Confused on some terminology

[m0nk]

Okay a bit confused about a few things dealing with horse power:

hp = horse power, duh.
bhp = WHAT?
whp = wheel horse power, right?

could someone clear these acronyms up for me. By all means get technical, school me in the ways of the engine techie.

Also if their is any FAQ's on the site on the different parts and pieces of accords, feel free to throw up some links.

[matts]

bhp - usually british horsepower, just a different unit. not sure what the conversion is, stupid brits, and the metric system.

whp - wheel horsepower is calculated with the motor in the car, and also measures drivetrain losses. this will be signifigantly lower than the "hp", which is just measured at the crank, and thats why manufacturers use hp when publishing numbers.

[m0nk]

hey thanks alot...
im still learning and gaining knowledge about engines and performance. makes it easier to understand people when they use performance terms.

[axnxjaxon]

hm i think BHP = is base horse power man

[matts]

there are a couple different things, i've also seen brake horse power.

[96cordlx]

bhp means brake horsepower, it is just another name for wheel horsepower, it is the horsepower measure with the engine and all of the accessories hooked up. The actual power that your tires put on the street.

[96cordlx]

and metric horsepower is measured in kilowatts or kilowatt hours