If an engine with high horsepower can gear down to increase torque, couldn’t a high-torque engine be geared up to increase horsepower?

Question

Just wondering why, in these discussions, people always say the former and not the latter.

In: Engineering

Answer 1

As others have said, you can’t increase hp with a transmission. However, of one engine can do 100Nm at 6000 rpm, and another 200Nm at 3000 rpm, the latter can have twice the gearing ratio and both cars would accelerate at the same rate at that point in the rev range. This is purely due to both engines delivering the same amount of hp at those revs.