Top Fuel dragsters, interesting read

[kaillum]

Cut and pasted from elsewhere but interesting never the less.

* One TF dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8 rows at Daytona.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy volume.


* A stock hemi will not produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.


* Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.


* Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.


* At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitromethane 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 gases.


* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression - plus the glowing 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 those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.


* Dragsters twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.


* To exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.


* If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.


* Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have read this sentence.


* Top Fuel Engines turn ONLY 540 revolutions from light to light!


* The redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm


* The current TF dragster elapsed time record is 4.465 seconds for the quarter mile.



Putting all of this in perspective:

You are driving an average Lingenfelter powered "twin-turbo" Corvette.
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, but you still run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. At this moment, the dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot hard down, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within seconds the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you passed him.

From a standing start, this phenomenal machine has spotted you at 200mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 feet.

[[GSV]Trig]

Jesus...

[DaBeeeenster]

Crazy. Wtf is hydraulic lock?

[Big RICHARD]

Originally posted by DaBeeeenster
Crazy. Wtf is hydraulic lock?

I believe it's when the cylinder is fired before it has fully compressed the fuel.

[Lowe]

* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

Saw that happen at Avon Raceway. Blew the engine in half. Wasn't pretty, and I'm glad I was sat on the Grandstand and not next to the start line!

[IainB]

Originally posted by DaBeeeenster
Crazy. Wtf is hydraulic lock?

Imagine 2 syringes, 1 full of air, 1 1/2 full of air & 1/2 full of water.
Put your thumb over the end of syringe 1 & compress
Repeat on syringe 2 - compresses until 'piston' hits water

As you cant compress fuel - imagine the motor spinning and trying to compress the fuel/air mixture. not able to spin/compress = Hydraylic lock - piston cant compress mixture..... = Expensive bits of metal on floor

[Lowe]

Originally posted by Eazieb
= Expensive bits of metal on floor

That just made me burst out laughing, attracting the attention of all around who now think I'm weird. Thanks.

[[GSV]Trig]

But we all know your weird

[Rave]

I knew they were insane, but I didn't appreciate just quite how mad they are. It warms my heart to know the human race is capable of such total lunacy.

Man, I gotta get down to Santa Pod one of these days.

How fast are those Jet dragsters BTW? They're pretty cool to see too, although I don't think they're quite as fast.

Rich :¬)

[Lowe]

They're just as quick. Fireforce runs silly speeds, but they don't often fire clean off the line.. they can't predict exactly when to launch, so often wait till green before letting rip, hence the slower times.

Go watch a Fireforce run though - oddly enough the best place to be is at the finish line. You just won't believe how quick the car launches off the line, and the noise as it comes past you. Well... words fail me.

[[GSV]Trig]

No they dont, "Jesus f00kin christ" works quite well

[RocketmanX]

A friend of ours is part owner of Del Worsham and the other team car. They work out of his shop here across from his foundry and he's come to the track to watch us race and has taken us to his shop and shown us the cars and an engine rebuild, which is his job at the track to rebuild the bottom end.

They are extremely impressive and if you were to see a piston or crank you'd be amazed at how small they actually are considering the massive power these things put out.

You guys have heard of John Lingenfelter huh.
I'm kinda surprised, he's a local guy and I didn't know he was that well known.

[kaillum]

Originally posted by RocketmanX
You guys have heard of John Lingenfelter huh.
I'm kinda surprised, he's a local guy and I didn't know he was that well known.

hadnt heard of him until I read the thread I copied from... had a look at his webby tho'.. the bit that got me interested was the "average Lingenfelter powered "twin-turbo" Corvette" then the mention of "an honest 200 mph" and wanted to see what he does..

pretty impressive I must say..

550 BHP / 550 lbs-ft of torque
500+ rear wheel hp
2 year/24,000 mile warranty

[Tumble]

Originally posted by kaillum


* 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 gases.

It's this bit that's the daddy..... hydrogen? lmgdao...... that must be *REALLY* hot dammit!