Understanding HP and RPM and which 2 of these cars is the best?

[Bulletproof]

Hi, I don't understand these terms.. For example:

Mercedes Benz E Class E55 AMG is 5.5L V8, 24 - Valve, 469 @ 6100 Horsepower

and the Dodge Viper is 8.3L V10, 20 - Valve, 500 @ 5600 Horsepower

I dont understand what the litres mean, I believe the V# stands for the number of combustion elements in the engine, No idea what the valves mean. And is lower or higher RPM at a horsepower better?

And which one out of those two is better? I have been considering buying either one but the Viper is only manual transmission.

[chicago_guy]

ok where to start...valves r the things that let the air/fuel mixture into and out of the cylinders. the V in V-10 means that the cylinders r configured in a V shape. and u got ur horsepower question mixed up. the benz has 469 hp @ 6100 rpm and the viper has 500 hp @ 5600 rpm. that means when the engine is at 5600 rpm, its producing 500 hp. u also shud look at torque on these things. thats the thing that throws u bak in ur seat. when lookin at torque the bigger the range of it the betr. for example, a car that has 300 lb/ft of torque from 2000-5500rpm is a large range.

n by the way...if u dont want a stick...dont get a sports car

i hope i helped

[chicago_guy]

o yea....if u want a kick ass car...go wit the viper. and one more thing. liters means the total of volume of all the combustion chambers (cylinders)

[Jm93]

waht are you talking about? horsepower is how many horses you can fit into your trunk!!!.

JJ.

anyways liek someone said above, if you plan to get a very high performance sports car, learn to drive a manual. the day i see an auto viper is the day i will stop drinking for a month.