mathmatical conversion question

[eth12]

I have a friend that thinks that horsepower converts from the united states to the rest of the world. Does it?

[curtis73]

There are differences based on metric vs. SAE. They are minimal, but notable. The following is a cut and paste from http://www.cbxworld.com/article76.html

There are basically two differences between a DIN and a SAE horsepower rating: One difference is in the parameters for a measurement: Horsepower is defined as work done over time. One SAE horsepower is the amount of power necessary to lift 550 pounds 1 foot in 1 second, or 33,000 lb.ft./minute. One DIN horsepower is the ability to lift 450000 kg one cm in one minute. For the same power the SAE measurement is thus 98.629% of the metric DIN measurement. 100 SAE hp = 101.42 DIN hp = 74.6 kW

In general, the DIN horsepower rating is slightly different, but not of great concern. For instance, a German car that I drive is rated at 170hp in Europe, but 168hp here. The difference is neglegible.