing power when your engine is revving hard, allowing you to accelerate at high speeds. Torque gives you low-end power and the ability to move quickly after stopping.Torque lets you do the work, but horsepower lets you do the work quickly.If you plan to tow, torque becomes crucial. The amount of force produced by energy directly relates to how much the vehicle can pull and tow. Because torque is necessary to get the vehicle moving, it’s a more important unit of work when towing, because things have to get going. Trucks List Towing Capacity What is towing capacity? This is the maximum amount of weight your truck, or SUV in some cases, can safely pull. These change based on how it's configured, how much weight it's already carrying, and how you distribute and control the load you need to tow.If you’ve ever noticed that high-powered trucks often have lower towing capacities than the lower trims of the same trucks, this is generally caused by the added weight required to create a high-performance or off-road truck versus a truck that does the simple job of towing well. Conclusion: Which Is Better? It’s A Simple Answer When you get into the torque vs. horsepower conversation, it’s important to understand the application of both. For high-powered, fast sports cars looking to achieve a high top speed figure, the horsepower number makes the most difference, despite torque being important for the 0-60 sprint acceleration.On the other hand, if you’re talking about the towing power of a truck or SUV, low-end torque, which is maximum torque achieved at lower rpm, is the more important figure.