Accelleration - Defined

[Phantom]

This may be a repost but it sure put things in perspective for me:

Definition of Acceleration.

 

* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower

than the first 4 rows of NASCARS 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 for 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 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

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 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, 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!

[savageskaterkid]

very interesting read

[Lunar240z]

having been to a few nhra drags [fram autolite nationals]... i heartily recommend the experience to anyone... tv doesn't do it justice.

 

top fuel is just that insane.

[Phantom]

I read an article on Top Fuel engines in a Motor Trend. They are developing around 7,500 HP at 9,500 RPM. Really puts my 365 at 5,500 in perspective. The technology is phenomenal and those guys are pure definitions of "brinksmanship".

[DaleMX]

Cool read. I guess it's alot like being a fighter pilot and taking off from a carrier deck.

[Dallas J]

That last example is kinda wrong. If the vette passed the line at 200mph and stayed there it would take 4.5 seconds to travel the 1/4mile, which is a good run for a top fuel car.

 

So, it would not blow past it untill it hit the light assuming that the driver of the top fuel car had a perfect light. If he had a decent light of .550, the vette would be 15ft ahead at the end.

 

Anyways, its still pretty cool.

 

-Dallas J

[johnc]

* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to

light!

 

* 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.

 

That works out to $1.85 per revolution and $3.70 to complete the cycle on all 8 cylinders.

[johnc]

So, it would not blow past it untill it hit the light assuming that the driver of the top fuel car had a perfect light. If he had a decent light of .550, the vette would be 15ft ahead at the end.

 

And it would blow by the Vette with a 133mph speed difference.

[Some-Guy]

thats some wild **** i had no idea!

[Scottie-GNZ]

having been to a few nhra drags [fram autolite nationals]... i heartily recommend the experience to anyone... tv doesn't do it justice.

 

top fuel is just that insane.

Your hotrodding experience is not complete until you experience this in person. It is an experience you will never forget.

 

Having said that, the NHRA Gatornationals is March 17-19 at Gainesville Raceway. Anyone up for going on Saturday?

[Guest TegRacer324]

what'd you mean? a=F/m

 

Seen it many times, but still impressive to read every single time.