Why can small engines make high horsepower, but almost never high torque?

Question

So I am aware of the existence of high specific output engines like in the Honda S2000 or Ferraris, but one common criticism those cars tend to have is their lack of torque. Why does it seem so difficult for these engines to make more torque as well?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Car engine stats are as much marketingspeak as physics…..

Eg, actual practical torque at the wheels is a matter of the transmission as much as the engine…..

You can take a really high winding engine, hook it to a beast of a transmission, and get gobsmacking amounts of torque on the ground (see the M1 tank and it’s turboshaft engine – the transmission is a few times larger than the engine, and turns 1500 shaft HP at a-million-something-RPM into 2500ftlbs torque at the tracks & the ability to make 70 tons go remarkably fast)