Interesting Top Fuel facts
07-27-2007, 02:35 PM
#1
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Interesting Top Fuel facts This is neat stuff
Top Fuel Dragsters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows of the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 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 merely 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 nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees 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.
* 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.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.
* 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 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew
worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated
$1,000 per second.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.428 seconds for the
quarter-mile (11/12/06, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 336.15
MPH (541 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run (05/25/05, Tony Schumacher).
Putting this all 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 &
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 & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH.
The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but
you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3
seconds the dragster catches & 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 & not only caught, but
nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot
long race!
Top Fuel Dragsters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows of the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 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 merely 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 nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees 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.
* 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.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.
* 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 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew
worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated
$1,000 per second.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.428 seconds for the
quarter-mile (11/12/06, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 336.15
MPH (541 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run (05/25/05, Tony Schumacher).
Putting this all 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 &
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 & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH.
The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but
you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3
seconds the dragster catches & 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 & not only caught, but
nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot
long race!
07-27-2007, 04:42 PM
#5
There are so many cool facts related to Top Fuel it's sick . I wish I was a better typist to throw out some more . You have a few I've never seen before . I think my favorite is they register 2.X+ on the Richter Scale @ launch , which most of you know is for earthquakes .
07-27-2007, 04:54 PM
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Originally Posted by v8pwr
There are so many cool facts related to Top Fuel it's sick . I wish I was a better typist to throw out some more . You have a few I've never seen before . I think my favorite is they register 2.X+ on the Richter Scale @ launch , which most of you know is for earthquakes .
Its actually 3.9 on the Richter Scale
http://competitionplus.com/index.php...=3448&Itemid=6
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07-27-2007, 09:41 PM
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when i was at the gainesville gator nats this year, when they came by the stands it was just unreal of the brute power they make. The tires are shaped like the letter "D" when going by the stand half track. When you watch them run on tv you just do not really understand the full effects of them.
The rumble makes the ladys moist
The rumble makes the ladys moist
07-28-2007, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by camaroextra
yeah until you actually hear a top fuel pass, you dont know what its like
07-29-2007, 09:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Ntimid8r7
That aint no ****! It is amazing. You will have a new respect for the drivers of these cars if you have never been to a race.
I preach this **** daily!!
"oh i seen them on TV....they are crazy..."
Yeah go see it live bro!
07-30-2007, 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by camaroextra
yeah until you actually hear a top fuel pass, you dont know what its like
07-30-2007, 08:36 PM
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Great post.
I have to agree with "being there" and the incredible effect (not affect) it will have on you. Nothing is more fun than standing in the pits when they seat the clutch after a rebuild. In unison, a bunch of folks will imitate whack-a-mole.
I have to agree with "being there" and the incredible effect (not affect) it will have on you. Nothing is more fun than standing in the pits when they seat the clutch after a rebuild. In unison, a bunch of folks will imitate whack-a-mole.