MDI Prototype "Lab Car" - Display of the vehicle's "torque"

[Gareththedrummer]

Looks like an blow mould gone wrong! Man if I was going to make a prototype car at least I'd make it look cool!

[itsdamo1993]

Imagine a scrawny weak guy and a big strong guy with a task. Ride a pushbike up a steep hill at 20km/h

The skinny guy can only apply a weak force but because he can pedal fast, he can stay in 1st gear to get up the hill at 20km/h.

The big guy has more force but cannot ride in 1st because he's to slow at pedaling.

So he has to go up the hill in 3rd gear, this means it's much harder to pedal but he can now keep up with the weaker guy.

They both do the task in different ways, power and torque

[picrijogil]

The reason why this is such a great "display of torque" is that the engine can pull the car while it is running at stationary rpm. If you try that with any internal combustion engine, the engine stalls. This is why you have to have a clutch - you need to rev it up in order to keep it running while you just start driving. For this kind of compressed air engine, there is no minimum rpm. theoretically, pressure engines have their maximum torque at near 0 rpm. Like a steam engine.

[DrNate89]

I don't know why that's such amazing display of torque -- I expected to see it pulling something.

Anyway, to simplify/answer your question:

Think of Torque as the amount of Force (pushing/pulling ability, like the amount it can "lift") an engine can make while the Horsepower is how fast it uses that Torque (the amount of distance divided by time times torque). That's simplified but essentially true.

[CATvolution]

i have some vids where i'm in the machinist area where they fabricate the car/engine parts. i'll try to get them up asap.

i think you'll like them.

[DrNate89]

Sweet, sounds good.

[muthu161]

@DrNate89 so torque is just the pulling or pushing power rite? so this wil relate in a car pick up too?

[salemcripple]

@muthu161 Torque is the rotational force applied to an object (in this case the wheels). In the US it's measured in foot-pounds. Imagine a wheel, with a foot long bar attached (length wise) to one end, and a 100 pound weight on the other. The force applied to the wheel would there fore be 100 foot-pounds of torque. The more torque, the more force is applied to the wheels, the more pulling power it has. This applies to anything with rotating parts (not just cars)

[muthu161]

@salemcripple Oh! thanks man

[salemcripple]

@muthu161 No problem :-) It really is simple basic physics. It's one of the first things i learned in physics class when i went to college for my automotive degree.

[muthu161]

@salemcripple oh! good

[teemuruskeepaa]

Hi! Still angry at me? :)

[CATvolution]

not at all dude. in the time between the griping session and now, my contracted ended, I planned this trip, moved to a new place, then did everything this week.

seriously, it was a much appreciated smack that I would expect from one of my best buddies when I get like that (I can't be mad when you were 100% right.) lol

sry for not responding sooner, but re-read my note... i had a lot of stuff to straighten out.