For me torque is more important. It give more power to pull things.

if u want to haul things then go with torque horse power primarilly reffers to speed

If you reside in a city, the torque should be a higher concern. Horsepower is more for 'toughness'.

Horse power is good in the end., But torque will get you off the line quick.

The simple answer is neither, or both, or it depends. The old adage says, "People buy horsepower but drive torque". Many engines produce peak torque (and operate at peak volumetric efficiency) at a tolerably low RPM, and most vehicles with a decent towing capacity hit their peak torque early. This is good for anybody who uses their vehicle for work and has to worry about offsetting performance versus fuel costs. It is also good for those racers who need control and versatility more than outright speed. This rally racers, road racers, autocrossers... basically anyone except drag racers and circle/oval trackers. Engines operating at peak power are normally consuming for fuel per unit of power produced AND producing more power, thereby consuming fuel much more rapidly. For a commercial vehicle or a daily-driver, this can be a hassle unless paying $2.50/gallon or more is no big thing for you. However from a purely performance point of view, this is better as power is a product of both force and speed so you can use gearing to trade force for speed or vice versa. This is how Hondas, motorcycles, and F1 race cars get their performance; a little less torque and a lot more RPM results in more power while proper gearing turns more power into more zoom. Alternatively, you can gear lower and trade those RPMs for yet more torque. To all of those old-school muscle car buffs who believe that trading RPM for torque is a totally pointless exercise in rice-hood, you guys don't understand why cars use transmissions or final drive ratios nor do you grasp how the starter motors on your V-8 works. To all of you buzz-bombers who think big-block torque is brutishly antiquated, you fail to realize that peaky engines require more shifting. You need some low-end grunt if you want to hit 60MPH before you hit 4th gear, especially since you can't accelerate while shifting between gears.

hey, torque is the ticket. Torque is a measure of pulling power. If you want you car to move you'll need it.

depends on what u want if you want to go screaming down the road with your hair on fire horsepower if u want to pull a load of ATV's so you can scream down the trail with your hair on fire go with torque

Oops... Accidentally posted twice, so here's more info to make it worthwhile: Typically you'll find much bigger torque #'s in a truck than in a car, due to the fact that you're likely using the truck to haul a load. Diesel trucks have a good deal more torque in general (at least late model. Torque gets you moving, horsepower keeps it moving.

Depends on what you're looking to do, but they're closely related. Torque is a measure of work or ability, so that's what you want if you need to move a heavy load. Horsepower is a measure of work in relation to time, so it is the measurement used when you're looking for speed.

another old saying, "hp impresses your mates, but torque wins races"

Hey, thats what I'm trying to find out...only I want to know if it's better in snow blowers than cars or trucks. I have a 13.5 torque; I wonder what that would be in horsepower??

allow me to answer like this.you can buy a 500hp.ford mustang...you can also but a 500hp.mack truck.the mustang has 450ft lbs.of torque the mack has2000 lbs of torque...give me torque any day

This is a highly questioned topic. To understand the differences you need to understand torque. Torque is a result of the gear ratio/Revolutions per minute. A greater amount of torque will be produced by a smaller gear powering a larger gear and lower RPM. Ex. Tow Trucks will have low gear ratios, very small gears powering a larger gears and redline at a low RPM. This results in a very large amount of torque which allows the truck to tow or haul heavy loads. The low gear ratios, low RPM's and high torque results in a slow automobile. Tow trucks have extremely low gear ratios/RPM's which results in overall slower vehicle. If a regular full size truck had a comparable amount torque and was capable of producing more revolutions per minute it would be considerably faster. Ex. If vehicle #1 had a V8 producing 650lbs/ft of torque @ 2000 rpm and vehicle #2 had a v8 producing 500lbs of torque @ 6000rpm, the vehicle #2 would be a great deal faster. Horsepower is determined by the torque and RPM's. Multiply the two together and divide by 5252 and you have horsepower. The cars curb weight will effect the performance as will aftermarket parts. There are many varibles to consider when determining the exact preformance between performance vehicles but this lays out a general understanding of the differences between a utility work vehicle and your basic family vehicle. Therefore, the tourque/rpm and BHP ratio will determine if the vehicles overall preformance and capabilities suit your needs. Again, it depends on if your looking for a vehicle for extreme conditions, daily routines...or play!

Torque. Slow or fast it will get you there.

300 hp @ 6,400 rpm / 260 ft-lbs @ 4,800 vs. 287 hp @ 6,200 rpm / 274 ft-lbs @ 4,800 ????????? PLEASE HELP ?????????

Subaru's web site says it best: Defining Torque and Horsepower Let’s start with some definitions. Torque is the twisting force produced at the heart of the engine, its crankshaft. Torque is measured in pounds-feet. One pound-foot is equal to the twisting force produced when a one-pound force is applied to the end of a one-foot-long lever. For example, if you placed a wrench on a horizontal bolt and exerted one pound of pressure on the handle one foot from the center of the bolt, you would produce one pound-foot of torque, or twisting force. The key word here is force; torque is a measure of an engine’s ability to apply twisting force to the vehicle’s crankshaft. Horsepower (HP) is a general expression of an engine’s ability to do work, expressed as a rate. Horsepower is calculated using factors of force, time and distance. The key word here is power. One horsepower is equal to the amount of power it would take to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second. The phrase horsepower came into use in the late 18th century, when steam engines started doing work previously performed by horses, and potential steam engine buyers needed an easy comparison to understand a machine’s capabilities. Although we’re a long way from comparing horses to automobiles, horsepower’s scientific definition continues to be the standard for defining an engine’s power. In vehicle specifications, the torque and horsepower ratings are usually followed by the @ symbol and a number indicating the engine’s revolutions per minute (RPM). For example, in its specifications, the 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX is listed as having 217 pounds-feet of torque @ 4000 RPM, and 227 horsepower @ 6,000 RPM. What’s the RPM? Why factor in the RPM? Because an engine produces its maximum power at a particular rate (or range) of revolutions per minute, and that rate in RPM varies among different engine sizes and designs. Two different engines could have the same rated torque or horsepower, but could reach those ratings at different RPM. If Engine A produces 200 horsepower at 2,000 RPM, and Engine B produces 200 horsepower at 5,000 RPM, Engine A will accelerate better at low speeds, because it reaches its maximum horsepower at the lower 2,000 RPM. Conversely, Engine B will accelerate better at high speeds, because it reaches its maximum horsepower at the higher 5,000 RPM. The same rules apply to torque. If Engine A produces 200 pounds-feet of torque at 2,000 RPM, and Engine B produces 200 pounds-feet of torque at 5,000 RPM, Engine A will have more towing or hauling capability at low speeds, because it reaches its maximum torque at the lower RPM. Engine B will have more towing or hauling capability at high speeds, because it reaches its maximum torque at the higher RPM.

There is no 'better'. It all depends on what you are trying to do with it. And since you placed this in a very generic category encompassing just about any vehicle, there is no telling. DO you need speed, pull or strength? Both? doing what?

I've said this before and I'll say it again: Torque gets you moving, horsepower keeps you moving. For me, torque is more important because living in the city doesn't usually mean you need to sustain high speeds for very long.

Niether for any type of car, if you can get everything right then you'll get about the same for each numerically speaking, ideally peak torque at 3000, peak hp at just under 6. The key being the torque band is so flat and strong, not at all like a typical car that hits v-max at 6000. So long as you have reasonably good everything else its having camshafts with a high angle slop, aka closest .050" duration to "advertised" duration you can get. It slams the cam up and off real quick, and its too harsh for a weak valve train, but so long as thats taken care of you will have the sweetest engine possible. Italian and American car fans should know what i'm talking about.

It depends on the type of vehicle, and your driving style.

Horsepower is what you read about, torque is what you feel.