Quote:
Originally Posted by sendler
Multiplying the torque at the rear wheel as high as possible will make a vehicle accelerate faster even though the rear wheel power is still the same.
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This is incorrect.
If you lower the gearing, you can increase the wheel horsepower (and if you accelerate faster, you have, by definition, increased wheel horsepower). While you can't multiply horsepower like you multiply torque through gearing, you DO change the RPM that the engine is turning at. By lowering the gearing, you allow the engine to turn faster and make more horsepower, and thus get more horsepower at the wheels.
You want to maximize torque at the wheels at every wheel speed during the race. However, since wheel torque is proportional to wheel horsepower divided by wheel rpm, you are maximizing wheel horsepower as well.