Ckcrigger

Exactly why hp needs to be interpreted in the context of the "area under the curve."

This may be some of the future benefit of electric motors as supplementation to gasoline. Instant, full torque and horsepower to round out the low end....

EvilRyu

so what if you got higher peak horsepower and torque? 306HP IS350 will not be faster than 290HP NSX buddy. I'll put my money on that. Nowaday, people always bragging about their car have more horsepower than someone else car but in reality it does not go any faster. I got a buddy bragging about his gs400 has 300HP so he'll smoke anything that has less than 300HP. I just

Shinigami

The Japanese automobile makers had a deal that lasted many years whereupon they would not compete in the HP race.

That deal is now over, so the gloves are off and they're off to pump put muscle cars.

Not sure if this is a good thing, as their cars were always about efficiency. But we'll see.

rockville

This pretty much sums it up. It's not just about the peak numbers but about how much power is available at the RPM you want the engine to turn at. More displacement = low end more torque (generalization). Also, more pistons generally will yield a smoother engine at low RPM where the individual piston pulses can be felt (smoothness is more than a kinematically balanced engine else I4's with balance shafts would be smooth as a V12).

One more thing to keep in mind. I saw a post somewhere showing Hp figures for engines tested to SAE's new Hp standard. The two or three GM test motors when up in rated power. The two Hondas fell in power. Perhaps some of these high Hp V6s are taking advantage of the testing procedures to pad their numbers. It wouldn't be the first time a car company has made optimistic hp claims to look good (then again the Nissan Altima is almost certainly as powerful as the Maxima despite it's lower power claim).

nalVle

[QUOTE=EvilRyu,Aug 10 2005, 01:15 AM] so what if you got higher peak horsepower and torque?

Slithr

You might find power to weight ratio more enlightening than just h.p. when trying to look at 1/4 mile traps, etc.

Karl O.

NSX 1/4 mile times are a combination of light weight, gearing, and a car that's easy to launch and has good weight transfer for a 1/4 mile run.

I love NSXs, don't get me wrong, but put one a long straightaway on a track against newer cars (??996?? turbo etc) and they will walk away from the NSX. The DOHC V6 in the NSX was a miracle in 1991, and still is very satisfying, but its day has long passed. An NSX really needs FI to keep up with more modern machines.

SDosMil

The RL's V6 is 300hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. So 6hp and 17 lb-ft of torque less (under the old SAE rating).
Yet... is the RL fast? No, because it's heavy.

bkw

Ive got an 05 RL and while it would definitely benefit from a V8 transplant, the V6 isnt too shabby. Off the line, it takes considerable effort to get the car moving briskly, but while rolling and attempting to pass, the car hauls pretty nicely. The car is a luxury cruiser, not a stoplight terror. It's fast, it's just not quick.

It's a 2 ton car, and yeah, I get smoked by 6sp TL's

HP/TQ is only half the battle, weight plays a significant part in the whole scheme of things.

rai

I hope the IS350 is going to be along the line of the 330i for weight. ~35xx lbs that's ~500 lbs less than the RL.

I'm not sure if Lexus has switched to the new HP standard. I think it might b/c it's an odd number 306-hp and the LS430 has gone down from 290hp to 278hp.

If the IS350 has a true 306hp and weighs 3550 lbs (est.) it's power to weight will be 11.6 lbs/hp which is better than the power to weight of a S2000 (11.7 lbs/hp) and a lot better RL (13.4 lbs/hp)