Craiger
11-27-2003, 06:32 PM
> Here is some amazing dragster information that you may find
interesting:
>
> * 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 dragster engine consumes 1* 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 drive
the
> dragster 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 nitromethane 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 vapour 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 * 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 redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm.
> * 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 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 you, but nearly blasted you off the road
when he
> passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race course.
>
> That, sports fans, is acceleration.
interesting:
>
> * 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 dragster engine consumes 1* 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 drive
the
> dragster 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 nitromethane 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 vapour 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 * 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 redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm.
> * 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 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 you, but nearly blasted you off the road
when he
> passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race course.
>
> That, sports fans, is acceleration.