That is quite a claim, and it might even be accurate. Would you mind showing your work?

 

Not this again...

Torque is NOT the measure of how much work you can do. It is a measure of force at the crankshaft ONLY.

Power (with the unit "horsepower") IS the measure of how much work you can do, because it includes force (torque), distance, and time.

While having a high torque motor is a useful thing when towing heavy loads, the torque number alone is meaningless. The higher-torque motor will not necessarily tow more than a lower torque motor.

The object of gearing in both a gas and a diesel truck is to keep the engine in its optimal horsepower range. In your example, you can change the gearing in the diesel around any way you want, but you will NEVER get more than 400 HP at the rear wheels, and the HP at the rear wheels is what determines how much you can move and how fast you can move it.

The 1200 ft.lb. motor will have some advantages in how it behaves towing a load, but it will ultimately not have any more ability than the 400 ft.lb. motor. The 1200 ft.lb. motor will not magically produce more rear-wheel horsepower, and rear-wheel horsepower is what you need more of if you want to tow a heavier load, or two the same load faster.

 

Yeah, but......

 

I think you need to calm down there!! Just because he is 17 is no reason to ban him. There are many members on here that are young. They contribute well and are here to learn. I dont think Will is much older.

 

Like Marc said - you need to slow your roll a bit, dude.....

 

OK Just Stirrin the pot got a little crazy

17 == Not enuff gray material yet...







Carry On gentlemen.. I was beside myself thought he was at least 23 === My Bad...

 

So your sayin that because im under 23 that im dumber then you too? Not tryin to start anything, just tryin to under stand what your point is.



Edit: Just noticed this is my 302nd post. i had a 302 in one of my broncos.lol My girlfriend thinks im crazy when i look at the clock and its 3:02, 3:51, 4:26, any motor.lol

 

I'm going to have to start buying my popcorn in the Costco Value-Packs...

 

I joined FTE when I was 17.

Looks like I've been here 6 years longer than Broncoholic.....

 

This thread is still alive?!!!

 

Bill! This is a family web site for cryin' out loud! Don't be posting pics of stuff like that!

P.S. Smokin': This is another poop joke. Please don't go off on me again!

 

 

It's starting to circle the drain, Lee.....don't know how much longer it'll hang on.

 

It is still funny to read it though. A few posts bum me out and then BAM, I am ROFLMAO. I think this is my favorite thread. Call me sheltered.

 

Are you saying that torque is completely meaningless aft of the crankshaft? While I would agree that it is not the measure of work, it is transmitted throughout the entire drivetrain. Putting my mind back in physics class 20 years ago, the ONLY thing that moves any object is the force that is applied. In a truck, that force is torque. Without it, the truck just sits there and looks pretty, or in the case of a Chevy, it just sits there. So in our discussion, torque IS the only number that matters because it is what is transmitted through the drivetrain to the wheels and down to the ground to actually move the truck. You can call this force 'torque to the ground', 'tractive force', or 'torque at the wheels.' Or whatever else you want to call it.

Horsepower enters the arena because it is a description of how fast torque is produced. Imagine an engine that has a hp peak at 15,000 rpm and is producing 200 lb ft of torque. Such an engine would top out at 571 hp. The fact that it is a weak engine is made up by the fact that it can spin so fast. If such an engine had a hp peak at 5,000 rpm, it would only be a 190 hp engine. Now take the 571 hp engine, put it in a truck and attach a 15k trailer to it and see how well it tows. It has over 200 more hp than my 6.0 does so it should leave me in the dust. But it won't because in order to take advantage of it peak hp, it has to be spinning so fast that fixed gears will not be effective in getting the load moving and keeping it moving efficiently. Such an engine has its uses, like in a race car, but towing is not one of them.

In my opinion, the best pulling engine will be able to put the required amount of tractive force to the ground at the lowest rpm. It makes for an easier, less stressful pull so I can concentrate on Wilkow, Hannity, and Levin on the XM. In your example, that would be the 1,200 lb ft motor...and by a boat load. Others may have different preferences which is why this argument will never go away.