FrumCA

Does anyone else think this might be excessive??

* One Top Fuel dragster outfitted with a 500 cubic-inch replica Dodge (actually Keith Black, etc) Hemi engine makes more horsepower (8,000 HP) than the first 4 rows of cars at NASCAR's Daytona 500.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine will consume 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded Boeing 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate but 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 lockup at full throttle.

* At the stoichio metric 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. Which is typically the output of an electric arc welder in each cylinder.

* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way thru the run, the engine is 'dieseling' from compression and the glow of the 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 enough sufficient force to blow the 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, a dragster must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before reaching half-track, at launch the 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 for, the pit crew is working for free, & NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run will cost an estimated $1,000 per second.

0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of t he 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....or snapping your fingers !!

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).

Let's now put this all into perspective:

Imagine this...........You are driving a new $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z-06.

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 flying start. You run the 'Vette hard, on 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 exact moment.

The dragster departs & starts after you. You keep your foot buried hard to the floor, and suddenly you hear an incredibly brutally screaming whine that seares and pummels your eardrums & within a mere 3 seconds the dragster effortlessly 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.....and it not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the planet when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race !!!!

That, my friends.....is acceleration.

fthomas Loc: Philippines

Thank God they haven't started to put those in Jeepney's in the Philippines! They are bad enough as it is! LOL!

Interesting stuff!

fthomas Loc: Philippines

Oh by the way! What shutter speed do you need to stop the motion off the line? Now that puts it into a photographic perspective.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I remember when the magic 5 second barrier was broken. I wonder when they will go under four? Is there a physical limit to how much acceleration is possible?

FrumCA

That is a very good question! I'm sure one of the "techie" folks on the forum will have an answer!

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

magicray Loc: Tampa Bay, Florida

Yo, man! Is it equipped with hydraulic suspension?

SmittyOne Loc: California

Off the line? Just as the lights change? Depending on light, about 1/200th.

2 milliseconds later, probably 1/25,000th. Ha.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Would be a real challenge to try to pan with the vehicle.

Bruce with a Canon Loc: Islip

problem with panning is the pressure of the exhaust blowing nitro fumes at you, the sweet pungent exhaust "aroma" coming at you at the speed of sound.
Having driven a B/Gas dragster ( sooooooooooooo many years ago)powered by 331 cubic inches and turning the quarter in 8.9 seconds at 160 mph, The thought of going 3.4 seconds at 330 MPH is astounding.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Interesting. Come to think of it, most of the drag racing pics I've seen are from the front or the back. From that angle panning becomes less of an issue. Huh!

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

2 milliseconds is approximately the length of time between the light turning green in NYC and the asshole behind you leaning on his horn.

tlbuljac Loc: Oklahoma

very interesting information and facts that I never knew about....and to think, all this time I thought a "fart" was the fastest accelerated thing in the world...live and learn as they say

banjonut Loc: Southern Michigan

Very interesting. I have always enjoyed drag racing, but the crowds finally got too big for me at the big races.

Georgia Peddler Loc: Brunswick, GA

Many years ago, the company I worked for had the opportunity to furnish some equipment for "Big Daddy" Don Garlits and I spent quite a bit of time with him at several tracks and at his facility in Florida. It is indeed an amazing sight and a truly physical experience to be close and to be completely absorbed by the sound, the pressure, the watering eyes, the sound that lingers long after the thing has shut down, and just the entire process. Also amazing is the mechanical turnaround between runs - imagine rebuilding your car in about 15 minutes.
Great presentation - thanks for the post.

Racin17 Loc: Western Pa

If you havent experienced an NHRA event you are missing out on a modern marvel. All of your senses are used.to answer a previos question. I used a 1/800-1/2000 on my p510 to get some shots. It works just have to time it just right.