What is torque in cars/vehicles? And why do pickups have such low hp but alot of torque?

Question

What is torque in cars/vehicles? And why do pickups have such low hp but alot of torque?

In: 3

Answer 1

Torque represents how easily a force can change the rotational moment of a given body. Pushing on a wrench at the base produces low torque, but push down at the handle and you’re producing more rotation for the same amount of force. That’s torque, and the same principle applies with car engines.

Pickup engines are tuned for torque because they’re used to pull heavy loads. Horsepower is a measure of the power an engine can supply, and is linked to both torque and RPM (how fast the engine works).