eli5 What is torque in regards to cars

Question

I’ve watched YouTube videos so o understand it’s to do with turning power but how isit linked to cars

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Torque is a twisting force.

In a car, the motor turns a shaft with a good amount of torque. It then goes through a transmission to get that to a speed that matches the ground speed of the car instead of the speed of the engine. The transmission’s output shaft applies a torque to the wheels, which propel the car forward.

In cars, torque is measured at the engine’s output shaft.