Great post! Looking at the data this way makes me appreciate the lower torque M3 engine philosophy. That's why the car's power is so linear/smooth. I had a 335i myself with some bolt-ons, loved it, but there was something anemic about it in the upper rev limits, and this explains it well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by e1000
i disagree. Cars with high torque values compared to their power output typically have early peak torque, which then trails off. Perfect example of this is the N54/N55. (Blue line)
Of course, with the N54/N55, this is due to the turbo's being optimized for a certain rev range, and once it gets past this range, the fun tapers off quickly. This reflects the driving characteristics of the car, a strong initial shove and then that acceleration tapering off in the high rpm range.
While that's all happening on the 335i side, The M3's torque curve looks like this.
The almost completely flat torque curve means that the S65 pulls right up until rev-line.
I know what you're thinking, "but that's a FI vs NA car, surely this is a symptom of being turbocharged!"
Not so, take for example, the M156 6.3L AMG engine. Again, relatively high torque vs the horsepower it produces.
Again, we see the drop off occur starting at 5.5k rpm.
Why does this happen? This happens because regardless of FI or NA, horsepower and torque will always have a relationship with one another, and if a high amount of torque is created in the early to mid range, the engine will have to slump at the end. The answer to this of course, is what M did with the S65, and what Ferrari likes to do. Cut the peak torque to achieve an almost completely flat torque curve.
From there, you and I both know why the torque number itself means little to nothing. Throw in the proper cogs and the equivalent hp/low torque engine will almost surely run away with the race. |