Filed under: Autoline on Autoblog
COUNT THE POUNDS, NOT JUST THE PONIES
Gearheads the world over have always talked in terms of horsepower. The bigger the number, the better we like it. The type of engine and its output are always one of the first statistics covered in any test drive or car review, because we want to know!
But our fixation on horsepower is kind of a meaningless metric. Just because a car has a big engine, or big output, doesn’t necessarily mean it will perform well. Conversely, a car with a small engine and modest output can actually be a blast to drive.
It all depends on how much weight that engine has to lug around. And that’s why, as enthusiasts, we should be looking at the power-to-weight ratio of a vehicle to get an idea of its potential performance. That is far more revealing than knowing the horsepower or torque.
It’s an easy calculation. All you have to do is look up the curb weight of a car and divide it by the horsepower that the engine puts out. Or if you speak metric, you can divide kilowatts into kilograms.
I know you purists out there will deride me for calling this a power-to-weight ratio, instead of weight-to-power. But saying “power-to-weight” just trips off the tongue more naturally. Besides, it’s easier to remember how many pounds an engine has to lug around, rather than trying to figure out fractions of a horsepower per pound.
John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit” and daily web video “Autoline Daily”. Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.
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Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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