You'll often hear about how much horsepower and torque a car has. And while you probably know they both have something to do with how powerful a car is, there's a good chance you don't know exactly what the difference is between the two measurements.
Don't worry, you're not alone. And you're also not going to be in the dark any longer. Below, we'll discuss the difference between torque and horsepower and cite a few examples of Subaru vehicles for sale in York, Pennsylvania, that excel in each category.
What Is Horsepower?
Horsepower is a measurement of how much power an engine produces. Horsepower is measured by the amount of power needed to move a unit of 550 pounds 1 foot in one second or 33,000 pounds 1 foot in one minute.
James Watt (1736-1819) is credited with inventing horsepower. While working with horses pulling coal out of a coal mine with a rope, Watt decided to come up with a formula to measure how quickly a horse could move coal out of the mine. He determined a horse could perform 33,000 foot-pounds of coal, which is equal to pulling 330 pounds of coal 100 feet in one minute, or 1,000 pounds of coal 33 feet in one minute. No matter the amount of coal or the distance moved, the product of pounds multiplied by feet equals 33,000, or 1 horsepower.
When translated to a car, the amount of horsepower represents the power that would be generated by that number of horses using Watt's calculation. For example, the Subaru WRX pictured above generates 271 horsepower, or the equivalent of 271 horses pulling 33,000 foot-pounds of coal out of a coal mine.
What Is Torque?
Torque is a similar-but-different way of measuring a vehicle's power. Torque is rotational force, like turning a doorknob or tightening a bolt with a wrench. As it relates to cars, torque refers to the amount of force that's generated by the engine's crankshaft and used to turn the wheels.
Like horsepower, torque is also measured as a relationship between pounds and feet. If a wrench were 1 foot in length and you applied 100 pounds of force behind it, the amount of torque in play would be 100 pounds per foot, or 100 lb-ft.
Unlike horsepower, torque can be applied even if it doesn't result in an object being moved. Have you ever failed to open a very tight lid on a jar, no matter how hard you tried to twist it? You were still applying a great amount of torque even though the lid didn't budge.
The Relationship Between Horsepower and Torque
Torque is the amount of force that's delivered to a car's wheels while horsepower measures how quickly that force is delivered. If a car's engine was a boxer, the speed at which a punch was thrown would be the horsepower, and the torque would be a measure of how much force is behind that punch.
So how do horsepower and torque work together? For starters, horsepower can actually be measured using torque. Just multiply the amount of torque by the engine speed (in revolutions per minute), and then divide by 5,252 to get the amount of horsepower at that precise engine speed.
But the relationship between horsepower and torque runs deeper than a math formula. Torque is what initially accelerates a car and gets it moving. Horsepower is what helps the car achieve its top speed. When the aforementioned Subaru WRX goes from zero to 60 mph in under five seconds, it's the torque doing the work. As the car begins to reach a high speed, the horsepower takes over. In other words, a high amount of torque helps the engine accelerate faster from a stopped position while high horsepower allows the car to eventually reach a high speed.
If a vehicle has high torque but low horsepower, it might accelerate hard out of the gate, but it won't reach a high speed relative to other cars with more horsepower. On the flip side, a car with low torque but high horsepower may be slow getting off the starting block, but once it gets going, it will reach a high speed.
When Do You Want More Horsepower?
Horsepower is designed more for top-end speed and performance, so those looking for some zip in their ride will value a higher horsepower. A car with high horsepower but not a lot of torque, such as a sports car, can race around at a high speed but wouldn't be well equipped to tow or haul heavy loads.
When Do You Want More Torque?
Torque is important for towing and hauling, as increased torque will reduce the strain on your engine when transporting heavy loads. A vehicle with high torque but not a lot of horsepower may not necessarily achieve a high speed but will have the ability to tow and haul trailers, campers, and boats up hills or through the rough terrain around York, Pennsylvania.
What Are the Most Powerful Subaru Vehicles?
Now that you understand the difference between horsepower and torque, let's take a look at some of the Subaru models that excel in each metric.
The Subaru with the most horsepower is the WRX, which generates up to 271 horsepower. Well, unless you count the 862-horsepower Subaru Gymkhana of course. Other Subaru models that are high on horsepower include the Outback (260 hp), Ascent (260 hp), Legacy (260 hp), BRZ (228 hp), and Solterra (215 hp). In terms of torque, the Outback, Ascent, and Legacy all check in at 277 lb-ft to lead all Subaru models while the WRX generates 258 lb-ft of torque and is followed by the Solterra at 249 lb-ft.
Subaru exclusively uses its signature boxer engine on all of its models, which is the same engine found in several Porsche models.
Ready To Feel the Difference Between Horsepower and Torque?
Now that you've read about the difference between horsepower and torque, come feel the difference for yourself at Apple Subaru in York, Pennsylvania. We have a large inventory of new Subaru vehicles as well as a number of used cars for you to test-drive, and our knowledgeable staff can talk you through the performance differences of each. Contact us online, call us at 223-261-1746, or visit us on Loucks Road in York.
DGP_2755 by Max Denisevich is licensed with CC BY 2.0
