help out a auto noob please! :D

[j0b0sapi3n]

hello, i am a 16 yr old 1996 volvo 850 driver who hopes to own a LGT in the future

but i feel that in order to become an LGT owner, i need to know more about cars and such. and i feel that because LGT's are for more mature drivers, the ppl on this lovely forum would be more helpful.

i basically want to understand more about cars. what's torque? why's it matter if its let's say 250 hp @ 5000 rpm, why does the rpm matter? wats the difference between an inline 6 and flat 6 (is that right?)? what are dynos? what REALLY determines how fast a car is? (ie. just not by looking @ the horsepower)?

if you don't wana answer my questions, maybe someone knows a good book that explains the basics of cars? i'd REALLY appreciate it!

THANKSS AAAAAAAAAAA :lol: :D

[SUBE555]

Welcome to the forum, be patient and we would be happy to help you. Nice to hear you want to learn a bit about the car before getting it and cars in general to help you make a more informed opinion.

I'll be right back and type some, this steelhead and ritz crackers tastes so darn good right about now. :mrgreen:

[brady_bunch]

what's torque?

1. The moment of a force; the measure of a force's tendency to produce torsion and rotation about an axis, equal to the vector product of the radius vector from the axis of rotation to the point of application of the force.
2. A turning or twisting force.

When you turn a door knob, the amount of force you are applying to it is the amount of "torque".

In the U.S., torque is generally measured in foot-pounds.

Here's more on this:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/fpte.htm
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question622.htm

why's it matter if its let's say 250 hp @ 5000 rpm, why does the rpm matter?

Generically speaking, torque has a big impact on how quickly you can accelerate (e.g. 0-60 times) and horsepower impacts how much you can accelerate (e.g. top speed).

If you have 250 hp @ 5000 rpm and your redline (maximum engine rpm) is at 6500, that means you have all of your HP available before you get to the maximum rpm of your engine... that's a good thing. Some cars have their max HP very close to their redline which means you have to stress the engine more to get the most out of it.

wats the difference between an inline 6 and flat 6 (is that right?)?

An inline 6 has all 6 cylinders pumping up and down in a straight line... like this: IIIIII.

A flat 6 has 3 cylinders on the left and 3 cylinders on the right pumping in opposite directions. Flat 6 (and flat 4) engines have a lower center of gravity (which is good) because they are working in a more compact space that is not as tall as an inline cylinder engine.

what are dynos?

Dynos are machines that you can drive your car onto and test how much power the car has. It has big drums that you park your wheels on. You accelerate and spin the drums and the amount of energy (HP and torque) your car exerts on the drums are recorded. It is a device primarily used to test and tune sports cars.

what REALLY determines how fast a car is? (ie. just not by looking @ the horsepower)?

Horsepower and torque are good general indicators but gearing is another huge factor. Locomotives have several thousand horsepower but they obviously aren't very fast. That is because they are geared for hauling massive amounts of stuff and not for acceleration.


That's just my $0.02. I'm sure other, more experienced folks on the board will correct any of my mistakes! :D

[j0b0sapi3n]

ooooooo THANKS A LOT

i just thought of another question: the gear ratios for 1->2->3, how are they important and what do they meAN?

[agctr]

Back away quiet like new member and try not to disturb SUBE, he gets angry just before feeding time LOL

[SUBE555]

I'll do a large write-up tomorrow. Need sleep.

In the mean time, maybe this will answer some other questions you have yet to ask... TECH REFERENCE (http://www.legacysti.com/viewtopic.php?t=591)

[peterjmc]

So you should be 18 now. Do you have your LGT yet?