say if i have a 2500 lb car with something around 230 whp and 150 lb-ft of torque versus same hp but like 185 lb-ft of torque how much faster would it be in the 1/4 mile?

k20a versus k24 tsx block + k20a head

 

i think the 185 torque would take that car off the line and hold the lead, but it'd be a close race. that jump off the line wouldn't be a whole lot, but it would prolly be enough that the 150 lb-ft couldn't outrun it.

 

what about the street? i know it would be faster but would it be more or less every day drivable?

 

all things being equal, as long as they weighed the same 2500lbs, getting equal traction, and have the same 230 wheel horsepower, in theory, they should run exact same times in 1/4 mile (which would be about 12.9 at sea level) - however, getting everything equal would be the problem - the engine with the most torque is going to produce the most horsepower throughout the rpm range - the 230whp is only achieved at a specific rpm - 150ft-lb torque would mean engine has to rev to 9450rpm to produce 230whp (270 at flywheel and 15% loss) - 185ft-lb torque would mean engine has to rev to 7665rpm to produce 230whp (270 at flywheel and 15% loss) - it would all come down to the set-up on the car as far as gearing, tire size, etc. - with the right tires and gearing, the car with less torque could beat the one with more torque - more torque and horsepower doesn't mean much unless you can get it to the ground

 

all your calculations are totally wrong

 

no not all of them are wrong...To me i thing the car with the less tq should win...one because the one with more tq is going to spin more off the line and not be able to get going....The one with less tq is going to spin less and then the Hp will take over after he gets traction...the only reason the car with more tq would win is if he got traction...Also the biggest thing is the driver i have seen many less hp and tq cars win because the faster cars driver sucked....

 

The car with 185 lbft tq would make 230 whp at a lower RPM (aka earlier)than the car with 150 lbft tq (hp=tq * rpm/5250, you can go into specific calculatinos yourself), but there's also the question of power band, which is much more important than peak power...basically there's too many factors, and if you need to ask about such a retarded question then you should reconsider doing any sort of engine stuff...

cliff's notes: there IS such a thing as a stupid question, thanks to our original poster

 

150ft of tq and ur going to spin? i know guys with close to 600 rwhp and 550ft-tq on street tires that can launch without spinning, though there times arnt as good as they can be with drags, but this whole concept is dumb. hp, tq, and weigh all play factors, plus what tires are doing the driving! if 2 cars, fwd, with 230rwhp and one has 150tq and one has 185tq, and they both weigh exactly 2500lbs, the one with more tq is going to win cuz it has the extra power pushing/pulling the car. it would be a exact tie if the car with more tq weighed a little more cuz the extra tq would be used move the extra weight.