markwin wrote:
hey guys
this is my first post, hopefully one of many. getting my 180 in about 4 months, got a few thousand to save up yet.
i see a lot of posts around that mention kw at the wheels, and a car with just kw.
whats the difference between the two? which one should be the higher one?
mark
Welcome.
Kilowatts at the rear wheels is where you measure the power on a dyno with the wheels on the rollers.
Kilowatts at the engine is what manufacturers use and the power is actually measured on an engine dyno, with the engine out of the car.
Due to friction and gearing cars rwd cars tend to lose about 30% of power through the differential and gear box and clutch.
So kw at the engine should be higher by about 30%, because the car is losing power through the driveline as explained.