People may have seen this, but I still think it is amazing.
*One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of 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 drive the dragster supercharger. *With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on the 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 the 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 vapor by the searing exhaust gasses. *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 sec, 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 mph before you have completed reading this sentence. *Top Fuel Engines turn appr. 540 revolutions from light to light, and including the burn out, must only survive 900 revolutions under load.

 

i love seeing that. amazing engines.

 

Damn dude that was really amazing information. Thanks for sharing it with all of us on Honda tech.

 

Here is putting it into perspective: You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette ZO6. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile stripp 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 cars 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 1320 foot long race course.

 

Modified by SPARK RACING INC. at 7:46 PM 5/31/2004

 

Amazing Amazing Amazing.

Ed-

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NFJohn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">*Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitromethane per second; </TD></TR></TABLE>

that seems a little far fetched to me...Unless Im reading it wrong. Full Throttle from start to finish lasts a little more than 4.5 seconds. That would mean they would almost need 55 Gallons of fuel for a run. I dont see a 55 gallon drum of nitrometh. on the cars anywhere.

The rest of the info is pretty cool

 

yeah 11.2 gallons does seem like a lil to much........... but cool info other wise!!!!

 

i could not even to begin imaging 8g's .DAM WHAT A FEELING THAT MUST BE.

 

Just putting the info from an email that I got a while ago. I'm sure the info is mostly correct if not very close at the very least.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NFJohn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just putting the info from an email that I got a while ago. I'm sure the info is mostly correct if not very close at the very least.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah I got it from one of my motorsports professors a while back also and I just now realized and started thinking about the fuel comsumption one.

 

How is your ProStock program coming? Any big checks coming in?

 

That's insane. I love it!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NFJohn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How is your ProStock program coming? Any big checks coming in?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Pro Stock Program? What's that?

 

They did a nice break down of a Top Fuel timeslip during the coverage this weekend. If my memory serves me correctly, they said that a TF dragster is doing 100 mph in .8 sec by the time it reaches the 60 foot lights. That just goes and backs up what creates the 8Gs at launch...ouch!

 

I think its more along the lines of 1.2 gallons per second... or 11.2 per run.... I dont know.. its not cheap though. Ive tlkaed to some of the crews at events... its a insane amount of money per run.

Id love to drive one.. just once...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crazykid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Id love to drive one.. just once... </TD></TR></TABLE>

umm.. id be way too scared to !

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NFJohn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> ...a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This seems a little off, too. A 747 is putting out like 70,000hp at cruise and I think it can put out out over half a million horsepower if it wanted to....

 

Great info

 

another interesing tidbit about top fuel motors. When they grind the cam they have to include 5 degree's or more for crank shaft twist from full load.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 88CRXHybrid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">another interesing tidbit about top fuel motors. When they grind the cam they have to include 5 degree's or more for crank shaft twist from full load.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats crazy

Ed-

 

you need to see the two 68 gpm fuel pumps run on a flow bench

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BoostingSnail &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

that seems a little far fetched to me...Unless Im reading it wrong. Full Throttle from start to finish lasts a little more than 4.5 seconds. That would mean they would almost need 55 Gallons of fuel for a run. I dont see a 55 gallon drum of nitrometh. on the cars anywhere.

The rest of the info is pretty cool</TD></TR></TABLE>

Do top fuel dragsters really go full throttle the whole time?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NFJohn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here is putting it into perspective: You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette ZO6. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile stripp 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 cars 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 1320 foot long race course.</TD></TR></TABLE>kinda cool to picture the story!

 

centripetal-its an action that acts in a direction toward a center or axis
just in case some of you were curious.