I checked my car's specs sheet this morning and in it I noticed:
Torque NM@rpm: 145@4600
What does NM@rpm mean?
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NM is the metric way of measuring torque similar to Foot Pounds being the SAE way.
The engine torque output changes with the RPM because the engine breaths differently over the RPM range.
This is a typical torque diagram (this appears to be for an LS1 engine), this is in lb-ft
instead of Nm
but the idea is the same. The peak torque seem to be around 350lb-ft @ 4200 RPM. The peak power ~340hp @ 5500 RPM.
The hp (power) is a function of the torque and the revs per minute and a constant (which comes from pi, and minutes to second etc). power[hp] = torque[lb-ft] x RPM ÷ 5252
So the power at peak torque would be 350*4200/5252 = 280hp which seem to correspond to the diagram.
Realising that the power of the car is a curve and not just a single figure (like 250hp) will explain why different cars with the same power figures can have very different characteristics. For example an engine with higher low rev torque (and power) than the one in the diagram would be faster even though the peak power was the same.