What was the last thing you bought?

[k_rock923]

Okay, now I'm genuinely confused:

1 HP = 745.699872 W right?
2 HP = 1491.39974 W.

So how does more HP not equal more power?

//at this point, I'm not debating so much as actually looking for an answer.

[General Geoff]

You would have to convert the shaft horsepower of the engine into electrical energy via a generator for that conversion to stand true. An engine with half the horsepower (but twice the torque) will generate less wattage if it's hooked up directly to the generator; it will generatore more wattage if you run it through a transmission to increase the output shaft's rpms to compensate for the engine's lower operating rpm range.


In other words, imagine a big, burly, weight lifter type guy and a skinny guy who's good at jogging/running. Put them both on a fixed gear bicycle. The skinny guy will always be able to go faster than the big burly guy because his legs have a higher natural cadence (i.e. he can pedal faster for longer) than the big guy. Now put them both on a mountain bike; The odds are now far more even, because the big guy can switch to a higher gear, which compensates for his lower cadence; in effect, he pedals fewer times per minute but puts more force down per revolution of the pedals vs the skinny guy.

It's the same thing with high horsepower vs high low-end torque.

[swingdjted]

In terms of acceleration, it is an advantage not to have to shift so many times though. Staying in gear for a wider rpm range is a big plus. I'd like to see how a diesel does with a CVT (continually variable transmission) though - might be a good thing. In pulling applications this isn't as important, because it's not so much "how fast can you do it", but rather "can you do it at all".

I like that spec page - it was more what I was looking for when compared to the GM site. GM should find a way to post this in an easy to find way.

As for what I bought today - $92.37 in groceries.

[General Geoff]

In terms of acceleration, it is an advantage not to have to shift so many times though.

Usually, high strung motors have a much narrower power band (at much higher rpms) than huge gas engines with big, flat torque curves all throughout their rpm range. Diesels, due to their narrow total rpm range, are sort of stuck with needed additional gearing (especially big rig diesels, where the effective operating range is between ~1200rpm and 1500rpm).

[protegechris]

today I bought..
Brake Pads (front)
brake grease
Distributor cap
ignition/distributor rotor
spark plugs x6
ignition wires
valve cover gaskets
brake fluid x2
cd/mp3/SD/USB head unit
brake rotor x2

and some chik-fil-a

w00t

[swingdjted]

Originally posted by General Geoff
Usually, high strung motors have a much narrower power band (at much higher rpms) than huge gas engines with big, flat torque curves all throughout their rpm range.

This is where variable valve timing and other more recent advancements come into play. If you look at the power band of a good VVTi engine, you'll be quite amazed. The CVT trannies help a lot too.

@ PC - you plan on doing all that yourself? Looks like a lot of work. You'll likely need a hell of a lot more chik-fil-a than what you bought to get you through.

Also, bid on today (last night actually) -

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mikasa-Flame-dAmore-Crystal-Bowl-Candle-Holders_W0QQitemZ120240086448QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4226QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They match my stemware/barware. Wish me luck.

[protegechris]

Originally posted by swingdjted
This is where variable valve timing and other more recent advancements come into play. If you look at the power band of a good VVTi engine, you'll be quite amazed. The CVT trannies help a lot too.

@ PC - you plan on doing all that yourself? Looks like a lot of work. You'll likely need a hell of a lot more chik-fil-a to get you through than what you bought.

I knocked out the brake pads, dist. cap/rotor, rotors, and head unit today. I'll take care of the wires, plugs, and gaskets Thursday, if I get a chance.

[ryan]

I bought a flux capacitor.

[sgtfuzzbubble011]

Great Scott!

[fc*uk]

Delorean.

Now I need a flux capacitor. Some punk just bought the last one.

[ryan]

For a small price of 3 trillion dollars and 99 cents it can be yours.

p.s. What the hell is a gigawatt?

[fc*uk]

Its a steal! and a deal!

[ryan]

STDEAL!

[swingdjted]

Them's binning words!

[ryan]

That would probably be the biggest thread ever binned.