ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE

Almost amazing…

One Top Fuel 500 cubic-inch Hemi dragster engine makes more horsepower (8,000 HP) than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitromethane 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.

*0 to 100 MPH in 0.8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run)
*0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run)
*6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
*6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin 'chutes at 300 MPH

An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth, quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle.

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.420 seconds for the quarter-mile (2004, Doug Kalitta). The top speed record is 337.58 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2005, 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 200 mph 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!
That is acceleration!

 

Interesting facts.

 

I LOVE the smell of nitro in the morning!!

 

Hum, dayum. I wanna try it.

 

JETZ,

that was the most awesome-est post of the day!

 

So JETZ after that awe inspiring post what's your next mod?

 

Top Fuel cars, are the craziest cars EVER!!! If you have never been to one of the races, you need to!!!!!!

here is a cool vid top fuel vs g6. lol just to show you a normal everyday car vs the BEAST!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws6gs...e=channel_page

 

Aah so that's where nitromethane is used!
Thanks for sharing

 

Are you sure about the 11.2 gallons of fuel per second? That would mean that in a 4 second run they used almost 45 gallons of fuel? Same with a jet liner. That would be 672 gallons per minute... that must be wrong, isn't it?

Very interesting though. I wish they had a back seat so they could take passengers on a ride.

John

 

Yeah the 11.2 gallons per second is definitely not right.

Top Fuel dragsters use between 10 and 12 gallons (38 to 45 L) of fuel for a complete pass, including the burnout, backup to the starting line, and quarter-mile run.

B717 = 550 gal/hr
DC9-30 = 725 gal/hr
DC9-50 = 775 gal/hr
B737-200 = 800 gal/hr
B737-800 = 800 gal/hr
B757-200 = 925 gal/hr
B727-200 = 1250 gal/hr
B767-200 = 1275 gal/hr
A300-600 = 1600 gal/hr
A330-300 = 1600 gal/hr
B777-200 = 2000 gal/hr
L1011 = 2750 gal/hr
DC10 = 3000 gal/hr
B747 = 4300 gal/hr

 

dang, makes my car look like a wind-up.

 

 

Great post, very enlightening.

 

Ssooo how can I get one of these engines in my car?

-Alex

 

Many "APPLAUDS" my hats off to this and for you supplying it!

A fun a fantastic read!

NOW THAT"S MOVIN" BABY!

Thanks,Matt

 

Really puts it perspective to see the G6 next to the Top Fueler. Appreciate the post

 

Good read!

 

What light are they talking about in this instance?

"* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!"

-Alex

 

awesome info! Thanks I Love watching them in person, rattles your whole inside!