Torque

[Koran]

What is torque in english not mechanic lingo. Give me an example simplify it PLEASE???

[Rich]

This is the best I could find that is kind of in easy-to-understand terms. This will only make sense if you are familiar with tools and can understand this scenerio.


Torque
Imagine that you have a big socket wrench with a 2-foot-long handle on it, and you apply 50 pounds of force to that 2-foot handle. What you are doing is applying a torque, or turning force, of 100 pound-feet (50 pounds to a 2-foot-long handle) to the bolt. You could get the same 100 pound-feet of torque by applying 1 pound of force to the end of a 100-foot handle or 100 pounds of force to a 1-foot handle.
Similarly, if you attach a shaft to an engine, the engine can apply torque to the shaft. A dynamometer measures this torque. You can easily convert torque to horsepower by multiplying torque by rpm/5,252.


Here is the dictionary definition of Torque: (this part probably wont help ya)

Torque, in engineering and mechanics, a twisting effort applied to an object that tends to make the object turn about its axis of rotation. The magnitude of a torque is equal to the magnitude of the applied force multiplied by the distance between the object's axis of rotation and the point where the force is applied. In many ways, torque is the rotational analogue to force. Just as a force applied to an object tends to change the linear rate of motion of the object, a torque applied to an object tends to change the object's rate of rotational motion.

Hope Some Of This Helps

[Koran]

So is it good to have more torque or less torque and how would you apply it to horsepower and speed if it affects it???

[Rich]

If I were you Id PM a mod and get him/her to move this thread to Cars In General - Engineering / Technical.

Im not too good at this stuff, but I do know that there are lots of ppl that will not look here, and there are many ppl on AF that would be able to answer this better than me.

For an answer, id say that it depends on what you are trying to do with the vehicle, but more torque is good, imo

Good Luck. If you need help with PM'ing a mod, post again, or IM me on AIM, or message me on MSN.

[Tireburner]

Jack one of the wheels of your car off the ground.

grab the center cap on the hub with both hands and try and spin the tire. This is what it feels like to have the torque of a 4 cyl motor

Now grab the tire and spin it. This is what it is like to have the torqe of an 8 cyl motor.

More torque is better.

[Rich]

Originally posted by Tireburner


More torque is better.

This is not always true, depending on the type of driving you have to do.

[Tireburner]

Hummerman:

What application are you thinking of?

[Rich]

You dont want torque for Winter Driving. More torque = more snow being tossed around meaning more ruts and more chance to get stuck.

Sorry if this was off-topic. I kinda forgot what this thread was about.

If this was not relevent, then say so and I will shut my trap.

[Tireburner]

No, you are on subject sort of.

I agree with your statement, but any vehicle that's improperly geared could have a problem in the snow. (or blow sand). Driving capabilities go a long way too.

Hopefully no one will build a motor for street use with 500 ft lbs of torque at idle... that could be a problem.

[Rich]

Originally posted by Tireburner
No, you are on subject sort of.

I agree with your statement, but any vehicle that's improperly geared could have a problem in the snow. (or blow sand). Driving capabilities go a long way too.

Hopefully no one will build a motor for street use with 500 ft lbs of torque at idle... that could be a problem.

Very True. Back on the original topic, you want as much torque as your engine can make, now whether you can get it the wheels is a different story.

So, Koran...is there anything else you need to know about torque? Torque affects alot of things, including acceleration and overall "feel" of the power. Its hard to say just how much adding more torque to a specific vehicle will affect it, due to transmission / differential gearing.

[Jimbo_Jones]

there is already a thread in 'cars and general' to answer this question, i forget what it is, but if you have a look around in der you should find it...

[blazed on haze :\]

Originally posted by Rich
This is the best I could find that is kind of in easy-to-understand terms. This will only make sense if you are familiar with tools and can understand this scenerio.


Torque
Imagine that you have a big socket wrench with a 2-foot-long handle on it, and you apply 50 pounds of force to that 2-foot handle. What you are doing is applying a torque, or turning force, of 100 pound-feet (50 pounds to a 2-foot-long handle) to the bolt. You could get the same 100 pound-feet of torque by applying 1 pound of force to the end of a 100-foot handle or 100 pounds of force to a 1-foot handle.
Similarly, if you attach a shaft to an engine, the engine can apply torque to the shaft. A dynamometer measures this torque. You can easily convert torque to horsepower by multiplying torque by rpm/5,252.


Here is the dictionary definition of Torque: (this part probably wont help ya)

Torque, in engineering and mechanics, a twisting effort applied to an object that tends to make the object turn about its axis of rotation. The magnitude of a torque is equal to the magnitude of the applied force multiplied by the distance between the object's axis of rotation and the point where the force is applied. In many ways, torque is the rotational analogue to force. Just as a force applied to an object tends to change the linear rate of motion of the object, a torque applied to an object tends to change the object's rate of rotational motion.

Hope Some Of This Helps

dude, the dictonary version is easier to understand... just a thought.