vehicle torque and bhp

[lutzk]

Hallo friends,

Here is a question to you all, we eventually got our dla extended , so we can opt for a motability car.
We have decided, due to cost and size of the vehicle and fuel cocumption to go for a Peugeot Partner Outdoor.
There are two versions available, one with 112 bhp and one with 92 bhp. Now we like to order the car but they have no 112bhp version available and the sales person is saying that there is just 22 lb torque differnce between the 92 bhp and the 112bhp version but we like to tranport or new power chair in the back and of course our dog and us the two adults and all i don't want is struggling up the hill with it. The peugeot 92bhp has 155lb torque and the 112bhp has 175lb torque and our Citreon Xsara Picassoas a comparison has 117bhp with 120lb torque but is a bit sluggish up the hill without and elctric wheel chair!
Now what should we opt for , shall we insist of the 112bhp car and wait 13 weeks min or go for 92bhp and have the vehicle in a months time ? Has any of you friends outhere some expirience with such a vehicle and give us some advice please ?
Much preciated and kind regards

Lutz

[Burgerman]

Torque figures alone are used by advertising and sales people but they are meaningless.

Torque needs an RPM figure to go with it. BHP is torque x rpm... Power therefore is torque x rpm. For example a 100 bhp bike engine will propel a car at say the same speed, same acceleration, up the same hill, as a 100 bhp car engine. But typically it will do so at half the torque, and at double the rpm...

So if it was me I would definitely wait for the bigger engine. Unless you know the gear ratios, the final drive ratios, and have a full torque curve plotted against rpm for each then the "peak" figures are useless other than for advertising,

[Martin O Refurbisher]

I have the Citroen C4 Grand Piccasso, with the 2L engine. I would have gone for the 1.8, but the dealer advised against it, and Motability agreed!

Best,

Martin

[Step]

Are these petrol or diesel cars?
Are the engines the same and just tuned to the bhp?
How about accessories? Does the higher bhp model offer more?

I'd say gor for the bigger engine.
'There's no substitute for cubic inches' as our American petrolhead friends say

[Burgerman]

Yep there is... www.nitrous.info

Up to around 600 percent power increase or torque increase is possible! But not very practical. This is what I did in a former life... As well as designing and building automotive dyno systems.

[ex-Gooserider]

Yep there is... http://www.nitrous.info

Up to around 600 percent power increase or torque increase is possible! But not very practical. This is what I did in a former life... As well as designing and building automotive dyno systems.

Got to compare like to like... put a little engine on nitrous, and it may act like a big engine on air, but put the big engine on nitrous and it will send the little engine back to lawnmower duty... No replacement for displacement.... (and I seem to remember something about you shoehorning a big engine into a little car as well...)

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

AND fitting lots of nitrous...