Quake3World

Some interesting information regarding the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel class of drag racing.
Some of the data is mind boggling.

*One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of cars at the Daytona 500.

*Under full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 4 liters 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 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to 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 lock at full throttle.

*At the stoichiometric 1.7 to 1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane, the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F. (Our cars have a stoichiometric 14.7 to 1 air/fuel mixture.)

*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 1/2 way down the track, the engine is dieseling (no need for spark plugs) 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 down the track, unburned nitro methane builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the engine 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.

*Top Fuel dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence.

*Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions while traveling a quarter of a mile! Including the burnout before the run, the engine must only survive about 900 revolutions under load.

*The engine red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.

*To bottom line money wise: assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run down the track costs an estimated $1,000 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 riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP racing bike. 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 RC211V hard up through the gears, blast across the starting line, and past the Top Fuel dragster at an honest 200 mph (293 ft/sec). The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
The dragster launches and starts after you pass. You keep your throttle cranked in hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums. 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 you, but nearly blasted you off the track when he passed you on a mere 1320 foot long race course.

PhoeniX wrote:Meh car racings more fun, it lasts longer for one

and I don't mean nascar

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

andyman wrote:Formula 1 and rally is more my type.

ToxicBug wrote:I wonder what it feels like to do a 0-480km/h in 4.5s on land.

andyman wrote:Read this on another site. If I didn't know what a top fuel drag car is after i read this, I would say that they aren't possible.

[quote
edit: primaltheory....there is no need for you to post about the firebird here k?

primaltheory wrote:

andyman wrote:Read this on another site. If I didn't know what a top fuel drag car is after i read this, I would say that they aren't possible.

[quote
edit: primaltheory....there is no need for you to post about the firebird here k?

Lol, why would i post about the firebird here? that only gets a 10 second quartermile at tops

ToxicBug wrote:I wonder what it feels like to do a 0-480km/h in 4.5s on land.

PhoeniX wrote:Meh car racings more fun, it lasts longer for one

and I don't mean nascar

andyman wrote:

primaltheory wrote: edit: primaltheory....there is no need for you to post about the firebird here k?

Lol, why would i post about the firebird here? that only gets a 10 second quartermile at tops

losCHUNK wrote:its all fun n games till you reach a slight curve

andyman wrote:maybe he has a permit