What is torque and BHP.

This question regularly crops up.

Here is one of the clearest and most detailed articles we've seen on this topic. What is Torque And what is BHP?

So what are the differences and why is it important to know the Torque Figure.

We look at the difference between Torque and BHP, how you calculate torque and what this figure tells you about an engine.

We also examine BHP. Firstly torque is a measure of power. It explains how much push a car gives or the turning power of the engine.

Horsepower = Torque x rpm/5252
Torque = Horsepower x 5252/rpm

Torque tells you the turning force of the engine and how much work it is doing. BHP just lists the power output of the engine and doesn't tell you much about the turning force although both are reflections of an engines power.

Change gear just after the torque tails off for the best effect and maximum in gear acceleration. The peak torque band is where the cars pulling power is.

Latest news from TorqueCars

We have been busy adding new articles to our site, there are some engine specific tuning guides in the pipeline.

It makes more sense to cover each engine in great detail rather than just give a generic overview for each model of car. Most of the modifications done to a car happen on the engine, which makes sense as this is the powerplant of the car.

We were driving through Deal, Kent and came across a free classic car show, it is a real pleasure to see some of these older cars restored to the as new condition. Deal is actually a very nice town to visit and is way off the beaten track so you are unlikely to visit it unless you know it is there.

DPF filters still seem to cause our members a great deal of problems. Usually this is down to the driving style, use of the car and the maintenance carried out. Our new article shows how to fully clean your DPF filter if it has started to clog up. Leave it too late and you'll be sorry as you'll need the services of a mechanic and will probably have to invest in a new filter at great cost, you can read our top tips on DPF filters here.

We hope you are enjoying the summer and have some great plans for your car. Keep it safe though and save racing for the track where you can fully explore your cars limits and hone your driving skills in a safe environment.

Stay tuned for more top tips on car tuning and modifying cars. We are always after tips and suggestions on articles we can cover so please drop us a message using the feedback forms around our site.

Hey, were back again with an update. We've been busy behind the scenes updating TorqueCars, and adding new content.

You'll notice straight away the forum is faster and has a cleaner more modern look and feel. This has improved our user experience and the forums are a great place to visit if you want some tuning, styling or general advice for you car.

We have also listened to our users and have provided a totally separate version of our site tailored for the uk.

See the UK version of Torque Cars here.... We are still in the process of re-writing and updating the articles on here so keep checking back often for the very latest updates and up to the minute car tuning advice.

There are also a few shows we'll be attending this year so stay tuned for dates and details of these and look out for our new exclusive picture galleries.

For our latest updates please check out our facebook page for updates. The forums are busier than ever and well worth a visit for some car specific tips and advice.

Modified cars top 10 mods

Coming up to the end of 2012 we thought it was time to update this blog. We are fast approaching 250,000 posts in our busy and friendly car tuning forum.

This is fantastic news and our membership list goes from strength to strength. We have been busy tweaking things behind the scene to make the site much faster and more responsive.

We are planning a lot of growth in 2013 and plenty of new articles so keep checking back for updates. We have recently added a top 10 car mods list.

One of the most commonly asked car tuning questions is what are the best mods so we've summarized it all in one easy to read page with links to detailed explanations and tips and tricks for each mod type.

http://www.torquecars.com/tuning/car-modifications.php

Let us know what you think of this article and if you think we've missed off any essential mods. We are also keen to hear from our readers about any mods you feel we should cover in more detail or any articles you feel we should update.

How to remove stone chips.

Keeping your motor in good condition should be at the top of your list. A well looked after car will fetch a much higher price when it becomes time to sell it. In fact resale values can fetch a premium hike of as much as 10 or 20% when the car has been detailed and kept in excellent condition throughout its life. So we will look at how to repair stone chips.

The most obvious area to care for is the paint work. It seems that there are a plethora of problems and issues determined to ruin your paintwork. Even cleaning a automobile if not done right can cause scratches and swirls to appear. Those circular swirls in your paint are nearly always caused during cleaning. The round motion people use in cleaning is the only thing that can cause round swirls. If the paint is very swirly you should use a cutting polish to remove these but this is best done after cleaning and ideally you should use a random action polisher as it is very time consuming to do by hand.

Firstly to keep the car in good condition you should wash the car on a weekly basis, this prevents the grime and dirt from eating into the paint work. You should use a lamb’s wool wash mitt as this keeps scratchy grit away from the paint instead of allowing it to scratch the paintwork as is the case with a sponge. Use plenty of water too and rinse the automobile off before you even begin to loosen the dirt. There are some really good foaming sprays that can be used to lift the dirt from the paintwork.

Cleaning the alloys is very important as the brake dust and road salts can eat into the paint causing it to bubble and crack and corroding the wheel beneath. Be careful with some off the shelf wheel cleaning products as these can be very harsh and are little more than acid. Leaving these on the alloys and not rinsing off is just asking for trouble.

In winter time a lot of areas put salt on the roads and this is extremely detrimental to paintwork and wheels so regular cleaning in the winter months is of vital importance.

You will notice stone chips appearing in the automobiles paintwork and over time these will just build up. Eventually the deeper stone chips will corrode and start to rust. So stone chips are best treated sooner rather than later.

First clean out the damaged area motorefully with a fibreglass tipped pen, knife or very fine wire brush. If there is any rust it will need to be removed immediatly and treated with a rust inhibitor.

Then with a touch up pen build up the paint in layers to just below the surface of the existing paint. Then touch up with a clear lacquer coating so this is just proud of the surface. Leave about 1 hours drying time between each coat.

Finally with a fine grade of wet and dry sandpaper on a small sanding block, rubber, piece of chalk or similar sand the area so it is flat and matches the surrounding paintwork of your car. On most motors with solid paints you can get a near invisible repair done, on some metallic’s the best you can hope for is a close match. Even pro body shops will struggle to get a perfect paint match.

Then use a cutting paste on the area, usually labelled polish to blend the repaired new paint in with the slightly faded automobile paint around the area.

When you've finished cleaning and repairing your motor it is worth applying a good wax coating to protect the paintwork. Beware of bird guano as this will eat through your paint and MUST be removed immediately.

Beware of claims of paint protection waxes that last for years. These invariably need to be topped up every 6 months or so with a "care product" and even the best waxes typically only last for 6 months. On modern paint we suggest using a sealant rather than a wax and these are sometimes called synthetic waxes.

Online MPG calculator

With rising petrol prices we note that lots of our visitors like to keep track of their fuel costs and fuel economy.

This is why we originally supplied our mpg calculator and it is proving to be more popular than ever before.

Adjustments and refinements to our mpg calculator have seen many new features added. In addition to tracking your last 4 fill ups and mpg to allow you to see trends (which is now a selectable feature rather than automatic due to a silly EU directive on cookies), you can see what your annual fuel cost is.

The cost per mile proves useful to people who are couriers and need to charge a cost per mile basis and a few have emailed us thanks as they would have been running at a net loss without this information.

You can alter the annual mileage to give an approximate annual fuel cost.

We have also updated our fuel saving tips on this page allowing you to get more miles out of every gallon of fuel you use.

There are also a few other new MPG related calculators including one that gives the annual fuel cost of 2 cars from MPG and price of fuel allowing you to make an informed choice on your new car purchases.

We nearly bought a diesel because of the extra MPG but the extra fuel cost didn't add up to a saving overall so we stuck with a petrol with a lower purchase price and lower running costs.

It's amazing that most people pay around £2000 per year for fuel and still don't think of it as being a major part of their budget.

The more fuel we all save the lower the demand and this will help keep down prices and if you are believing the hype save the planet!

A new look for TorqueCars

We wanted the readers of this Car tuning blog to be among the first to know that TorqueCars has an exciting new look and feel on their modified cars site.

It was long overdue a makover with the original design and graphics dating back about 6 years or so! We have tried to keep the images used exciting and fresh and reflect TorqueCars cutting edge approach to car tuning. Unlike other car tuning sites and blogs TorqueCars gets regular updates as old articles are reviewed, refined and updated with the very latest tips and tricks.

To keep pace with the developments in modding cars you should also join thier car forums where you can read and swap ideas and tips with other car tuners with experience in the same make and model of car that you own.

We hope you like the new look and we promise that there is a lot more to come in the near future. So watch this space and keep up with the latest car modification trends.

BHP Performance cars show video.

Just got back from the car tuning and styling show at Lydden Hill in Dover Kent, known as the BHP performance show.

It was a very very good show. We will be uploading pics of the hot show cars to our car styling tips.com website and featuring some of the cars in detail on www.torquecars.com

To whet your appetite here is a video we took from the show! A stunning 10 minutes of inspirational cars of all shapes and sizes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ3V_-GQqd8

TorqueCars now have a Twitter feed.

Catch up with the latest Car Tuning and car styling news on the TorqueCars twitter feed, perfect for anyone interested in cars and car tuning. We have posted an extract below of the upto date news items and snippest collected in our Twitter feed.

Style - Who says estate cars are not cool?: If you think that estate cars are boring and driven by people with no ... http://bit.ly/aNPR2y

about 6 hours ago The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By Power tips - Hybrid turbos http://bit.ly/dtlo4A

6:33 PM Apr 9th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By Style - Drift Nissan Skyline: Today we feature another of the amazing drift cars from GDA sports cars. This Nissan... http://bit.ly/djvxYO

5:02 PM Apr 9th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By Style - Full Drift style bodykit: This Nissan typifies the drift style bodykit – the lower sills and bumpers have ... http://bit.ly/9XoPbN

5:02 PM Apr 9th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: Tuning the cars engine for better MPG means reducing power. :- Tuning for Stingy people http://bit.ly/dpgpdK

2:37 PM Apr 8th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: Tuning the Alfa Romeo range of cars :- The national Alfa Service! (Sorry for the pun!) http://bit.ly/cBNSlq

2:37 PM Apr 8th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: Delocking - How to Delock a car :- Locking yourself out. http://bit.ly/943FOL

2:37 PM Apr 8th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By Style - A cool BMW with quad bonnet vents: Underbonnet temperatures can really affect a cars performance so it is ... http://bit.ly/9NtCET

3:54 PM Apr 7th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By Style - Nissan S15 drift car styling: The Nissan S15 is favoured by drifters, the Nissan engines give plenty of tu... http://bit.ly/9w0gnS

3:54 PM Apr 7th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: EVO 6 Tommi Makinen No 2 :- Ian's Mitsubishi Evo VI http://bit.ly/cZTu0F

4:58 PM Apr 6th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: Bonnet vents. :- Performance. Bonnet vents. http://bit.ly/bRputZ

4:57 PM Apr 6th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: Tuning and mods for the Citroen Saxo :- SAXOn warrior http://bit.ly/cXagFw

4:57 PM Apr 6th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: The quest for cleverer cars. :- Hi tech - Hi Cost - Hi Stress. http://bit.ly/d9XymU

4:57 PM Apr 6th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By TorqueCars: Add It To The Wish List :- Parotec 206 CC Body Kit http://bit.ly/c2oayv

4:57 PM Apr 6th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

Posted By Style - BMW drift car from the Netherlands: Drifters love BMW’s. Not quite as much as Jap cars but there are many ... http://bit.ly/clYEKK

2:49 PM Apr 5th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

TorqueCars: Engine oil and the importance of good lubrication. :- Oil: Oils well that ends well. http://bit.ly/dq7kjJ

12:15 PM Apr 5th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

TorqueCars: Blow off valves, dump valves and screamer pipes :- Do I look BOV'd! http://bit.ly/dtB2I6

12:15 PM Apr 5th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

TorqueCars: Frugal, Quick and Ready To Mod :- 150bhp Diesel Astra Sport Hatch http://bit.ly/bbFTMZ

12:15 PM Apr 5th The following Car Tuning news item was posted to Twitter

TorqueCars: Eclipse Tuning :- It's a total Eclipse http://bit.ly/9IDIUG

Car tuning and modified cars update

We have not been idle, although the blog has not been updated for some time. We'd like to thank all of our loyal car tuning fans for their support, kind comments and words of support.

Most of my efforts have been devoted to the car tuning forum at TorqueCars.com and we have seen phenomenal growth with over 13,000 members and lot of very interesting car tuning projects on the go.

We have also created a Squidoo lens on modified cars and another on car tuning myths and are hoping that we can dispel a lot of the bad information out there when it comes to car tuning.

If you want to keep up with the latest and greatest car tuning trends and modifications please visit the sites listed in our blogroll.

Our own car tuning projects are also moving on a pace and we will have some very interesting features on TorqueCars.com soon so stay tuned for updates.