Juggalo
09-18-2004, 04:30 PM
i got this e-mail from a friend of mine a while ago and thought it was pretty cool..thought id share with you guys:> For those who love power.....
>
>
> Below find some performance specifications for a TOP FUEL DRAGSTER.
Some
> points of note that are not mentioned would be:
>
> NHRA runs 25 events per year and a TOP FUEL DRAGSTER, that goes to
the
finals at every event, will consume:
> - 1600 Spark Plugs
> - 400 Intake Valves
> - 800 Exhaust Valves
> - 50 Crankshafts
> - 400 Piston Rods
> - 500 Pistons
> - 100 Rear Tires
> - 1400 gallons of fuel costing $56,000
>
> The Car, during the entire year will cover, under full acceleration,
50
miles. It will accelerate to 100 mph in 60 feet or .7 seconds It will
> accelerate to 270 mph in 660 feet or 2.7 seconds
>
> A lesson in acceleration:
> ------------------------------------
> First, some useful info:
>
> * 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 Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 1 gallon
of
> nitromethane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the
same
> rate with 25% less energy being produced.
>
> * A stock Dodge 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to
drive
> the dragster's 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 vapor 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 red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.
>
> * 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
> $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 riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike. 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 RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the
starting
> line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph (293 ft/sec). The
'tree'
> goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and
> starts after you. You keep your wrist cranked 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.
>
>
> Below find some performance specifications for a TOP FUEL DRAGSTER.
Some
> points of note that are not mentioned would be:
>
> NHRA runs 25 events per year and a TOP FUEL DRAGSTER, that goes to
the
finals at every event, will consume:
> - 1600 Spark Plugs
> - 400 Intake Valves
> - 800 Exhaust Valves
> - 50 Crankshafts
> - 400 Piston Rods
> - 500 Pistons
> - 100 Rear Tires
> - 1400 gallons of fuel costing $56,000
>
> The Car, during the entire year will cover, under full acceleration,
50
miles. It will accelerate to 100 mph in 60 feet or .7 seconds It will
> accelerate to 270 mph in 660 feet or 2.7 seconds
>
> A lesson in acceleration:
> ------------------------------------
> First, some useful info:
>
> * 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 Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 1 gallon
of
> nitromethane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the
same
> rate with 25% less energy being produced.
>
> * A stock Dodge 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to
drive
> the dragster's 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 vapor 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 red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.
>
> * 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
> $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 riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike. 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 RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the
starting
> line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph (293 ft/sec). The
'tree'
> goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and
> starts after you. You keep your wrist cranked 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.