HP or KW?

[neon_spork]

33,000 ft.lb/min thats horrible! Ill take 1 n.m/s any day But then I probably use kW in a calculation ever day, so its what I’m used to.

I concede that after hearing the power of so many cars quoted in hp by Jeremy Clarkson and seeing how they perform its easy to conceptualise a hp figure. For a car I mentally convert from one to the other regardless of whether it was kW or hp to start with, I guess I think of both at the same time.

[Blackrazor]

To me, if you're going to stick to horsepower, you need to measure your speed in miles per hour, your torque in foot-pounds, your petrol in gallons and fluid ounces, and your cars weight in pounds.

If, however, you are sane, and measure the above in kilometres per hour, Newton-metres, litres and kilograms, then you should talk kilowatts for car power. Otherwise you just look like you cant make up your mind

The ONLY exception for talking horsepower, is when you're dealing with US cars

[sergei]

Well actually kph is not an SI unit, m/s is.
Imagine this:
You'we been pulled over by a police oficer for speeding on open road.
He is asking usual question: "Do you know how fast were you going?"
And you reply "27.8m/s"...

[pc]

KW is the future, HP is the past.
I don't measure things in miles, pounds, fathoms, gallons... cos the are all old and should die.

[Mr.Phreak]

Well actually kph is not an SI unit, m/s is.

I think he was hinting more at the Metric/Imperial comparison than anything else.

And there's nothing wrong with Gallons......almost makes my car look economical

[Mr Revhead]

actually when ppl talk drag racing i do think of terms of MPH.
as im so used to watching NHRA

[itsamirage]

I prefer HP, its what I learnt first so makes more sense to me, mental conversion isnt hard though. I hate imperial bolts, the least they could do is make them all /64 or something insted of 3/4 3/8 15/19 etc etc so hard to find the right socket, so I us my multi tool insted (hammer + chisel ), feet is a useful measurement tho when estimating length spec' because my foot is 1foot long (no really it is lol), bring on all metric though it makes so much more sense!

[sergei]

I refuse to work on the cars with imperial bolts/nuts in it....
And imperial thread looks just wrong (pitch too big relative to diameter - bigger angle of the thread).

[fivebob]

I refuse to work on the cars with imperial bolts/nuts in it....
And imperial thread looks just wrong (pitch too big relative to diameter - bigger angle of the thread).

That only really applies to SAE threads. An even more archaic system, Whitworth, has an almost perfect threadform, but the yanks had to be different and turn it into the useless SAE (UNC/UNF) system.

BTW does this mean you refuse to work on any cars, as they all have at least 6 imperial bolts on them

[no_8wire]

Arh the nice clash of two systems... I mean...who talks about a persons height in metres? I know I think is easier to judge a persons height in feet and inches rather than metres...

[sergei]

I disagree about inches, I can imagine say 1.5m or 1.8m but feck if if I have to calculate 5feet 6inches or whatever. I don't understand why they have to have 12 minor units in a major unit?? Do british have 12 fingers on their hands??

And fivebob I don't care about seat belt ancorages as I still use metric socket to undo them (I don't have imperial)... Eventually I will get rid of those aswell (when I get rollcage in my celica)...