How do cars with a four cylinder engine go faster than a V8 engine?

Question

Like a Ford Crown Victoria vs a Honda Civic.

In: Engineering

Answer 1

It’s all about power to weight ratio’s. A 200hp car weight 2000lbs will have the same power/weight ratio as a 400hp car weighing 4000lbs which is 0.1 horsepower per pound of weight. When these numbers differ, you get a car that is either faster or slower. Power is only have the equation, and most people only notice/look at power and never take into account the weight of a vehicle.