Perhaps the most popular automotive stats are horsepower and torque. Today nearly every car company boasts about the athleticism of their vehicles by mentioning horsepower and/or torque data in advertisements. These key performance stats help determine what a car is capable of in terms of acceleration, towing, top speed and more.

Technically speaking, one horsepower is equivalent to the force required to lift 550 pounds a foot above the ground for a second. Horsepower is generally responsible for mid to upper end engine response and top speed capabilities (although this is influenced by other factors such as coefficient of drag).

Torque on the other hand can be technically defined as one pound-foot of torque is equivalent to the twisting force created when a one-pound force is applied to the end of a one-foot-long handle. To illustrate this image putting a 1 foot long socket wrench to a lug nut and applying 100 pounds of perpendicular force down on it. That simply would mean you are generating 100 lbs of torque power. Unlike horsepower specs that can indicate the top end of a car’s performance, the torque can indicate the low end acceleration as well as towing power for vehicles tuned to haul. You’ll see the pound-feet measurement of torque touted with horsepower, even though horsepower often gets all the credit for an engine’s performance. Remember, though, low- and mid-range response is where torque plays a big role.

There’s no magic number for ideal horsepower, as other variables like engine torque, vehicle weight, aerodynamics, and gearing all play supporting roles in the car’s overall performance.