Have you heard this about our cars "the S2000 doesn't pull much since it has very little torque in the engine". That is not true as the cars torque can easily be multiplied with gearing.

Did you know that a car that has 500 ft-lbs of torque @ 5250RPM redline is equivalent to a car that has 250 ft-lbs of torque @ 10500RPM redline. They both put out 500HP.

For the example above, if we double the lower torqued car's gearing multiplier by 2 compared to the car with more torque, both cars will accelerate equally and top out at the same speed assuming same weight, drivetrain losses, symmetric torque plots, and drag.

 

And your point is...

 

gearing doesnt actually increase torque, right?

 

The point is on the first paragraph.

 

Gearing does increase the torque. Of course it does not add torque to the motor, but it mutiliplies the torque that your wheels see to propel your car.

 

But that's not entirely true. A car that hits it's peaks earlier than the F20C will have an advantage at those lower RPM's. It's hard to launch this car such that it stays in it's power range from the moment of launch. So in a straight line race I'd rather have a big block chevy with it's peak torque in the 2-3k range than the F20c where it's power and torque are in the stratosphere. In any other circumstance I'd rather have the S2000.

 

Gearing absolutely does not increase torque. Lower gearing only increases mechanical advantage. But you are right with your statements about RPM and torque. This is why our cars feel very strong while they are in their higher rpm range.