Top Fuel Acceleration Facts..OMG!

[H3LL1ON]

Read this thru slowly and try to comprehend the amount of force produced in just under 4 seconds!

There are no rockets or airplanes built by any government in the world that can accelerate from a standing start as fast as a Top Fuel Dragster or Funny Car!

DEFINITION OF ACCELERATION
One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.

It takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 6,000+ horsepower of an NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels.

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 of 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 deg 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 estimate $1,000.00 per second.

The current top fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.428 seconds for the quarter mile (11/12/06, Tony Schumacher, at Pomona , CA ). The top speed record is 336.15 mph as measured over the last 66' of the run (05/25/05 Tony Schumacher, at Hebron , OH ).

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 pass 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!

[LimaCharlie]

Watching a Top Fuel go down the track is truly a life-altering experience. The power, speed, sound, and smell is incredible! Nothing else like it in the world.
It takes a Top Fuel less than a second (0.8 second approx.) to accelerate 0-100 MPH!!

[f5journal]

I knew a little of this, but the rest is mind boggling..thanks

[thesnoopster]

I love Top Fuels! ... These things are a beast when you watch them.

I like when they take off and they are moving and then you hear the sound, and they pound your chest when they roll buy wide open! I love it!!

[hot_rod]

Yeah, awesome machines!

And stopping um...didn't Don Garlits detach his retina first time he tested twin chutes?

[G8GT4now]

Some interesting facts in the post.

However:

A car traveling at 200 mph will take 4.5 seconds to do a 1/4 mile. So the dragster will not be passing him after 3 seconds, but will probably cross the line around the same time as the car.

[98_Camaro]

Originally Posted by hot_rod

Yeah, awesome machines!

And stopping um...didn't Don Garlits detach his retina first time he tested twin chutes?

I didnt even know retinal detachment was possible...

[69Z/28Camaro]

ive been seeing these things since i was 7. im 17 now. we see them every year at the US Nationals and sometimes another race thats close to home. the pressure you feel on your chest as they go by is insane. and you can get Nitro Burns in the pits. and actually your HP number is a little low. they actually make around 8000. most drivers are pretty humble too, with the exception of Tony Schumacher

[v8]

awesome facts

[BigHemiSrt]

If you havent watched top fuels in person its def one of the realistic must do's before you die. Even if you dont know a single thing about racing just the sounds are worth the trip!!

Just got back from the Spring Nationals and it was a great show. Heres a quick video that I put together when I seen this thread. It also has a few pics. My fav part about the show is being able to watch the guys in the pits rebuild the complete engine after EVERY pass!! Then the best part is when they crank em up and blimp the throttle!! It literally takes you breath away!!

Who ever said Tony Schumacher isnt a humble race id have to disagree. He was very humble with us. Signed autographs,took pics, and even answered our questions and hung out a bit.

The video is kinda long, sorry.

[KEEP RT]

I remember reading these facts several years back in one of the car mags. the author at the time said he wanted to repeat the stats because of how amazing it really is. I TOTALLY agree!!! The feeling of acceleration is addictive as allot of us know. I love it, just wish I could afford the cost of addiction.

[8cd03gro]

[Sir Nuke]

watching Top Fuel is ok on TV.....BUT.....there is NOTHING like it in person.....when one hits the throttle, I don't care were you are in the stands, EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY feels it to it core!

and if you decide to go to a race.....make sure you get some ear plugs.....as if you forget, an have to buy them at the track, and yes they sell them there.....its like buying popcorn at the movie threater, THEY ARE GOING TO RAPE YOU for those two little peices of foam!! lol

[ewynn9]

Originally Posted by G8GT4now

Some interesting facts in the post.

However:

A car traveling at 200 mph will take 4.5 seconds to do a 1/4 mile. So the dragster will not be passing him after 3 seconds, but will probably cross the line around the same time as the car.

If i remember my physics class right, the car is at a constant speed when it get to the start line where as the dragster will be in a constant state of acceleration. The dragsters velocity is greater than the car because it is producing greater force in the same distance. Therefore the dragster out accelerates the car within the 1/4 mile and should/will ultimately win.

Now if the car is still able to accelerate aftet the starting line then you might be close to a valid arguement.

Id do the actual math but im at work.

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