> Torque goes up as the rpm increases. At the 1978 Mazda RX7
>introduction, the Japanese engineer, he later became president of the
>company, who made the rotary work by utilizing sliding tips, answered my
>question about torque by drawing a graph. Up the left side were numbers to
>indicate rpm. Across the bottom was horsepower, left to right. Then he drew
>a line upward at a 45 degree angle from Zero to indicate how the torque
>increases.
Doesn't torque max out -- and equal horsepower -- at 5,250 (5,750???)
RPM for all motors? If so, then beyond that RPM the motor only gains
HP and must rely on said HP to keep accelerating?
I'd think driving a car with a straight 45 degree torque 'curve'
would really be a dog till around 4,000 RPM where it might have 150
Ft Lbs of torque (just guessing on the rotary as I don't care to
calc. it out.)
My '68 Honda S-800 wouldn't get out of it's own way until it hit
5,000 RPM but from there to 9,000 it was a quick (not fast) little
car (1,400 lbs.) that just required a lot of gear changing to keep in
the power band. My '72 RX2 Mazda also required attention to keep it
moving. I'm sure the new S2000 is the same (and would LOVE to know
for sure one day. :-))
Big 7+ liter V8s really spoil you as it's similar to driving with an
Automatic. Autox is a one or two gear, at most, proposition. I love
the torque for all the fun you can have with it (throttle steer) but
I do miss having to get all the multiple shifts right as part of the
driving experience. They do add an interesting element to cornering.
I'd guess that that's part of what makes great big tracks more
interesting for Vettes, TAs, and such rather than it only being a
matter of top speed achieved.
Guess this makes me a race car gigolo too -- as they're all fun when
you get into 'em.
--Dan
Dan L. Bratten
'79 Trans Am 455/5sp -- CP 37 (Continual Project)
<http://24.240.36.69/CP/>
|