One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more
horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.
It takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 6,000+ horsepower of an
NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of
nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at
the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.
A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive
the dragster's supercharger.
With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on
overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form
before ignition.
Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by
which quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are
determined) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture of nitro methane, the flame front
temperature measures 7,050 deg F.
Nitro methane burns yellow... The spectacular white flame, seen
above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from
atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After
halfway, the engine is dieseling from compression, plus the glow of
exhaust valves at 1,400 deg F. The engine can only be shut down by
cutting the fuel flow.
If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds
up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force
to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in
half.
In order to exceed 300 mph in 4. 5 seconds, dragsters must
accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well
before half-track), the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.
Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed
reading this sentence.
Top fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to
light!
Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions
under load.
The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm.
Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free,
and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimate $1,000.00
per second.
The current top fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.428 seconds
for the quarter mile ( 11/12/06, Tony Schumacher, at Pomona,CA).
The top speed record is 336.15 mph as measured over the last 66' of
the run (05/25/05Tony Schumacher, at Hebron,OH).
Putting all of this into perspective:
You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter 'twin-turbo'
powered Corvette Z06.. Over a mile up the road, a top fuel dragster
is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass.
You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up
through the gears and blast across the starting line and pass the
dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you
at that moment.
The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down
hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your
eardrums and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you.
He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you
just passed him.
Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you
200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road
when he passed You within a mere 1,320 foot long race course.
And that my friends, is ACCELERATION!
Now don't you feel better just knowing that little bit of info?
WOW JUST WOW......i think i want a dragster.....why am i driving my srt you make me feel like i ride a snail hehe
__________________
old car-----98 ACR DOHC 5 speed, close ration tranny, w/ srt exhaust, afx ecu, 52mm tb, 3.0 CAI, solid front mount, flex sides, solid bobble strut, 65% sts by maddog, no p/s or a/c, my best 1/4 15.247 at 90.19
Only one thing - there was a time that could have been true, but currently, the Rev Limit was re-raised to 8400. It had been lowered to 8200, but many owners complained it was causing problems at the top end, and actually leading to failures. Same reason they went from 90% to 85% Nitro, and then back to 90%.
Very good info though James!
I've always loved this depiction. I have it saved in my documents. I also have a badass Top Fuel/Funny Car crash compilation video bookmarked, in which all drivers survived the wrecks they were in.
I've always loved this depiction. I have it saved in my documents. I also have a badass Top Fuel/Funny Car crash compilation video bookmarked, in which all drivers survived the wrecks they were in.
cool post! I LOVE ACCELERATION, and I got to play with NITRO once that sht is no joke! only 5% mix and It was still an angry jug! watch the end of this video, a few things broke but hey we got it fixed for the next weekend. YouTube - Built up roofing passes at MIR
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Definition Of Acceleration
you make me feel like i ride a snail hehe
Linear Mode
