Correct me if I am wrong, but torque is basically how much power the crank has turning it. If by turning the crank you were lifting a heavy object, with torque it doesn't matter how long it took for the crank to lift the weight but what the heaviest object it could lift is. Horse power is the same but adds the time it takes to do it, so how much it can lift in a given amount of time. Does that make sense what I'm trying to say? IMO torque is FAR more important on a snowmobile because of the CVT. If you have two motors, one turning 8000 rpm and the other turning only 7000 rpm, but the 7k one produces more torque than the 8k one, with clutching and gearing (correctly done of course), the 7k one will get you higher up the hill than the 8k one. Most sleds turn very similar peak power rpms, but there are BIG differences in power between sleds or sizes of motors. The 8k motor is spinning faster which adds to the hp calculation because of speed but torque in the end is what spins the track after the clutching and gears keep rpms in a relatively small range window from low throttle position to full throttle position. Hopefully that makes sense. ICE engines don't produce maximum torque until higher rpms whereas an electric motor makes maximum torque as soon as it starts to turn. So low end and mid range will have maximum torque already, instead of only at close to or near wide open on an ICE.
