The point of this is, if a Zero manhandles a Spit V from 0-20,000 feet, how does a 20-40 mph slower Hurricane with a slower climb rate stand even a remote chance? It doesn't.
This isn't necessarily true. The Spitfire and the Zero both suffer from stiff ailerons at high dive speeds , the Spit only slightly less so, therefore using the high speed dive and rolling or turning to escape from the Zero didn't work as well for the spitfire, as it did for the Hurricane which had effective controls at high speed.
Essentially the Hurricane and Zero are very close performance wise in climb and speed with the Zero being better below 15,000 feet and the Hurricane better above.
The Hurricanes escape plan is the same as the P 40s, the P40 does dive faster than the Hurricane but they both can dive fast enough to escape a Zero or KI 43.
The limiting factor for the P40 in all variants is its anemic rate of climb, its just too heavy, with the Kittyhawks actually being worse than the Tomahawks they superseded. The Hurricanes superior climb rate gives it a far better chance of being at an equal or greater altitude when intercepting inbound raids.
The Hurricane also has other advantages over the Zero and KI 43. Its much tougher and stronger with self sealing tanks, a full plate of rear armor from the pilots head to his heels, a front armoured windshield, a front bullet proof bulkhead , as well as a 10 swg bullet resistant front cowling and an eight lb plate of armour in front of the glycol header tank. The heat treated high tensile steel frame was very resistant to exploding shells fired form the Japanese cannons and heavy machine guns.
Against the KI 43 i , which has a maximum speed of only 308 mph at 13,000 feet, the tropicalized Hurricane IIa is is clearly faster above that height reaching 334 mph at 17,500.
It really doesn't matter what Allied fighter you are flying in early 1942 the game plan is the same when fighting the Zero or Ki 43. Whether you are flying an F4F, P 40, P39, Spit V or Hurricane, the goal is to get height, come down fast, take a shot, evade and repeat.