Originally Posted by djct_watt

You guys are silly making such a big deal about torque. HP is a function of torque. Torque is a momentary measurement; hp is a measurement over time. . . which is why it is used to judge acceleration.

Torque is like the amount of weight a body builder can lift. HP would be the amount of time it takes to move it.

We're not towing boats people, we are accelerating cars.

Now if you want to compare powerbands, then you might have a valid claim. Race cars (like F1) don't make squat for torque, but they make tons of HP at high RPM's (high HP is usually created at high RPM's). Gears are those nifty little things that turn that HP into practical power. You can pretty much created as much torque as you wanted with the proper gear set and enough HP. That's why you can undo a tough bolt with a longer wrench (you use a lever arm, or gear, to utilize HP (work over time/distance) to create torque).

Don't get me wrong, torque is good. But you guys seem like the tC's good torque numbers make it the fastest car in the world. Especially considering our low revving engines, I' gladly take a 30hp bump over a 30ft/lb bump.

Also note, there is a REASON why gears are supposed to shift shortly after peak HP (to maximize the peak HP band) than the peak torque band.