Question for all of you smart people . What puts you down the 1/4 faster, HP OR TQ? Reason why I am asking is, I witnessed two Fords, one 510hp and the other 485hp run high 12's in the 1/4 mile. Both making alot of torq. Yet, I have seen some 600+hp Dodge trucks run the same times..... but less TQ than the Fords. I know once you get to 500hp its all about hooking up and all at the line, but what gives, less hp same weight running same or better times? The 485hp Ford layed down 12.9. Explain>>>

 

Fords have more gears in the trans that hold them at peak power better and get them down the track, there's probably other reasons to though

 

i always heard tq was off the line and hp was top end so maybe a little of both gets your down the 1/4 mile in a hurry?

 

good question duk, im gonna say good old fashion HP. BUT DONT ASK ME TO EXPLAIN.

 

there is alot that goes into it, but basically HP is nothing but a calculation derived from an actual Torque Measurement
HP=(TorquexRPM)/5252

So two trucks with Identical Torque and HP and Weight can then run different times based upon either:
A) gearing whether it be transmission ratios or rear end ratios
B) shift points (maximizing the use of the gears)

 

A better comparison would be to look at the dyno charts for each, the powerstrokes get to peak power quick and hold it longer. Their dyno charts pretty much run up to their peak power(whatever it may be) and hold it flat lined, from most i've seen. That 485hp stroke probably holds 485 for a couple grand rpms and the 600hp cummins only a few hundred rpm. They also rev higher and can hold a gear longer. A cummins ramps up and falls back down quicker, but make more peak power in most cases. The gearing, shift points, tires, etc..are lots of variables though. Just my .02 maybe helpful

 

Tons of torque from a ford? Did it have a cummins in it?

Usually, fords are super weak in the torque department.

7.3's might be a different story.

HP is a function of torque, so it's not really a matter of one or the other, but at what rpm you can make power.

-jp

 

Hey JP, what happened to your sig?

 

One thing your not taking into consideration is the weight of the trucks, possibly. What type of trucks were they?

Also, running more rpm will help quite a bit in the 1/4, which unless you have a ppump, most powerstokes and dmaxs will out rev our CR's.

 

gearing and powerband of your engine is important. ours make 325 HP roughly at 2800 rpm. im not sure but maybe the fords is 325 or so HP at 3800 rpm..who knows.all i know is if i am to worry about racing ill just buy a corvette with a saleen kit. then ill be fast and itll be cheaper

 

simply said torque gets you goin hp keeps you goin

 

That is because the truck is a sleeper and he doesn't want to tell anybody his secret tricks .

I think torque is what gets you from point A to B. Weight, tires, gear ratio all matters. Can't forget about traction.

 

I have a new one now

 

All fords make less peak torque than cummins with same peak HP.

Black Jet is correct that Fords have more area under their HP curve. Dodge's generally have a nice curve that peaks around 2800. Fords peak and then plateau which lets them run gears out further and put a higher average of horsepower to the pavement.

And no, 7.3 are not torque monsters. You will never find a 7.3 or 6.0 that make twice as much torque as hp. Most cummins make twice as much torque as HP and the 6.7 makes almost 3 times the torque as hp.

 

The Cummins makes great TQ due to it's longer throw. You just won't find that long throw on a V8 diesel.

Does any one know what a full blown built D-Max or a PowerStroke will rev to? 4.5-5k RPM's?