brake horsepower

Brake horsepower is a measure of the power of an engine or turbine, often after additional components that lessen power have been factored in.

A common, but old, unit used to measure power is horsepower. One horsepower is equal to the work of a single horse, which could supposedly move 33,000 pounds 1 foot in 1 minute.

Brake horsepower is, in a manner of speaking, the horsepower that an engine is capable of when it’s actually in the machine that it will supply power to. This number is affected by friction and power losses to parts connected to the engine.

For the most part, brake horsepower is the measurement that car salespeople and auto magazines will use to brag about the power of a vehicle’s engine. The abbreviation of brake horsepower is bhp. Often, sellers will just use the term horsepower when referring to this measurement.

The first records of the term brake horsepower come from around 1887. Brake horsepower’s name comes from the method used to measure it. Brake horsepower is measured with a dynamometer, a mechanical brake that measures the force of the engine at different loads.

In the United States, the measurement of brake horsepower will be higher than when measured in other countries. The reason behind this is that American automakers measure brake horsepower without factoring in auxiliary parts, such as the gearbox, power-steering pump, and generator. Non-American automakers do factor in these other parts, so the brake horsepower measurement of non-American cars is often lower.

The horsepower that an engine is capable of without any outside factors affecting it is called indicated horsepower, abbreviated as ihp.

This image shows the equation used to calculate brake horsepower.

The average person is unlikely to know what brake horsepower is. This specific type of measurement is most familiar to engineers or auto enthusiasts.

With its 1,200-cc, 40-brake horsepower, in-line four-cylinder engine, the 1930 Henderson Model KJ Streamline could exceed 100 mph, also being a unique and beautiful example of Art Deco design [read more: https://t.co/S9F7XI0NaO] pic.twitter.com/pKN0ayugtg

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 12, 2021

So today I learnt that brake horsepower isn't to do with your brakes but to do with the power of the engine 🙄

— Nicole Leanne (@NicoleGeyser) September 25, 2016

• horsepower
• power
• force
• engine
• turbine
• indicated horsepower
• friction
• dynamometer

True or False?

Brake horsepower is a measurement that measures the power of brakes.