Bhp what is in cars

You might be wondering where torque comes into all this. In simple terms, torque is a different measurement of the work an engine can do, taken from a different part of the engine. The ideal is an engine with lots of both. Think of the difference between power and torque as the difference between an explosion and a fire.

You can read more about what torque is and what it means here. Head over to our car chooser for help picking your next car, then put it in our car configurator to see how much carwow could help you save. For more options, visit our deals page. Sell your car Get offers from multiple dealers. Sell your car. What is horsepower? Here, we take you through everything about engine power you need to know.

Compare cars using carwow Compare cars using carwow. View offers from local and national dealers. Torque of the engine is also measured. This is the turning power of the engine or how hard it can push you forward. Generally a diesel engine will have more torque than a petrol engine due to the longer stroke of the piston and the compression involved to ignite diesel fuel generates more turning power.

Also the type of engine can have a factor on the torque produced. A V type example V8 engine or boxer engine will produce more torque than a typical straight configuration. This is because in a V or boxer engine the pistons are firing down on both sides of the crankshaft producing more turning power or torque.

Torque is measured in Nm Newton metres or ft lb foot pound with 1 Nm being 0. This was an attempt at making hp metric. In this measurement 1 PS is the equivalent of Even though bhp is the most widely recognised measurement of engine power, in the European Union selected kilowatts kW as the official measure. However, this tends to be a smaller number so many manufacturers stick to using bhp.

For instance, the engine power of an Aston Martin DB9 can be expressed as bhp or kW … the bhp figure sounds much more impressive, but both represent the same amount of power. So, for hp, bhp, ps or kw the bigger the number, the more the power and so the higher the top speed.

Another force that is often quoted alongside bhp, or whichever measurement is used is torque. Torque is measured in either pound feet lb-f t or the metric Newton Metres Nm. It measures the amount of force that is required to twist an object.

In terms of vehicles, it is the amount of twisting force available at the crankshaft. The more torque you have the more pulling power the engine has, this is the force you feel when accelerating. The torque measurement provides an indication of how fast the engine will be able to move the cars weight. The more torque there is the more acceleration there will be.