Why Car Weight Is More Important Than Horsepower

Every time you want to buy a new car, the first thing people will ask you is about the horsepower. It makes sense because on the surface, it’s an easy number to compare one car to another car and to give you an idea of how capable a car is when running.

Image from: Best Cars

First, we have to explain what horsepower is. Horsepower is torque times RPM (times a constant - the number depends on what units you’re using). This is a measure of how much work your engine does in a certain amount of time. One horsepower is about 745 watts, or if you’d rather think of it in real terms, roughly the power needed to lift an average person 1 metre in 1 second. Once again, most manufacturers will quote a peak power figure which will only apply at a certain RPM.

However, today, we’re here to show you that the horsepower number isn’t nearly as relevant as your car’s weight. Here’s why. 

Image from: Consumer Report

One thing to keep in mind is that horsepower is heavy. That means the more power your car has, the heavier it becomes. Well if you want more power, you need a bigger engine, beefier axles and driveshafts, stronger transmissions, and bigger brakes to handle the extra shove. Add all that weight up and before you know it, your car weighs a little too much.

So it’s good to remember that a car's curb weight is the most important factor in determining performance and fun. For example, let's say you have a 4000-pound car that makes 2000 pounds of downforce. That means it can generate 1.5 gs of lateral acceleration in a corner, which means that it can go pretty quickly and smoothly. Now, let's say that same car is 2000 pounds and generates the same 2000 pounds of downforce. That car can generate a full 2.0 gs of lateral acceleration. That means this car can go a lot quicker around a track without any change to the power as compared to the first example. 

Image from: The Verge

Horsepower is important for some things, but in the real world, weight and torque delivery is what you should care about most. While horsepower is important for top speed, your torque and power delivery to your car against its weight which matters the most. Look at it this way; how often do you accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in a normal driving day? You really feel that drive lesser from the horsepower and more about your car’s weight and power delivery. So be sure to take note on how heavy your car is the next time you’re getting a new car as compared to the horsepower. 

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