what is better. And how can you have more HP and less Torque and vise versa. Thanks for clearing this up

 

Torque is what allows a car to move forward. Horsepower is what allows the car to run at a higher speed. For our cars, torque is the best. The higher torque, the better you are off the line. Generally, you will find cars with higher horsepower compared to torque which allows cars to be faster once moving, but the torque gives that initial push. Its the same thing as winding a rubber band.

 

like sombody told me...TQ gets you off the line, HP wins the race.

 

horsepower will "get you off the line" if you launch your car in its powerband.

yikes, i can just see all the BS thats going to get posted in this thread.

 

well, at least we should be able to agree that a heavier car needs more torque than a lighter car

to answer one of the questions (generally speaking) :

Big Torque = lots of cubes, and long stroke
Big HP= lots of cubs, and a short stroke

 

Yes the BS will get deep. To put it bluntly you want both. Torque is great but if you have no way of building over time as fast as possible (HP) than your car will be slow. Torque is what moves your car, but HP is how fast you build it over time. You could put a semi motor in your 3rd gen and it would be slow because it doesn't have much HP to build all that torque in a short time increment.

 

While the stroke may have some bearing on the RPM range of the engine, it is not nearly as important as the heads/cam/intake combination. For instance, I could build two different 350s, one with TPI/Vortec/Hotcam, and one with MiniRam/AFR210s/XR288HR, these engines have the same stroke, but completely different powerbands and RPM ranges. Anyway, for this latest incarnation of the infamous low vs top end arguement, I have to say neither is 'better', its a matter of preference and intended use of the car.

 

ditto.

There really isn't any easy way gerneralize horsepower and torque, esspecially without any idea as to what its regarding.

There simply is too much to it.

 

I say, depending on what you wish to achieve with the engine, they have an equally important role. For many people, they want to get off the line quickly. Once they are off the line, they want to be able to move from point "A" to point "B" in a rapid manner. Considering as how torque is a rotational force, that is what gets us off the line. The more torque, the easier it is to get off the line, obviously (more tq = more rotational force = more force applied to the tires to get them to spin).

Now once you GET moving, you want to be able to get from point to point in haste. Consider how horsepower is work per unit time (1 hp = ~33,000 ft-lbs/min). So the more hp you are putting down, the more work your engine can do. The more work your engine can do, the faster you will get from point "A" to point "B."

This is why towing vehicles are concentrated on TQ (they need to be able to PULL) and NASCAR focuses on HP (they need to get from the starting line to the starting line the fastest). For them, look at the camshafts. They make either the High RPM power or the low end grunt. Cylinder heads, while an important part of the engines RPM powerband, are nothing more than channels for supplying air to the engine. They may be a limiting FACTOR due to port design which HINDERS the upper RPM efficiency. But in the end, it is the camshaft that opens the valves, keeps them open, then shuts them.

So, in MY books, get good heads. Get a cam to match what you want out of the engine. Then by a carb and intake to supply air. But a blend of low end grund and high end power is ideal. 383/400 fits the bill nicely (when properly built)

 

I think this articule on TQ vs HP explains it pretty well.

http://www.vettenet.org/torquehp.html

 

Thanks for all the info. YOU GUYS ROCK . The reason that I asked was that I was under the impression that the 85 305 was the best 305 of all the years but I guess it depends on how you look at it. I have the 85 with the 342 rear end and I have a 89 with (I think) a 323 rear and the eighty five will leave the 89 in the dust..

 

I'm not going to let this live because it is bound to get ugly. The link gives a pretty good story.

As to your '85 vs. '89, here's another story: https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/techdb.shtml . The '85 TPI has 215 HP @ 4400, 275 lbs-ft @ 3200. The '89 (assuming it is an LO3) has 170 HP @ 4000, 255 lbs-ft @ 2400. If it's actually an LB9, it's 195 @ 4000, 295 @ 2800.

And, the '89 probably doesn't have 3.23's, but 2.73's. It's got less power, less torque (unless LB9), and worse gears. It loses to the '85 on all counts.