BHP and PS or should that be BS???

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Sun 4 Jan 2004 19:23
BHP and PS or should that be BS??? - Leon on Derv
Hi guys and girls, happy new year to you all.

It is that time again when I have to start looking for a replacement motor for Leoness. By way of background, I visited my local Honda dealership because she likes the look of the Civic. After browsing this site for the initial feedback on the CTDI I discovered the 1.7 CTDI engine outputs 100BHP, no idea if this is at the flywheel or roadwheels.

On speaking with the guy in the showroom he stated the 1.7Ctdi engine was 85BHP, but was 100PS.

For all these years I have believed the conversion factor was 1.01387 or 1.4% (BHP to PS).

He also stated that this engine delivered 220 lbs/ft of torque, surely this has to be 220 Nm of torque???

I expected better from this outfit. I will have the figures confirmed when I get my hands on a brochure, but I think this guy needs a re-visit to whichever training courses Honda provide for thier sales staff.

I was questioning myself becasue he was quite authoritative with his comments about the power output. Any credibility he had was lost when he stated that PS was only used to measure power output of European cars. Or is the civic now considered European because it is built in Swindon???

Leon
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 4 Jan 2004 19:52
BHP and PS or should that be BS??? - Manatee
I concur with you on BHP to PS - 100 PS should be about 98.6 BHP. Your instinct is good on max. torque, which is given as 220 Nm or 162lb-ft.

The spec is on the Honda UK website. The performance figures are not dissimilar to the 1.6 petrol: SWMBO's 1.6 is eminently driveable even though it's automatic, so I would expect the diesel to be OK for me; I guess you would need to drive it to know it if will be enough for you.

If you do get a drive, I'd be interested to hear what you think.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 4 Jan 2004 19:56
BHP and PS or should that be BS??? - patently
We had an 02 plate 1.6 Civic SE Sport in the family until recently. Overall it was very good indeed, but had to be changed as it gave rise to a persistent backache.

Suggest you try to get a long test drive - if your back is a different shape then it'll be a good car.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 5 Jan 2004 12:03
BHP and PS or should that be BS??? - J Bonington Jagworth
Sounds like he's confusing kW and BHP, rather than PS and BHP (although still wrong, of course). I have yet to meet a salesman who understood torque properly, let alone be able to convert from foot-pounds to Newton-metres. After all, if they could do that, they wouldn't be salesmen, would they? :-)
-------------------------------
Illegitimi non carborundum!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 5 Jan 2004 13:47
BHP and PS or should that be BS??? - jc33
PS stands for Pferde Sterke which is German for horse power (literally). Technically, its not the same as BHP.

BHP is a measure of the bare engine power, without ancilliary drives such as water pump and alternator. PS is a German DIN standard and includes some ancilliary drives so is more close to what you see in the car. Generally people quote PS for engine power or kilowatts (kW). A BHP rating would be a bigger number than PS which is bigger than kW for a given engine.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 5 Jan 2004 23:19
BHP and PS or should that be BS??? - J Bonington Jagworth
It would be nice to see power quoted at the wheels, as that is where it comes out...
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide