pegscraper
11-13-2006, 09:28 AM
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 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.
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 4.441 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, picture this scenario: 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!
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 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.
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 4.441 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, picture this scenario: 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!