[DMCForum] Re: American Horsepower

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'd argue HP is a misleading number, at least without stating its
RPM's too. A little buzzy engine is basically useless until it rev's
to its power band. Martin's going to cure this with the world's
largest transmission. Closer to reality, I'll choose bottom end power
any day.

Speaking of which: did anyone notice that while Martin chastizes me
for "blinding him with science", when confronted with the simple
unpleasant truth of grunt American horsepower, *HE* suddenly becomes
all Newtonian ("My education taught me to be specific with my
terminology". Puleeze...).

Everything on this side of the pond is bigger. Our tractor trailers
are bigger. Our camping and boat trailers are bigger. (Our aircraft
and trains are bigger). Due to a suspect diet, Americans drivers
themselves are bigger. You need not be a rocket scientist to see why
this is the land of true highway power.

Sometimes we even put it in boats...

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Andrei Cular" <andreic@xxxx> wrote:
> I know all about HP and Torque going hand in hand.  HP is just a
good number
> to referance, cause it is easy to calculate.
> 
> The 450hp for my engine is based on claculations I did during the
rebuild.
> You know with the volume of the heads, thickness of the gasket, the
cylinder
> bore, stroke, carb jetting.  The engine only has an alternator, raw
water
> pump, and fresh water pump on it, so power drain is minimal.
> 
> Actuly I do tow things with my Porsche...  I towed a large steel
truss and
> some other steel home to make the base of my bar :)
> 
> The problem I have with the boat is the ACCEL coil going bad.  Then
the boat
> sank, cause some dumbass forgot to plug in the charger druing rainy
season
> in FL, and I smoked the starter in the process of saving the engine.
 I used
> alot of oil and killed a battery and starter but at least my engine
is still
> fine. Now my extra $$$ and time is going into the D and Karmann Ghia
then I
> will get back on the boat.
> 
> 
> 
> Andrei
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "content22207" <brobertson@xxxx>
> To: <DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 4:22 PM
> Subject: [DMCForum] Re: Help, Andrei's Fallen Into the HP Trap
[Slightly T]
> 
> 
> > Andrei, Andrei, Andrei -- don't fall into the HP trap.
> >
> > Horsepower is calculated from 2 numbers: Torque and RPM's. An engine
> > that "only" produces a couple hundred HP, but does so at low RPM's, is
> > MUCH more powerful than an engine rated even higher at high RPM's.
> >
> > Consider a semi trailer tractor. "Only" puts out 300-400 HP. But it
> > does so at 1,500 RPM. Do you suppose your Porsche -- with the same HP
> > rating -- could pull 80,000 lbs as that tractor does? The answer is of
> > course "no" because it would never be able to rev anywhere near its
> > power band (actually it would stall the minute you let the clutch
out).
> >
> > Domestic big blocks have tremendous torque -- 3 or 4 times as much as
> > a little sports car engine. That's why you see people towing boats and
> > trailers with a Cadillac, but never a Honda.
> >
> > FYI: HP = Torque x RPM / 5252.
> >
> > The 450 HP rating of your 454 is probably a gross number, calculated
> > out of the vehicle with no accessories on the front. That's the way
> > American manufacturers did it in the 1960s. Actual net HP in the car
> > averaged a hundred ponies or so lower. Domestic manufacturers switched
> > to net HP ratings at the same time they dropped compression ratios --
> > lower compression does lower HP, but not as badly as the 1972 numbers
> > make it appear.
> >
> > If you're having problems with the 454 in your boat, consider a Ford
> > 460. I know it's a popular marine application.
> >
> > Bill Robertson
> > #5939

---

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