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.
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 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.
(I
question this
statement)
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
(05/25/05 Tony
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
friend, is ACCELERATION!