Horsepower dilemma

I have made a horrible error

 

unless towing predominantly grades / mountains

weight only affects the trans.............a good healthy engine will be OK

many keep remarking about ‘ weight ‘ they get from the Brochure sales....................

never to go get certified weight enevitably hauling MORE than the brochure weight

really actually hinders stopping distances

most campers regardless of Weight will hinder foward motion/speed

on interstate as they INCREASE Frontal Area + Drag against the air

far more than the weight does

 

Oh boy, time to get into an argument with a stranger online. The torque will make it feel easier to tow since it's making good power at lower RPMs, but the Subaru will still beat it in a drag race while towing.

 

Yeah......because that's what people do.

 

That exactly what you do when you're climbing a steep highway with a load like that. You're not cruising at 2000rpms

 

The average semi only as 300-400 hp. That not much when a loaded setup can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. In fact, that quite a terrible power to weigh ratio. But that 1500 to 2000+ lbs ft of torque is what matters.

 

Maybe back in the day they had 3-400 hp, but not today...been told by a trucker their up around 600 now.

 

600hp is a good average for a 15L diesel engine. And 1500 to 2000lbsft of torque is about right, but an 80,000lb loaded trailer doesn't move by these numbers alone. The multi gear transmission and gear reduction and torque multiplication is what moves them. A RoadRanger 15 speed with and underdrive box. And it isn't fast by any terms. Tough comparison to a modern passenger vehicle. Or any passenger vehicle.

 

I'm not saying torque isn't important, I'm just trying to draw some contrast. If we step away from torque for a minute. 1 Horsepower can lift 33,000 pounds, 1 foot, in 1 minute. If we want to lift a 80,000lb load up a hill we need to do a lot of work.

With such large loads and steep hills, the relatively small HP numbers are why semi trucks are so slow. It's also no fun red lining at 7000rpms towing up a hill.

 

Don't know where you live, or the emissions rules there. I have two Subaru foresters and am responsible for maintenance of our little delivery fleet of 7 Subaru outbacks. I own a 2010 regular cab 4 wheel drive. Things that I've done to help out my truck are as follows.
Open up the lower half of the air filter box. You need more air flow, not cold air. Maf sensor will keep your fuel mixture correct. You have to get air flow to get the engine to rev. Change to synthetic gear lube in the differentials, transfer case, and transmission. A tube of liqui moly 2019 molybdenum additive in each really helps. I also added LCE headers and a 2 inch intake spacer to bring the torque peak to a lower rpm. The molybdenum has really helped with the transfer case engagement. Hope this helps you out!

 

Those times are for the muscle cars are suspect. Don't see those cars on stock tires running that quick.

 

Those times are correct !!!

 

I don't see a 100% stock ls6 chevelle running 13.1. More like mid to high 13s with a great driver.

 

My 08 Impreza was considered a sluggish vehicle in it's day. Naturally aspirated 2.5L Boxer with 170hp (6000rpm) & 170lb-ft (4400rpm). 3050lbs. 0-60 in 8.0s. Not sure what more the journalists wanted from an AWD hatchback that cost $19.9k.

Anyway, it's 2022 and it still has no trouble keeping up with traffic and passing. The current line up of Subaru's are all slower with the exception of the BRZ and the 2.4L turbo equipped models.

 

Back in the day when traveling up the north way through ny into quebec we'd come upon these semi's barely doing 40 mph on steeper grades. Now their just as fast as the rest of traffic with those big turbo diesel engines singing away.

 

Even at 600 hp that's an insanely horrible power to weight ratio. And I certainly understand gearing, reduction and whatnot. But in order to get the needed twist to move load that heavy and keep it moving you have to start with an engine with lots of grunt to begin with....then add in gearing to enhance that.

 

I once had what I considered a fast car that I drag raced. A 1982 Mustang GT, with a 5.0L EFI, T-5 and 3.55 8.8" diff. Factory stock long block. It ran a best of 13.08 @ 102.56mph in the ¼. I ran that against a Supercharged Mustang that only bested me by 0.2 seconds.

A friend of mine had a Mazda 1600 with 13B 4 port with a custom adapter to 4 bbl carb. The RPM's and flames this thing was capable of!!! This car got booted off the track for doing a 12 second run without a scattershield.

We we went head to head, he would always edge me out, until I short shifted and pulled low rpm torque... then we were evenly matched... it was the funniest thing because, if I tried that at the track, I didn't get a better time. I always thought that was funny.

 

I suspect a large diesel engine with it's massive compression and mile long stroke would scatter long before 7k.

But I think we all know we're starting to argue semantics a bit. And specific to this discussion I think most of us would choose the slow turning, lower end torque of the 2.7 to tow a 3000# trailer over the higher end horsepower of the Suby. Which opens up an entirely different discussion about towing. Towing is so much more than just the engine. Platforms, transmissions, brakes, etc play just as important a role, if not more so, than the engine alone.

Back in the early 90s you could order a 1 ton cab and chassis from GM with a 4.3 V6....190 hp, 260 lbs ft of torque. But everything else around the engine made it possible. Hell, GM's Detroit diesel back then only made 195 hp, but thankfully over 400 lbs ft of torque.

But I suppose we've gone WAY off topic. Just because an engine is "bigger" doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to generate more HP.

 

All the info from this list came from magazines of that era that tested the performance of these cars . Magazine publications such as Hot Rod , Car Craft and Motor Trend and other magazines and those was legit testing from the technology they had back then

Remember Density altitude/ corrected elevation plays a major role in performance of carbureted engines . So colder environments you'll see faster times and warmer environments you'll see slower times

 

160hp plus gears turning 13 flat? Suspicious