ACCELERATION MAXIMUM TORQUE OR MAXIMUM POWER?
Before getting into which of these is correct, it is important to take a few steps back and understand the basic mechanics of what drives a vehicle forward – tractive force – and how this is created by the engine output.
TRACTIVE FORCE
Tractive force is the force delivered at the contact patches of the driven wheels as a result of the torque delivered by the engine. Torque is the rotational equivalent of a linear force and is the rotational or twisting force developed by an engine. It is the force in Newtons as measured at a distance from the axis of rotation (force x distance) and is quantified by the units Newton metres (N.m). Power is a little more difficult to understand, being a measure of how rapidly torque is applied, the rate of application of torque in a given amount of time:
power = force x which can be simplified to:
