I don’t understand how there could be a difference in power and torque if you are burning the max amount of fuel possible 100 percent of the time.
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I am not sure if it has been mentioned, but its also highly related to how and when the cameshaft opens the valves of the engine. As engine speed changes the valve events also are required to change to maintain optimal aspiration.
This is why you have systens like vtec and other variable valve systems. Some do this by having a second set of cam followers which engage when a certain oil pressure is reached. This is how vtec works.
The amout of valve lift, duration and overlap change how and engine breathes and thus change when you get your optimal power. This is why changing your camshaft to a more “aggressive” one will result in more horsepower at full throttle, but will cost you low end power and part throttle drivability because the engine valves will be opened at the wrong time and the engine cannot breath efficently.
The perfect camshaft would change continously to have the optimal lift and duration across all engine rpms, but this is increidbly complicated and difficult to do. So we are forced to design the camshaft with the maximum amount of compromise to have a smooth power curve. The vast majority of an engines powe and torque curve has to do with how and when the valves are opened and closed. They often call the camshaft the brain of the engine.
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