| Torque at the rear wheels is all that matters... That rear wheel torque is a product of the torque at the engine with respect to rpms (horsepower) translated by the transmission and tire size into a torque at the rear wheels. (500 ftlbs at 9000 > 500 ftlbs at 1500 engine rpms for example) Horsepower at the engine is translated via gearing into a force that turns the rear wheels, torque. Torque at the crank is nothing other than a number that gives you an impression of the horsepower curve at the crank. When speaking in terms of engine numbers, horsepower moves the car. The actual force that moves the car is the torque at the rear wheels.
Obviously the car will accelerate a lot faster in first gear when there are several thousand ftlbs of force at the rear wheels pushing the car than in fifth gear when there may be only a couple hundred.
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