Some Dragster facts
Discussion
From an automotive perspective...
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine
makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1½
gallons of
nitromethane
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 supercharger.
* With 3000 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 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for
nitromethane the
flame
front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white
flame seen above the
stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated
from atmospheric
water
vapour by the searing exhaust gases.
* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug.
This is the output of
an
arc welder in each cylinder.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a
pass. After 1/2
way,
the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow
of exhaust valves
at
1400 degrees 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 at
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 9500rpm.
* The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid
off, the crew
worked
for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run
costs an estimated US
$1,000.00 per second. The current Top Fuel dragster
elapsed time record
is
4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony
Schumacher). The top
speed record is 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over
the last 66' of
the
run (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
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 past 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 1320 foot long race course.
That, folks, is acceleration.
posted on ZR1net today
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine
makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1½
gallons of
nitromethane
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 supercharger.
* With 3000 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 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for
nitromethane the
flame
front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white
flame seen above the
stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated
from atmospheric
water
vapour by the searing exhaust gases.
* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug.
This is the output of
an
arc welder in each cylinder.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a
pass. After 1/2
way,
the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow
of exhaust valves
at
1400 degrees 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 at
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 9500rpm.
* The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid
off, the crew
worked
for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run
costs an estimated US
$1,000.00 per second. The current Top Fuel dragster
elapsed time record
is
4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony
Schumacher). The top
speed record is 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over
the last 66' of
the
run (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
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 past 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 1320 foot long race course.
That, folks, is acceleration.
posted on ZR1net today
* In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters
must accelerate at
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.
Now that is insanely quick!
must accelerate at
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.
Now that is insanely quick!
A couple of weeks prior to Tony Schumachers record ET, Doug Kalitta ran 4.428 secs. This being the quickest in history, despite missing the required backup time to qualify it as an official record.
Same story for Kalittas cousin, Scott (Kalitta) who ran the fastest terminal speed of 333.95MPH, but was unable to back it up for the record!
Love all threads about drag racing (being an avid fan) but hate to say......www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&h=&t=58966
Same story for Kalittas cousin, Scott (Kalitta) who ran the fastest terminal speed of 333.95MPH, but was unable to back it up for the record!
Love all threads about drag racing (being an avid fan) but hate to say......www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&h=&t=58966
pies - I was going to say that, but then it came to my memory and it is the intention of these 'vehicles' to only go blisteringly fast in a straight line, not forgetting that I would have expected a friendly retort from someone here (most likely gixxer) to say the same thing (that these vehicles are only designed to go blisteringly quick in a straight line). Give it a corner and it will be carnage! 
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