Stop Saying You Love Cars If You Don’t Know This

You ever meet someone who says they “love cars,” but can’t explain the difference between torque and horsepower? Or thinks “manual” is just that weird setting on their mom’s Civic?

Look—I’m not here to gatekeep. I’m here to wake you up.

Because saying you love cars without even knowing the basics is like calling yourself a chef because you’ve watched a few episodes of MasterChef. Cute, but nah.

So let’s start with the bare minimum:

• Torque = twisting force.

• Horsepower = how fast that twisting force can work.If torque is the punch, horsepower is how many punches you can throw per second. That’s it. That’s the tweet.

And don’t even get me started on drive types.

Front-Wheel Drive vs Rear-Wheel Drive?

If you’ve never asked, “Why does my car pull when I floor it?”—this is your homework.

• FWD: Your front wheels do all the pulling. Great for fuel economy, bad for hooning.

• RWD: Your rear wheels push. Perfect for slides, burnouts, and pretending you're in Initial D.

So no—your dad’s Camry isn’t “basically a race car.” And no, that Civic isn’t “mid-engine” because the engine is kinda in the middle… of the front.

Here’s the deal: If you’re reading this and thinking “Damn… I’ve said that before,” good. You’re in the right place. This site is for learning. For growing. For becoming the car person you wish people thought you were.

And if you do already know this? Share it. Let’s clean up car culture, one misused term at a time.

🔥 Want to Actually Learn About Cars (Without Falling Asleep)?

Grab Learning About Cars for Beginners and The Car Bible. It’s like school, but fun—and no, we won’t judge you for using it as a cheat sheet at Cars & Coffee.

Wanna argue? Drop a comment. Think I’m wrong? Prove it. Otherwise, hit that bookmark button like it owes you money.