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Dont understand (Horsepower vs Torque)

Hi I thought horsepower was what gave a car torque,..so how come I see this: The standard Genesis engine is a direct-injected 3.8-liter V6 that produces 333 horsepower and 291

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Old 08-02-2012, 08:29 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Dont understand (Horsepower vs Torque)

Hi

I thought horsepower was what gave a car torque,..so how come I see this:

The standard Genesis engine is a direct-injected 3.8-liter V6 that produces 333 horsepower and 291 lb-ft of torque.

Nissan z 332 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque


Can someone give me a simple explanation of why two engines have the same horsepower and different torque?
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:36 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RiCharlie View Post
Hi

I thought horsepower was what gave a car torque,..so how come I see this:

The standard Genesis engine is a direct-injected 3.8-liter V6 that produces 333 horsepower and 291 lb-ft of torque.

Nissan z 332 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque


Can someone give me a simple explanation of why two engines have the same horsepower and different torque?
Horsepower is a product of torque and rotational speed (RPM). So if the engines have different torque curves the horsepower could be different. The equation is: HP = Torque x RPM ÷ 5252

So the genesis makes higher torque at lower RPM compared to the Z.
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:40 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Torque is what you feel when you accelerate it's what pushes you back in your seat.
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:41 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Short answer, its how the heads are designed and how the manufacturer wants the power curve to be also combined with the bore and stroke and compression. (since they're both NA) if you were comparing numbers between NA and FI I would have a different answer. What bluenoser said is the math part of the answer

I would also look at where the peak power is and what they rev to. I would be curious to see a Dyno sheet from the genesis. I don't wanna get into a debate over numbers but comparing those vehicles is gonna come down to how it drives. Seems to me Hyundai tweaked whatever they could to make it even more competitive on paper to gain more interest in the model since its comparitively priced to the 370
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:42 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluenoser View Post
Horsepower is a product of torque and rotational speed (RPM). So if the engines have different torque curves the horsepower could be different. The equation is: HP = Torque x RPM ÷ 5252

So the genesis makes higher torque at lower RPM compared to the Z.
That might not explain it very well actually. The HP is actually a peak HP that only happens at one particular RPM. So the genesis and Z can make the same HP but at different RPMs. If you have a torque curve you can calculate what the HP curve is by that equation.
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:43 PM   #6 (permalink)
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What Is Torque?

This one has a cool animated engine.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-p...tion/fpte4.htm
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:44 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Just remember that there are multiple factors to bear in mind when comparing the relative speeds of two cars in terms of "my car is faster than yours". Weight, HP, and torque are your big 3 in a straight line.

To use your example:
stock nismo 370z 0-60: ~4.4 sec
quarter mile: 13 sec

stock hyundai genesis R-Spec: 0-60 ~4.7sec
quarter: 13.3
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:45 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Listen to the guys above though they explained it better tbh.
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:55 PM   #9 (permalink)
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genesis (and some 370) specs seem wayyyy off in this thread.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 08-02-2012, 08:56 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RiCharlie View Post
Hi

I thought horsepower was what gave a car torque,..so how come I see this:

The standard Genesis engine is a direct-injected 3.8-liter V6 that produces 333 horsepower and 291 lb-ft of torque.

Nissan z 332 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque


Can someone give me a simple explanation of why two engines have the same horsepower and different torque?
They don't have the same horsepower... Mystery solved!
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Old 08-02-2012, 09:18 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lemon-fresh View Post
genesis (and some 370) specs seem wayyyy off in this thread.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Of course they are off it's wikipedia.
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Old 08-02-2012, 09:20 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Larger engine and DI makes only 1hp more and 20tq more... Good job Hyundai?
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Old 08-02-2012, 09:56 PM   #13 (permalink)
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Yup, pretty amazing, ha!
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Old 08-02-2012, 09:58 PM   #14 (permalink)
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Not that it answers your question but a Genesis is not going to beat a Z even with more torque... read any review of the car... they are generally underwhelming.
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Old 08-02-2012, 09:59 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KaienZ34 View Post
Of course they are off it's wikipedia.
Ok, New Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2013, 2.0T, 3.8, 3.8GT - Luxury Sports Car - Affordable Sports Car
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