merkerguitars

These are some fun facts i found on the net

… that the nitromethane-powered engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars produce approximately 8,000 horsepower, about 43 times that of the average street car?

… that one cylinder of the eight cylinders of a Top Fuel dragster or a Funny Car produces 750 horsepower, equaling the entire horsepower output of a NASCAR engine?

… that the gasoline-powered engines of NHRA Pro Stock cars produce about 1,200 horsepower, about eight times that of the average street car?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than .8-second, almost 11 seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo to reach the same speed?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster leaves the starting line with a force nearly five times that of gravity, the same force of the space shuttle when it leaves the launching pad at Cape Canaveral?

… that an NHRA Funny Car is slowed by a reverse force more than seven times that of gravity when both parachutes deploy simultaneously?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars consume between four and five gallons of fuel during a quarter-mile run, which is equivalent to between 16 and 20 gallons per mile?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars use between 10 and 12 gallons of fuel for a complete pass, including the burnout, backup to the starting line, and quarter-mile run?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars travel the length of more than four football fields in less than five seconds?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters can exceed 280 mph in just 660 feet?

… that from a standing start, NHRA Top Fuel dragsters accelerate faster than a jumbo jet, a fighter jet, and a Formula One race car?

… that a fuel pump for an NHRA Top Fuel dragster and Funny Car delivers 65 gallons of fuel per minute, equivalent to eight bathroom showers running at the same time?

… that the fuel-line pressure for NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars is between 400 and 500 pounds, about 20 times greater than the pressure on passenger-car fuel pumps?

… that depending on size and angle, the large rear wing on an NHRA Top Fuel dragster develops between 4,000 and 8,000 pounds of downforce?

… that the 17-inch rear tires used on NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars wear out after four to six runs, or about two miles? Some brands of passenger-car tires are guaranteed for 80,000 miles.

… that it takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 8,000 horsepower of an NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels?

… that it's desirable for an NHRA Top Fuel dragster to race with its front wheels inches off the ground for about the first 200 feet of the run? This ensures proper weight transfer to the rear wheels, a crucial part of a good launch and quick run.

… that the nitromethane used to power the engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars costs about $30 per gallon?

Sources: NHRA Communications and Technical Departments, NHRA race teams, motorsports equipment manufacturers

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numist

holy crap, I knew about the mileage, but my brain never connected the dots to how mast the fuel must be getting pumped.....

Moonduck

I remember an article Hot Rod did back in the 80's concerning Top Fuel rails and fighter jets. It's obvious that a Top Fuel accelerates faster than a fighter jet on take-off, so they decided to see if it accelerated faster than a fighter launched on a catapult like you see on aircraft carriers.

They used an F/A-18A Hornet (very recent design at that point) versus Big Daddy Don Garlits new Aero-nose rail. Garlits had one of the quickest rails in the world at that point. The plane had the homefiled advantage as they ran 'em head-to-head on a Navy airfield., Said field had been modified with a catapult to allow pilots to train with the catapult in non-Carrier situations (carrier flight being for more advanced pilots). The bigger advantage for the jet was that a Navy airfield does not have the long section of old, sticky rubber laid on it like every drag strip on the planet. In essence, the plane was operating under optimum conditions, and the dragster was going to have major traction issues.

They made three passes with the pilot pouring it on and Garlits giving it as much as he could with poor traction. In each case, Big Daddy Don and his Aero-Rat slammed the Hornet.

I wonder if the new Super Hornets might turn better trap times, but the dragsters of today are even more bad-ass than Don's Aero-Rat of the 80's. Top Fuel drag racing truly is a sight, sound, and feeling (the engine noise vibrates your whole body) to experience. NASCAR has nothing on it.

Snakebyt

I remember somthing like the drag car VS fighter jet from one of my old magazines as well. I dont remember details about it, but i do remember the drag car whopping the jets ass

89transam

neat

YELLOW450

Not to steal the thread but these are some other "facts" i got off another board about dragsters.


* 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 1½ 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 ½ 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
> > US$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, but nearly blasted you off the road
> > when he passed you
> > within a mere 1320 foot long race course

wrongfullyaccuzd

sorry dude, still not in perspective. i can't relate to any of this craziness in my camry.

BooRadley

This thread rules. I never thought about it but those things are seriously badass. Thanks for putting it "in perspective"

ledhead

man, these facts are insane. i've always wondered what there horsepower and other facts are.

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alpha phi

the engine on a top fuel dragster has to re built after every run
Clay Millican beat Big Daddys win record this summer here in martin Mi.
In his interview he said if he can start his dragster after a run, it wasn't worth raceing!
his runs cost about $6,500.00 in parts/fuel .......for a quarter mile!
It was an awsome race!!!!!
My pictures are here
http://www.geocities.com/cammonroe/page/dragrace1.html

on page 2, I have a pic of clay at about quarter track!!

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WarWagon

If anyone else here gets the chance to see a TFD or Funny Car run, even if they're not into racing, DO IT. The few people not into cars who I've taken to see them told me it was one of the most awesome things they'd ever seen. The noise, seeing the people on the track getting soaked by unburnt nitro, being pushed back in your seat when they whip past you at 300mph, a truly awesome, awesome feeling.

acpower

interesting