Sometimes many people wonder what torque is. This question is quite important, so it’s worthwhile to understand it.
You can give a definition from the course of physics that everyone goes through at school: torque equals the product of force on the shoulder of its action. To understand in more detail how a car engine works, we can recall the primitive principle of a steam locomotive. Under the action of steam, the piston pushes the connecting rod, i.e. a long stick. The connecting rod spins the wheel, creating that moment on it. This moment, together with the force of adhesion of the wheel to the rails, causes a traction force to move the train forward. In this case, the translational motion on the piston side causes rotation within the engine. And at the output, the rotational movement of the crankshaft is already obtained , transmitted to the wheel by means of a transmission.
So, if the fact that such a torque is more or less clear, then it is worthwhile to figure out how the speed is associated with it. Usually in the description of the car next to the field power or torque are indicated revolutions. The thing is that maximum power with maximum torque can be achieved only at certain engine speeds. With the remaining revolutions, a markedly lower rev indicator is observed. Modern cars are distinguished by the fact that they have a peak of power somewhere around five thousand revolutions per minute, however, no one drives with such revolutions, the normal mode is at the level of two or three thousand revolutions per minute, while only 50- 70% of the capacity indicated in the passport. These forces will be quite enough with a calm and measured ride.
However, many people think about what torque is when they go to overtake, and they need the whole herd of horses available under the hood. And then it turns out that the engine needs to be untwisted up to five thousand revolutions, when all the power is available. That is why it is important to know exactly at which speed peak torque can be reached. It is worth saying that for conventional gasoline engines in this case, you can run into a problem. Here power and torque can be achieved at very high speeds. This problem is solved by installing a turbine, which often causes other difficulties in return for this. For diesel engines, the situation is slightly different, here the peak of the moment is achievable already at two thousand revolutions. The situation with electric motors is completely different. There is a completely opposite relationship. The lower the speed, the higher the torque of the electric motor. Characteristics of hybrids in this sense are very successful. For such cars, the electric motor operates at low speeds, and the gasoline is connected as it accelerates. Thanks to this design, it is possible to obtain a stably high torque over the entire rev range.
Now, when the question of what torque is, everything is clear, it remains to decide what is more important it or power? And here there is a well-known saying: power sells cars, and the torque allows you to win the race. This is not entirely true, because these two concepts are closely related:
Power = torque * rpm.
With increasing torque, the power increases, if there is enough power, then, most likely, there is enough torque. And here it is important to ensure maximum torque over the widest speed range. Now, automakers are working in this direction. When choosing a car, it is very important to pay attention to such quantities as torque, power and speed. The higher the first and second, and the lower the third, the better for the buyer.
Now that you know what torque is and how it is interconnected with other indicators, you can easily decide which car is more suitable for purchase.