good info
Interesting Fact!
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,179
Likes: 2,306
From: Wesley Chapel, FL Las Vegas, NV
Interesting Fact!
NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters only turn approx. 500 total revolutions in a 1/4 mile run. At first I said No Way. Then I did the math 8000 rpm/60=133 rps x 4 sec = 533 total revs per 1/4 run.
Then thinking about our Vettes. If we run 12 sec. at 6500 rpm we are only doing 1300 total revs per 1/4 mile run.
Just never thought about it before.
Then thinking about our Vettes. If we run 12 sec. at 6500 rpm we are only doing 1300 total revs per 1/4 mile run.
Just never thought about it before.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 781
Likes: 1
From: Buffalo Grove IL
NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters only turn approx. 500 total revolutions in a 1/4 mile run. At first I said No Way. Then I did the math 8000 rpm/60=133 rps x 4 sec = 533 total revs per 1/4 run.
Then thinking about our Vettes. If we run 12 sec. at 6500 rpm we are only doing 1300 total revs per 1/4 mile run.
Just never thought about it before.
Then thinking about our Vettes. If we run 12 sec. at 6500 rpm we are only doing 1300 total revs per 1/4 mile run.
Just never thought about it before.
One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.
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 a typical 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 for 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 one pass.
After halfway, the engine is dieseling from pure compression, plus the exhaust valves are nearly molten and glowing at 1,400 degrees F.
The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow, (or by blowing itself apart!)
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 tree light to tree light!
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 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 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, all within a mere 1,320 foot long race course. .....and that my friend, is the definition of ACCELERATION!
Pro
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 731
Likes: 9
From: Ivins, Utah
Here are more of the facts for the top fuel dragsters. I copied this from another forum post.
One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.
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 a typical 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 for 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 one pass.
After halfway, the engine is dieseling from pure compression, plus the exhaust valves are nearly molten and glowing at 1,400 degrees F.
The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow, (or by blowing itself apart!)
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 tree light to tree light!
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 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 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, all within a mere 1,320 foot long race course. .....and that my friend, is the definition of ACCELERATION!
One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.
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 a typical 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 for 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 one pass.
After halfway, the engine is dieseling from pure compression, plus the exhaust valves are nearly molten and glowing at 1,400 degrees F.
The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow, (or by blowing itself apart!)
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 tree light to tree light!
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 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 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, all within a mere 1,320 foot long race course. .....and that my friend, is the definition of ACCELERATION!
The Space Shuttle is limited to 3G's.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 940
Likes: 0
From: Surprise Arizona
NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters only turn approx. 500 total revolutions in a 1/4 mile run. At first I said No Way. Then I did the math 8000 rpm/60=133 rps x 4 sec = 533 total revs per 1/4 run.
Then thinking about our Vettes. If we run 12 sec. at 6500 rpm we are only doing 1300 total revs per 1/4 mile run.
Just never thought about it before.
Then thinking about our Vettes. If we run 12 sec. at 6500 rpm we are only doing 1300 total revs per 1/4 mile run.
Just never thought about it before.
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Amazing what 500 rpms can do. 
