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+--- Thread: Drag racing facts......... (/showthread.php?tid=273)
- Mike Andrews - 02-04-2007
A lesson in acceleration:
First, some useful info:
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 1½ 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 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at 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.
* The red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.
* The Bottom Line; 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 riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike. 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
RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph (293 ft/sec). The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you.
You keep your wrist cranked 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 1320 foot long race course.
- Larry Herman - 02-04-2007
Wow! It is simply amazing what they have evolved into. I don't think that you could ever "engineer" anything like that right from scratch.
- ccm911 - 02-05-2007
Awesome list, Mike!
While I generally pooh-pooh NASCAR, I feel quite the opposite about Drag Racing. The engineering is just so amazing. I had once heard that they calculate out the engine RPM, and then factor in the final drive ratio, along with the circumference of the fully expanded rear tires, in order to come up with the expected elapsed time.
If you have never gone to an NHRA event, you really need to go. It is definitely something that must be experienced live in order to get the full effect. Night time qualifying is the best of the best.
I was lucky to have Mike Andrews along for my first event. He is the best "tour guide" for NHRA. He took us to watch the rebuild of Larry Dixon's engine, and it was like ballet.
I get really bored watching road racing, but the constantly changing activity at a drag race is just great for those of us with ADD.
- Wellardmac - 02-05-2007
A buddy of mine goes to the hot-rod championships at Englishtown each year. if anyone is interested we can put together a trip up there.
... they're quite impressive machines... just see the thread I posted on richard Hammond and see that thing fly.
- STEVEMCMORN - 02-05-2007
Mike Andrews wrote:
Quote:Putting all of this into perspective:
You are riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike. 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
RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph (293 ft/sec). The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you.
You keep your wrist cranked 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.
You are, of course, assuming that you don't stall it on the start line!
- jsulen - 04-25-2011
Quote:* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature 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.
* 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.
I really like to quote all the facts that you have posted but it will just make this page crowded. Hahaha. Anyways, you made me WOWWOW! Thanks for sharing this one dude,!
- Mike Andrews - 04-26-2011
OK guys......
Who's intersted in Englishtown June 2-5?
Below is the schedule. I'm planning on going over Friday afternoon with hopes that the fuel cars will run into the sunset.
For those of you that have an interest, and have never been to see fuel car run, you need to see (feel) them at night. You should also allow time to watch them rebuild the engine between the runs. That is followed by the test run of the engine and clutch afterwards. If you are a car guy, you need to experience this.
[size=2]
FRIDAY, June 3, 2011
[/size][size=1]Spectator Gates Open [/size][size=1]9:30 AM
[/size][size=1]Registration / Tech Inspection [/size][size=1](Pro's, Alcohol & Pro Mod only)
[/size][size=1]Sportsman Eliminations [/size][size=1]10:15 AM
[/size][size=1]Comp Eliminator Qualifying Session [/size][size=1]11:00 AM
[/size][size=1]Top Alcohol Qualifying Sessions [/size][size=1](Funny Car / Dragster)
[/size][size=1]Comp Eliminator [/size][size=1]- Round 1 1:30 PM
[/size][size=1]Top Alcohol Qualifying Sessions [/size][size=1](Funny Car / Dragster)
[/size][size=1]Pro Mod Qualifying Session
[/size][size=1]Pro Stock Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](PS Motorcycle / PS Car) [/size][size=1]3:45 PM
[/size][size=1]Nitro Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster) [/size][size=1]4:30 PM
[/size][size=1]Pro Mod Qualifying Session
[/size][size=1]Pro Stock Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](PS Motorcycle / PS Car) [/size][size=1]6:15 PM
[/size][size=1]Nitro Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster) [/size][size=1]7:00 PM
[/size][size=1]Secure Track [/size][size=1]9:00 PM
[/size][size=2]SATURDAY, June 4, 2011
[/size][size=1]Spectator Gates Open [/size][size=1]9:30 AM
[/size][size=1]Sportsman Eliminations [/size][size=1]10:15 AM
[/size][size=1]Top Alcohol Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](Dragster / Funny Car) 11:00 AM
[/size][size=1]Pro Stock Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](PS Motorcycle / PS Car) [/size][size=1]12:00 PM
[/size][size=1]Nitro Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car) [/size][size=1]12:45 PM
[/size][size=1]Pro Mod Qualifying Session [/size][size=1]1:45 PM
[/size][size=1]Pro Stock Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](PS Motorcycle / PS Car) [/size][size=1]2:30 PM
[/size][size=1]Nitro Qualifying Session [/size][size=1](Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car) [/size][size=1]3:15 PM
[/size][size=1]Pro Mod [/size][size=1]- Round 1 4:15 PM
[/size][size=1]Top Alcohol [/size][size=1](Dragster / Funny Car) - Round 1 4:45 PM
[/size][size=1]Comp Eliminator [/size][size=1]- Round 2 5:45 PM
[/size][size=1]Secure Track [/size][size=1]9:00 PM
[/size][size=2]SUNDAY, June 5, 2011
[/size][size=1]Spectator Gates Open [/size][size=1]8:30 AM
[/size][size=1]Pre-Race Ceremonies [/size][size=1]10:00 AM
[/size][size=1]Final Eliminations [/size][size=1]11:00 AM
[/size][size=1]Secure Event [/size][size=1]4:30 PM
[/size]
- ccm911 - 04-26-2011
Looks like Friday is the day. I need to see if I could get off work. I will let you know.
Is the Englishtown crowd rougher than that of Maple Grove? I mean, it is Jersey and all.
- Mike Andrews - 06-22-2011
http://www.wimp.com/whenaccelerating/
I hate it when this happens.....
- AMoore - 06-22-2011
LMAO