Guy400
03-24-2003, 12:42 PM
Top Fuel Dragster Trivia
One TF dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8
rows at the Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro
per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but
with
4 times the energy volume.
A stock hemi will not produce enough power to drive the dragster's
supercharger.
Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on
overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before
ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.
Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an
arc welder in each cylinder.
At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame
front of nitromethane 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.
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After ½ 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
those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder
heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
To exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average
of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch
acceleration is closer to 8G's.
If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once
NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.
Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed
reading this sentence.
Top Fuel Engines turn ONLY 540 revolutions from light to light!
The redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm
The current TF dragster elapsed time record is 4.477 seconds for the
quarter mile (06/02/01 Kenny Bernstein)
Putting all of this in perspective:
You are driving an average Lingenfelter powered "twin-turbo" Corvette.
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, but you still run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and
blast
across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. At
this moment, the dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your
foot hard down, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your
eardrums and within seconds the dragster catches and passes you. He
beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you passed
him.
That, folks, is acceleration.
Think about it, from a standing start, this phenomenal machine has
spotted you 200mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road
when
he passed you within a mere 1320 feet.
Now....., tell me about the time you spun the wheels and laid rubber on
dry concrete.
One TF dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8
rows at the Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro
per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but
with
4 times the energy volume.
A stock hemi will not produce enough power to drive the dragster's
supercharger.
Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on
overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before
ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.
Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an
arc welder in each cylinder.
At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame
front of nitromethane 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.
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After ½ 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
those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder
heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
To exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average
of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch
acceleration is closer to 8G's.
If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once
NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.
Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed
reading this sentence.
Top Fuel Engines turn ONLY 540 revolutions from light to light!
The redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm
The current TF dragster elapsed time record is 4.477 seconds for the
quarter mile (06/02/01 Kenny Bernstein)
Putting all of this in perspective:
You are driving an average Lingenfelter powered "twin-turbo" Corvette.
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, but you still run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and
blast
across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. At
this moment, the dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your
foot hard down, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your
eardrums and within seconds the dragster catches and passes you. He
beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you passed
him.
That, folks, is acceleration.
Think about it, from a standing start, this phenomenal machine has
spotted you 200mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road
when
he passed you within a mere 1320 feet.
Now....., tell me about the time you spun the wheels and laid rubber on
dry concrete.