Horsepower calculator: torque, rpm and quarter-mile

Multiply torque in lb-ft by rpm and divide by 5,252. An engine making 350 lb-ft at 5,600 rpm produces 350 × 5,600 ÷ 5,252 = 373 hp. The constant comes from James Watt's horsepower of 33,000 foot-pounds per minute: a 1 lb-ft torque does 2π foot-pounds of work per revolution, and 33,000 ÷ 2π = 5,252.1. In metric units, kW = N·m × rpm ÷ 9,549.

At 5,252.1 rpm the conversion factor is exactly 1, so the number of horsepower equals the number of lb-ft. Below that speed the torque figure is larger, and above it the horsepower figure is larger. On a dyno chart drawn in hp and lb-ft on the same scale, the two curves always meet at 5,252 rpm; drawn in kW and N·m they cross at 9,549 rpm instead.

Hale's formulas give hp = weight × (trap mph ÷ 234)³ or hp = weight ÷ (ET ÷ 5.825)³, with weight in pounds including the driver. A 3,500 lb car trapping at 105 mph comes out at 3,500 × (105 ÷ 234)³ = 316 hp. Jeff Lucius's comparison of 243 Road & Track tests found trap speed predicts power better than ET, because launch and traction affect the time far more than the speed.

Crank (brake) horsepower is measured at the engine's output shaft; wheel horsepower is what reaches the tires on a chassis dynamometer after the transmission, driveshaft and differential take their share. Garrett Motion's rule of thumb is a 10% loss for front-wheel drive, 15% for rear-wheel drive and 20% for all-wheel drive. Road & Track measured a 500 hp Mustang at 421 to 465 wheel hp on four different dynos.

Mechanical horsepower is 550 ft·lbf per second, or 745.7 watts (NIST SP 811). Metric horsepower (PS, CV or ch) is 75 kgf·m per second, 735.5 watts, so 1 hp = 1.0139 PS. European makers quote PS or kW: 300 PS is 296 hp or 220.6 kW. Electric horsepower, used for motors, is defined as exactly 746 watts.

정확도는 입력값과 계산 방법의 가정에 따라 달라집니다. 십진 연산은 유효숫자 50자리를 사용하지만, 추정값·수치해석 방법·원본 데이터의 정밀도는 더 낮을 수 있습니다. 표시값을 반올림해도 이러한 한계는 사라지지 않습니다. 독립적인 출처의 풀이와 대조한 계산 예시: 9. 예를 들어 “350 lb-ft at 5,600 rpm”은 Python decimal with 2π exact: 350 × 5600 × 2π / 33000 = 373.183 hp (Inch Calculator's worked example gives 373.19 with the rounded 5,252); × 0.85 = 317.206와 대조해 확인합니다.

NIST SP 811 Appendix B.8 — horsepower (550 ft·lbf/s) = 745.6999 W; metric horsepower = 735.4988 W; Jeff Lucius, stealth316.com — Calculate horsepower, ET and MPH (Huntington, Fox, Hale and LRT formulas with fit to 243 Road & Track tests); G. T. Fox, “On the physics of drag racing”, American Journal of Physics 41, 311 (1973); Garrett Motion — Crank vs wheel horsepower (drivetrain loss rule of thumb).