Horsepower Definition The Horsepower Calculator will calculate the horsepower of any vehicle instantly if you provide the total weight in pounds of the vehicle (and its occupants) and the MPH (miles per hour) that the vehicle is traveling the instant the vehicle crosses the finish line for the quarter mile (called the “trap speed”). What exactly is the technical definition of horsepower anyway? The technical definition of horsepower (HP) is 33,000 pounds for one foot per minute (i.e. if someone could pull something that weighs 33,000 lbs one foot in one minute then they would have 1 horsepower). For calculating horsepower with our free horsepower calculate when you input the weight of the vehicle make sure to include the total weight of not just the vehicle but everything in it as well (even the driver of the car). Learning how to calculate horsepower for a car or any other type of vehicle is super easy if you just gather the information needed as outlined above and input them into the free online horsepower calculator! Also, be sure to check out the 1/4 Mile Calculator to see how fast your vehicle can complete a quarter mile race.
How to Calculate Horsepower Let's be honest - sometimes the best horsepower calculator is the one that is easy to use and doesn't require us to even know what the horsepower formula is in the first place! But if you want to know the exact formula for calculating horsepower then please check out the "Formula" box above.