Larry,
Probably the only thing that might disabuse you of your opinion on torque
versus horsepower is for you to take your car to a drag strip and test our
respective theories. First, make a few runs keeping the rpm's centered on
the "sweet spot" of the torque curve - perhaps around 4,000 rpm. Then make
some more runs setting your shift points to keep the rpm's centered on the
horsepower sweet spot - say around 6,000 rpm. You could also do this
"virtually" using one of the available software emulation programs and get
the same result - the result being that maximizing the average horsepower
over the 1/4 mile gets you much quicker times and much higher trap speeds
than shifting to maximize the average torque.
So what is torque good for? First, it's a lot sexier word than horsepower,
so if you are looking for a name for a really bad movie, "Torque" beats
"Horsepower" hands down. Also, and more seriously, if you are an engine
builder, then looking at a torque curve gives you more direct insight into
an engine's operating efficiency than the horsepower curve does. Although a
drop in torque will also show up in the horsepower curve, it won't be as
distinct and the rpm point will be shifted.
Bob
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